Life.Culture.Discovery.

‘Varying degrees of drunkenness’: Hong Kong ink artist’s show mixes wine, liquor and food with advanced brush techniques in a feast for the eyes

Chui Pui-chee added red wine and Chinese baijiu to his ink to create ‘rich’ effects and enhance the colours of works on show at Hong Kong’s Karin Weber Gallery

The show, called Master Chui’s Kitchen, combines calligraphy and painting techniques ‘in a similar way to fine cooking’ to create various food-related pieces

Reading Time:2 minutes

For his new Hong Kong exhibition, “Master Chui’s Kitchen”, ink artist Chui Pui-chee has added wine and liquor to his ink to create food- and drink-related art with rich effects and enhanced colours. Photo: Life In Space

Published: 5:15pm, 10 Aug 2023

Most people would consider a wine stain annoying. Not Chui Pui-chee.

The Hong Kong ink artist saw its potential and incorporated a few drops of red into his creations, resulting in the aptly titled calligraphy pieces Merry Drunk and Slightly Drunk.

“I added red wine to the Chinese ink to capture the garnet, mahogany or ruby colour of red wine,” says Chui, adding that he applied different quantities to produce different shades to “express varying degrees of drunkenness”.

“Together with the layering of ink and the champagne gold, it creates a very rich effect. I think this is a stroke of genius and the works look very interesting.”

“Merry Drunk” is part of Chui’s “Master Chui’s Kitchen” exhibition at Hong Kong’s Karin Weber Gallery, until September 16, 2023. Photo: Karin Weber Gallery

And he didn’t waste a drop.