Contemporary artists reflect on Hong Kong’s recent history in Asia Society show
- Artist Isaac Chong Wai connects losing balance with protesting, while Andrew Luk alludes to violence in his moulds of former British Royal Navy boundary stones
- Christopher K. Ho has created a miniature theatre in brass, while Leung Chi-wo took photographs at the site of bomb explosions in the 1967 Hong Kong riots
Isaac Chong Wai’s Falling Carefully is a multimedia installation that connects the act of losing balance with street protests such as those that have taken place in Hong Kong.
Installed in a large, bright gallery space at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, three figures of the same man – models of the artist himself – appear to be falling in different positions, adjacent to red text on the wall that reads “Falling Carefully”. Metal railings are embedded in the walls around the exhibition space.
“We tend to think of falling as failure, but there’s something to be said for the solidarity in falling collectively,” says the Berlin-based artist. “In supporting each other as we fall, we are supporting those who are vulnerable.”
“It seems as if every day people are falling, they are forced to fall, as we see on the news,” he says of media coverage of protests. “Thinking of the fragility or vulnerability of the experience of the fall, that feeling experienced collectively connects people and mobilises them.”
Chong’s piece is part of a group exhibition called “Next Act: Contemporary Art from Hong Kong” that marks the 30th anniversary of the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre. Most of the works are new, and address the history and collective memories of Hong Kong.
Luk has taken moulds of the stones using four different materials – charcoal, ice, salt blocks, and copper – each of which has historical connotations. For instance, charcoal alludes to violence as a by-product of gunpowder, and ice represents the fleeting nature of time and man-made boundaries.
The copper version (copper was used to make shell casings for bullets) is emblazoned with text from declassified US and Hong Kong government documents, including an invitation to a panel discussion hosted by the Asia Society in 1984 that reads “The Future of Hong Kong”.
Christopher K. Ho, who has a background in architecture, focuses on the site’s physical location and distinct architectural features for his work Always Stop Eating While You’re Still A Little Hungry, which explores the theme of nationalism.
The outdoor work consists of a miniature brass theatre, designed in intricate detail and referencing historical American spectacles. Viewers can look directly through the model and see an image of Mary Lou Retton, a decorated American gymnast – a celebration of nationalism.
Leung Chi-wo’s Date Series references the city’s violent past. He revisited places where bombs were detonated during the 1967 riots 50 years later to photograph the sky in black and white.
The exhibition also includes works by recent Sigg Prize winner Samson Young, Cici Wu, Vivian Qin, Sara Wong, and collective Zheng Maler.
“Next Act: Contemporary Art from Hong Kong”, until September 27, Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, 9 Justice Drive Admiralty, Hong Kong. Tues-Sun, 11am to 6pm. Free admission.
