Alienated Urban Landscape
Group exhibition with So Hing Keung, Charles LaBelle, Bob Davis, Christophe Demaitre, Sebastien Pascot, Lo Kwan Chi and Halley Cheng
10 Jan - 28 Feb 2010
Seven artists from or based in Hong Kong explore the‘city’ we live in through different perspectives in diverse media: drawing, photography, collage, painting and sculpture.
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SO HING KEUNG
One of Hong’s best renowned photographers depicts urban landscape as stuff from nightmares. Old landmarks perplexingly disappear, giving way to new development. Reality solidifies only for a moment, and before it can be fully grasped, dissolves. The agony of Hong Kong’s streetscape is that it must continuously kill itself – and estrange itself from the people – in order to live. (from hong kong/china photographers, ‘so hing keung’ by oscar ho, published by asia one). So Hing Keung had many prominent exhibitions such as the latest: “Red”, Louis Vuitton Gallery. Hong Kong (2009). And won various prices such as Prize of Excellence; 13th Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art (2001); Winner in the Hong Kong Advertising category: Photographer of the Year Awards 2001, Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong. And was published in: ‘So Hing Keung’. Hong Kong Photographers series One. Asia One (2008). He is currently part time at the department of Fine Arts, Chinese University.
BOB DAVIS
Is exhibiting an old collection of photographs from this travels in China in the 80’s, developed from films that were lost for over a decade and almost decayed. Although taken in a near past, its alienated images depict a very different China then how we know it today. Bob Davis was born in Melbourne and was fascinated by photography from an early age. He made his reputation as a professional in Sydney before going on to live and work in London and Tokyo, eventually settling in Hong Kong where he established The Stockhouse photo agency. A critically lauded and multi award winning photographer he continues to travel the world on assignments, and to record life and the changing times in Hong Kong.
LO KWAN CHI
looks at the city from a classical Chinese painter’s perspective. The execution is, as per the tradition, by ink on paper and the concept is derived from the idea of ‘the ideal landscape’. A landscape not drawn as seen in reality, but merely a depiction of a perfect mountain. Lo replaces nature and mountains with our today’s contemporary landscape: urban street-scape and depicts ‘the perfect street’. The street is depicted in an orderly and straight way, without any sign of people, buildings, clutter or other urban elements, therefore creating an unnatural alien and quiet feeling. LO graduated in Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, his piece has been short listed in Hong Kong Art Biennial.
CHARLES LABELLE
started over 10 years ago on his life project whereby he documents every new building he entered from which he produces sketches. So far he has archived over ten thousand buildings worldwide and the project is still ongoing…. Charles’ work is devoted to investigating the interrelatedness of place and subjectivity. His practice embraces and often combines a variety of media, including photography, video, drawing, sculpture as well as action-based and site-specific works. Critic Gean Moreno has written: “LaBelle’s explorations of the city are never divorced from the continuous inquiry of the body. He proposes that one’s surroundings serve as more than mere setting: they are a poetics of lived experience.” Having received his bachelor of fine arts degree at UCLA in 1988, LaBelle then studied film-making at the prestigious UCLA film school before pursuing a full-time career in art. LaBelle currently resides in Hong Kong.
CHRISTOPHE DEMAITRE
takes inspiration from his immediate surroundings; the city. He catches these seemingly unimportant fleeting moments and turns them into alienated, timeless black and white images developed in a rough manner on canvas or discarded objects. Christophe is a true global dweller; after being born and raised in Belgium, his artistic travels took him Barcelona where he discovered ‘Arte Povera’, Italy where he spent 6 years learning the techniques of Fresco Painting, South America and finally Shanghai where he is still based.
SEBASTIEN PASCOT
has a fervent interest in the way our environment shapes us, and vice versa. His work always involves a landscape, natural forms and/or recycled materials. Like the Arte Povera movement, Sebastian views even the poorest of materials as potential part of his art. The point of his work is to look at our landscape and answer as many ecological and environmental questions as possible. To do this, no material is too small, old or inconsequential. To convey his message, Sebastian uses a variety of media such as Land Art, sculpture, installation, photography, paintings and architecture. Sebastian Pascot is French and currently lives in Hong Kong. He holds a master in Fine Arts from Cergy Art School and a degree in Geology from Provence University.
HALLEY CHENG
is depicting a cloth market (located in Sam Shui Po) constructed between the trees. These kind of self fabricated spots embracing nature are quicky disappearing from our cityscape. Halley Cheng graduated from CUHK fine arts in 2008. Selected Award-"Philippe Charriol Foundation Winner 2006, the Philippe Charriol Foundation". Selected Exhibition-"Ghostliness – Halley Cheng, Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong", "ARTHK09 – Hong Kong International Art Fair 09, Hong Kong Conventional and exhibition centre", HKIAAF2009– Hong Kong International Art and Antique Fair, Hong Kong Conventional and exhibition centre.