CHOW Chun Fai & Stephen WONG Chun Hei: A Mirage of a Shining City

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Tang Contemporary Art is proud to present the duo exhibition of CHOW Chun Fai and Stephen WONG Chun Hei, opening on May 2, 2023. The perspective of light in a city, as the main theme of this exhibition, penetrates time, culture, and history, and transforms the urban landscape and suburban scenery of Hong Kong. Through light and shadow, the two artists explore the vision behind our city – what appears on the surface may not be entirely dazzling; the hidden things, rather, may have their highlights accentuated amidst darkness precisely because of their unconcealed nature. Through the latest series of works by Chow Chun Fai and Stephen Wong Chun Hei, the exhibition will bring together a contrasting pair of creative styles which, nonetheless, complement each other and express their mutual passion for the city.

Chow Chun Fai’s works revolve around the nighttime of Hong Kong, exploring the night city’s unyielding vibrancy and its nuances associated with light and shadows. He is adept at seeking inspiration from old photos and films that he documented in the past, portraying urban scenes captured in photos and depicting the artificial neon lights of the city at night. Urbane and nostalgically contemporary – his unique narrative style has contained collective memories of the city, reinterpreting the brilliance and shadows of Hong Kong’s night scene with rich layers of paint and dreamlike colors.
 
Stephen Wong Chun Hei, contrarily, specializes in landscape painting, with recent works revolving around daytime scenes in Hong Kong. Wong often ventures into the nature carrying with him paints and brushes, and captures the colors and beauty of the day from a unique perspective. Resulted are works that boast not only bright and vivid colors, but also a deep sense of narrative and imagination. For this exhibition, Wong has created a series that specifically focuses on the suburbs of Fo Tan. With his unique painting techniques and color palette, reflecting his close attention to this land, and seeking the flash points that attract him between the junction of daylight and sunset.
 
The exhibition will showcase the unique styles, perspectives, and techniques Chow Chun Fai and Stephen Wong Chun Hei, as well as their mutual endeavor in the expressions on the surface and in the hidden aspects of the city. This duo exhibition is not only a new attempt in the creative process of the two artists but also the culmination of their friendship and collaboration over the years.

Urban and rural landscapes are also important themes of this exhibition. Both artists live in the suburb of Hong Kong, in Fo Tan, and have a special connection to this area. Stephen Wong Chun Hei, it is a place where he has lived for more than ten years but has never really depicted thoughtfully. By capturing the light and shadow in Fo Tan, Wong allows the audience to experience the beauty of the fusion between the city and the suburbs and the subtle emotions behind this fusion. Chow Chun Fai’s works, on the other hand, draw inspiration from the city’s nightlife, depicting the artificial neon lights that illuminate the city at night. By juxtaposing the works of the two artists, viewers can experience the light and shadow of Hong Kong at different times and listen to the dialogues that whisper hidden from the city.
 
This exhibition marks another encounter between Stephen Wong Chun Hei and Chow Chun Fai since they met each other at the Department of Fine Arts in 2005. They have always maintained a close artistic exchange, from city street scenes to virtual game landscapes, from local characteristics to capturing details of Hong Kong films, the works of both artists span many fields, but both have a strong local flavor of Hong Kong. This exhibition will showcase their attempts and reflections on the two sides of the city’s light and shadow, and together they have written a composition that intertwines the city with the audience.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Chow Chun Fai graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Department of Fine Arts (BA and MFA). In 2012 he ran in the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections, for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication constituency. Most recently his work has been featured in the exhibitions: Portrait From Behind (Gallery Exit Hong Kong 2020); Chow Chun Fai (Eli Klein Gallery New York 2018); Everything Comes With an Expiry Date (Klein Sun Gallery New York 2016); Venice Meeting Point (Venice Biennale 2015); Hong Kong Eye (Saatchi Gallery London 2012), the Liverpool Biennial (Liverpool 2012).

Chow is the recipient of the Grand Prize of the Hong Kong Arts Centre 30th Anniversary Awards, and the Sovereign Asian Art Prize.

Stephen Wong Chun Hei graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2008. Natural landscape scenery is the main theme in Wong's paintings. The artist combines his intuitive imagination and visual experience during the long hiking trips to create his works. As such, Wong's landscape paintings provide a sense of mystery, being familiar yet out of place. His works prompt viewer to ponder the relationship between human, nature and virtual reality.

Participated exhibitions include solo exhibitions "Dream Travel" (Unit London, London, 2022), “Looking at the sky and the landscape beneath” (Gallery EXIT, Hong Kong, 2018), “Step Back to Nature” (Galerie Ora-Ora, Hong Kong, 2014), group exhibitions "Mille Cortex" (Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, 2023), “The Breath of Landscape” (Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 2019), and “These Painters’ Painters” (ROH Projects, Jakarta, 2018). His work is part of the Hong Kong Museum of Art Collection. The artist currently lives and works in Hong Kong.