Yo Chow: TIME OUT

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Karin Weber Gallery is excited to announce ‘Time Out,’ a debut solo exhibition by emerging local artist Yo Chow.

Having studied Sports Coaching alongside Visual Arts at University, the focus of Chow’s first solo exhibition had to be sports. In sports, a ‘timeout’ is called to halt a match, used by coaches to allow players to rest, to communicate new strategies, to make substitutes or to boost morale.

Yo Chow seeks to highlight various issues around the subject, some specific to Hong Kong, such as homegrown athletes not receiving the respect they deserve, and particularly poor pay for those in less popular sports. Hong Kong is also strongly criticised for its lack of dedicated sports facilities and venues. A global and complex topic, ‘Time Out’ will also examine more universal issues, such as the commodification of athletes, doping, cheating and biased refereeing.

On a personal level, Chow had a troubled past and hated staying at home when she was a teenager. For almost five years, she would spend from dusk until dawn shooting hoops in basketball courts, an escape from her own troubled world. Created from various balls made into globes, Ball Instrument reflects her love for basketball and the role it played in her life.

Sports and art rarely overlap; they are frequently regarded as entirely separate worlds. Yo Chow, at an early stage in her artistic career, manages to effortlessly bridge the gap between the two, bringing energy and a strong sense of individuality to both.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Yo Chow (b.1994) is a graduate of the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University. She has won several awards and scholarships, including the HKBU AVA Award (2020) and the HKAS Graduation Showcase – Excellent Presentation Award (2018). Recent exhibitions include ‘Click...Clatter...Clunk...’ at Karin Weber Gallery (2022), with work acquired for important Hong Kong private collections. She also has professional certificates in climbing, dodge ball and physical fitness, and has represented her university in the frisbee team.