NORM YIP | 葉灃
Selected Works 10 January 2018
Profile Norm Yip’s work eschews any one medium
Norm further expanded his artistic
or genre; it weaves in a constant circle
repertoire when he began photographing
around photography, graphite drawings
the Asian male body. Inspired by
and paintings. The essence of his art
the chiaroscuro aesthetic of Herb
permeates at several different levels;
Ritt’s sculptural subjects, his series
reflecting varying aspects of his mind and
of photography books - aptly named
heart at play.
‘the Asian Male’ - brought a renewed sensibility to the Asian man as
Graphite drawings dominated his early
monuments of beauty, desire and
repertoire and remains some of his
pleasure.
most philosophically and emotionally influenced pieces today. Pencil and paper
In 2012, Norm set out to combine his
meet to inscribe his awakening into
disparate interests; allowing photography
the mysteries of life and death. At first
and painting to collide and fuse into an
appearing as symbols, the drawings tend
altogether different form of expression.
towards the formless - the ‘being-ness’
Through a process of image transfers
of existence represented in a series of
using an ink toner printer, paper and
embryonic circles.
acetate with animals and portraits as his initial subjects, the pieces that emerged
Where graphites provided glimpses into
were highly textural and tactile; vivid
his deeper sub-conscious, it was acrylics
in their raw emotional energy and vigor
that gave Norm’s thoughts full voice -
while tempered with a tenderness and
a vocabulary exciting and rich in both
sensitivity born from years of observation
colour and form. His visual language of
and experimentation.
choice is that of abstraction, with recent works inspired both by nature and the malleability of the medium; using colour to capture movement and guide the eye. In another series, he uses the infinity symbol ∞ to represent the unending consciousness of life; bound neither by birth nor death. 2
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Le tourbillon de la vie After an unsettling few months during recovery from a dog bite and drawing only on paper and smaller works, I finally came back to painting onto a large canvas. Drawing upon the work from Ode to New York, the paintings that surfaced became a mixture of bold and thick brushstrokes combined with drip marks. The title is Le tourbillon de la vie, which translates to the whirlwind of life, describes perfectly the way I am feeling.
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Le tourbillon de la vie, No. 1, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 140 x 140cm
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Le tourbillon de la vie, No. 2, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 140 x 140cm
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Le tourbillon de la vie, No. 3, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 122 x 147cm
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Visitation, No. 2, 2018 Acrylic on canvas 180x 120cm
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Visitation No. 1, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 153 x 96cm
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HARD : REWIRED HARD:REWIRED is a reactionary creation of artwork that I was compelled to do after being bitten by a dog. I found refuge in executing a more aggressive approach using the medium of paper and wood. The style is reminiscent of Basquiat’s heavy-handed graffiti marks and Cy Twombly’s whimsical yet restrained scratches. As my arm healed, a disturbing unease settled into my being. A deepness rose within me that was horrible with discontent. I am torn inside. I found solace in reading “Molecules of Emotion” by Dr. Candace Pert, a neuroscientist whose seminal work in opiate receptors brought together science and spirit. Her thoughts and words found a path into my drawings. My hand and fingers move in what is known as automatic drawing, derived from the subconscious mind and body. These works are the first drawings or paintings that I have signed with my newly adopted Chinese name of 葉灃, rather than Norm Yip, as if forging a new life or new character into being.
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Self-destruction is eminent, 2017 Mixed media on paper 89 x 59cm
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Space-time continuum, 2017 Mixed-media on paper 59 x 52 cm
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Molecules of emotion, 2017
Mixed media on paper 61 x 51cm
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Opiate Receptors, 2017 Mixed media on wood 61 x 42cm
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Receptor Fied (Red), 2017
Mixed media on wood 28 x 67cm
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Receptor Fied (Blue-Grey), 2017
Mixed media on wood 28 x 67cm
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Receptor Fied (Green-Grey), 2017
Mixed media on wood 28 x 67cm
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Energy/White Noise
The energy and white noise drawings are
Eventually the drawing starts to take
intense, organic creations of an immediate
form as something begins to appear like
and direct nature. They are drawn using
a web or matrix. The music is the guide,
lead pencils, a material that for most of us,
as the artwork is somehow ‘channeled’
have become closely associated with at a
into my fingers and hands. I try as
very early age during childhood. Being so,
much to let it happen as it is without
it is imbued with our first markings onto
intervention on my part.
paper, thereby creating one of our earliest associations or foundations to using our hands and fingers to communicate through drawings. The energy or white noise drawings are essentially the same, using trance music to facilitate the process of drawing from a higher consciousness. I only draw these drawings in the evening in the comforts of my studio. Lights are turned off with the exception of where my table is situated. I play selective trance tracks that that are engaging. The initial start of a drawing is tense, and I usually take repeat or play the music until I the feeling is ‘right’. When that moment reaches, my fingers release and the drawings starts. The first few minutes, the drawings appear uncontrolled, but there is a rhythm and an order within the motion.
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Zygote, 2007 Graphite on paper 110 x 84 cm
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Embryo of the Soul, II, 2002 Graphite on paper 79 x 74cm including frame
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Energy, No. 2, 2016 Graphite on Paper 78 x 63 cm including frame
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White Noise, No. 1, 2016 Graphite on paper 86 x 120 x 86 cm including frame
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Biography
Norm Yip was born in Canada in 1963 to Chinese parents.
In photography, Norm’s work was first recognized when
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in
his photographs of Asian men was selected to appear in
1984 at the University of Saskatchewan and his Bachelor
publications 2Blue and Dreamboys 2, both special editions
of Architecture degree in 1989 at the University of
of aclaimed Blue Magazine, known for its excellence in fine
Toronto. In 1994, he moved to Hong Kong where he
art photography of male physique. Since then, his work has
worked as a project architect for Wong & Tai Associates
been featured in The Best of International Nudes Photography
Ltd and RTKL International Ltd before pursuing his greater
III by Feierabend Unique Books and The Romantic Male
interest in art and photography.
Nude by James Spada.
In 1999, he co-founded the art collective Meli-Melo Artists
Norm has taught photography courses at The Open
Alliance (MMAA) along with Betty Cheung and Wilson
University of Hong Kong and has been a guest lecturer
Chik, where he curated several exhibitions with artists
at the Hong Kong Art School. In addition, he has been
such as Gavin Tu (Hong Kong), the late Neung or Panuwat
invited by the Cathay Camera Club to act as a judge in their
Hoonbamrung (Thailand) and Oksana Movchan (Canada).
monthly photography competitions.
Shortly thereafter, he formed his own photography
In 2008, he moved his studio to Chai Wan, an industrial
company Norm Yip Photography, in addition to Studio
neighborhood, where he continues to photograph, paint
8, a semi-public photographic and art space located in
and draw.
the district of Sheung Wan -- where he hosted private and selected exhibitions in the mediums of photography, painting and graphite.
As a photographer, Norm’s work has appeared in HK Magazine, WHERE, Global Investor and American Express’ Centurion magazine, Prestige, and Luxury Properties Magazine. Celebrities he has photographed include Zhang Yimou, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Destiny’s Child and Korean pop-star Rain.
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Exhibitions, Recognition & Events
June 2016 Pride Art Exhibition, Group exhibition, Clifford Chance,
July 29, 2013. Collections, Selected artwork Greed in a group
Hong Kong
online exhibition, Saatchionline, London.
June 2015, Pride Art Exhibition, Group exhibition, Clifford Chance,
July 26, 2013. Story of the Creative, Selected 3 image transfer
Hong Kong
artworks to appear in See | Exhibition Space, Angel Orensanz Foundation, New York.
May 2015. Selected artwork Infinity, No. 4 in curated collection New This Week - 5-25-2015 by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
November 2012. Curator and exhibitor. Seven Deadly Sins, Voxfire Gallery, Hong Kong.
May 2015. Selected artwork Infinity, No. 3 in curated collection New This Week - 5-11-2015 by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
August 2011. Group exhibition RetreAttack – RA Vol. 2, Selected photographs of Janice, Dahlia Gallery, Singapore.
May 2015. Selected artwork Spring rejoicing in curated collection Bright Abstracts for under $2,000 by Saatchi Art (online), Los
February 2011. Group exhibition Heat, Selected photograph and
Angeles.
painting, Charity Art Sale for Hong Kong Aids Foundation, Voxfire Gallery, Hong Kong.
April 2015. Selected artwork Heaven is here in curated collection New This Week - 5-4-2015 by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
November 2009. Group exhibition. Selected graphite Verge V. Zonta Club of Hong Kong II. Charity Art Sale. Rotunda, Exchange
April 2015. Selected artwork Infinity, No. 1 in curated collection All
Square, Hong Kong.
Things Abstract by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles. May - June 2009. Oxford Pride 2009. Group exhibition to the April 2015. Selected artwork Will you remember? in curated
theme of 1969 Stonewall. Two bondage photographs were
collection New Portraits by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
selected to appear in the show. Oxford, UK.
December 2014. Embryo, Solo graphite drawing exhibition, L’s
December 2008. Group exhibition. Curated and participated in
Where, Hong Kong
the charity art auction Sexpression benefiting Horizons Group in Hong Kong, Studio 8 HK, Hong Kong.
October 2014. The Asian Male, solo photography exhibition, Gallery Box, Zurich, Switzerland.
September 2006. Solo Exhibition, Skin Deep, Selected photographs of the new male nude/semi-nude photography,
October 2014. Andy Warhol X Absolut, group exhibition, Pink Season
Baileys at the Fringe - Fotogalerie, Hong Kong.
Factor, Azure Restaurant, Hong Kong. November - December 2005. Group exhibition, Gay Artists: Gay October - November 2013. Cool on the Inside; Hot on the Outside,
Art?, Selected photographs of The Asian Male, Art Statements,
photography exhibition, Studio 8 HK, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong.
July - August 2013. The Narcissist, photography exhibition, Studio 8
August 2005. Solo exhibition, NudeNotNaked, Selected
HK, Hong Kong.
photographs of the Male Nude, Three Boxes, Hong Kong.
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April 2005. Group exhibition, Moonstruck, Acrylic painting submission, Club 64 and the Venice Biennale 2005, Hong Kong and Venice. March-April 2005. Selected group exhibition, Nasi Campur, exhibition of acrylic paintings, Gallery Taksu, Kuala Lumpur. October 2004. Selected artist featuring selected graphite images to appear in art book Eyes of the Soul – Exploring Inspiration in Art; written and compiled by Philip Rubinov-Jacobson; foreword by Ken Wilber. RRR Publishers, Germany, 2004. August 2004. Selected Group Exhibition, Private Edge, selected fine art photographs, B2G Gallery, Singapore. June 2004. Solo Exhibition, Secret Constellations, exhibition of acrylic paintings, Studio 8, Hong Kong. November - December 2003. Group Exhibition, Art in The Winter Gardens Exhibition, selected paintings, Lee Garden, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong June - July 2002. Solo Exhibition, Persona of Spirit, exhibition of new graphite drawings and paintings, Studio 8, Hong Kong. May 2003. Solo Exhibition Intrepid Terrain, exhibition of paintings. E&J Gallo Gallery, The Fringe Club, Hong Kong. June - July 2002. Solo Exhibition, Embryo of Intelligence, exhibition of graphite drawings, Home Boutique, Hong Kong. May - June 2002. Solo exhibition, Verge, exhibition of paintings and graphite drawings, 5 opt Studio / Gallery, Hong Kong. March 2002. Artist and curator of a group exhibition Buddha Buddha. Other artists include Neung (Thailand) and Gavin Tu (Hong Kong), Studio 8, Hong Kong. November 2001. Solo Exhibition Navigation. Selected paintings, drawings and photographs. Studio 8, Hong Kong. March 2000. Solo Exhibition First Level, exhibition of graphite drawings, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong. January 2000. Co-curator/Exhibitor Light + Shadow, black & white photography, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong. October 1999. Co-curator/Exhibitor Entanglement, group exhibition, mixed media, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong.
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NORM YIP | 葉 灃 Room 809, 8/F Hong Kong Chai Wan Industrial Building 26 Lee Chung Street Chai Wan, Hong Kong T: +852 2540 6267 M: +852 6838 8948 E:
nwy@normyip.com
http://normyip.com