Lau Ka Chun: Regarding the Indifference of Us

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Art Projects Gallery is proud to introduce Hong Kong artist Jay Lau Ka Chun’s Solo Exhibition “Regarding the indifference of us”.

Artist Statement
A large sum of images depicting the past, present, and future of a place is made accessible through the internet: television media produced by interpreting local and or foreign cultures; propaganda produced by governments; news images produced by the media; personal photography or drawings uploaded onto social media networks… These images feature a place in various settings continuously, hence influencing and even molding how we understand a place, and our emotions attached to it. So, regarding the place one grows up and lives in, how do images affect one’s impression on said place?

“Regarding the indifference of us” showcases my works in recent years, which are some of my saved found images after processing. In which the images shown were selected from films, advertisements, and news, all illustrating Hong Kong in various eras, such as street views, night views, different generations of Star Ferry; the Lunar New Year Fireworks Display in recent years; all previous winners of Miss Hong Kong Pageant and how they won, etc.

When faced with images of the same place but with different contents, the bliss and anxiety once experienced in that place get overwhelming, overcome with too many emotions to handle, not knowing if being objective is the right thing to do, bias and reason are intertwined endlessly. Losing my breath standing too close, so I distance myself from crowds and save myself; straying too far only leads to feeling numb and cold, so I walk back in under shame, so on and so forth. When reviewing the images, their original purpose and the content they refer to start to deviate, what images mean to us changes with us, this might be one of the ways to address society as a spectated reality interpreted by images.

The images shown in “Regarding the indifference of us” are printed on different materials, such as heat insulation aluminum foil, wood, newspaper, and cement, using printmaking techniques. Through processing found images and printing them on various materials, the contexts of images marry those of materials to create new meanings, the same image on different surfaces; the same surface with different images printed on, they are all up for different interpretations, the real content of the works is made up of images, materials, and us.

Through images, we can see scenes we were not there to witness in person,or provoke memories of being there witnessing, or even look into the future and imagine what might go on out of reason. However, when said images are products of others, we are always standing on the other end of the shore, leaving a long river between us, gazing at the fireworks display which supposedly stands for prosperity and stability, despite having been there in person.

At last, maybe we have to ask, “Who are we? What is our relationship with them?”

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Jay Lau (b. 1997) obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019 and is presently studying for his MFA there. He has taken up various part-time jobs, including as an art tutor, teaching assistant, technician, art mover, and other different types of temporary staff in the art field.

His art practice focuses on how to use the techniques of mechanical reproduction, including printmaking, photography and molding, in image-making and re-making. He emphasizes the physical properties and cultural significance of materials and the techniques involved during the process of image- making, so that the cooperation of materials, images and media can enrich the connotation and possibility of imagery.