Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel

Stephen WONG Chun Hei 黃進曦 : Visual Travelogues《目遊》

​Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel
藝薈香港 — 由巴塞爾藝術展呈獻

Stephen WONG Chun Hei 黃進曦
Visual Travelogues《目遊》

26-30 November 2020
Booth S02
Hall 3F & 3G, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Gallery EXIT is pleased to present solo exhibition “Visual Travelogues” by Stephen WONG Chun Hei at Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel from 26 to 30 November 2020. The new series of works depict landscapes that reflect moods and sentiments the artist experienced in 2019 and 2020. He continues to combine and explore visual clues from both actual places and landscapes as well as imagined scenery based on memories and sketches made during his hikes and daily excursions. His depicted landscapes are familiar and yet surreal to the viewers, prompting them to ponder the relationship between human and nature through real and imagined terrains.
 
Mountains and nature often have a prominent presence in his paintings, yet they also show traces of human activities. The paths that cut through the natural landscapes are also an inseparable element of the scenes. The feature piece of the exhibition "Jat’s Incline" is six metres in length. Compiled of three panels, the work is based on the artist's sketches of his surrounding during his hiking trips. The work illustrates an uphill journey to Kowloon Peak along a path still accessible by vehicles. The route is engulfed by trees and greeneries, while the urban landscape beneath Lion Rock stretch afar. 
 
On the contrary, " A Dream Ride" is about a journey that has never taken place. It is entirely based on the artist's imagination and memories from his hiking trips. He has been fascinated by the imaginative landscape in virtual reality. The route in the composition is a visual guide for the viewers, leading their eyes to different parts of the landscape in a loop, much like the experience of driving in a car-racing game. The canvas panel is also lined with models of the depicted vehicles, adding a playful perspective to the two-dimensional landscape.
 
Most of WONG's other works combine both realistic and imaginative depictions of landscape scenery. "Life in 2020" shows the sunset view outside his apartment window in Fotan. The artist has been spending a considerable amount of time in his apartment over the past year due to the recent global situation. Looking out from his window, he finds his new reality as surreal as the imagery. 
 
 
安全口畫廊於巴塞爾藝術展《藝薈香港》呈獻黃進曦個展《目遊》。是次新作以形形色色的景觀記錄了藝術家於2019 至 2020年間的深刻體會和思緒。黃進曦延續郊遊寫生的概念，既取材自真實風景，又融入主觀想像後產生的理想化意象，時而熟悉，時而陌生，讓觀眾於寫實與超現實中思考人與大自然的依存。
 
黃進曦一向以現實的山林景致作為創作素材，作品生動地繪畫出城市與郊野風光。畫中常有蜿蜒的山徑交錯在山丘之間，偶爾亦見人物穿梭在其中。《Jat’s Incline》為總長六米的三拼畫作，以黃氏遠足時的速寫作為基礎，再融合了自身想像，描繪前往飛鵝山的道路。路途被樹木山林圍繞，而遠眺山後則見獅子山下的香港市區觀景。
 
與《Jat’s Incline》 相反，《A Dream Ride》裏是一幅不存在的風景，記錄了一次想像的旅程。融入了記憶中的真實山徑及個人的幻想，塑造出腦海中之丘壑意象。藝術家一向着迷於虛擬世界中的道路風景。畫中曲折路徑上行駛的各種交通工具，帶領觀眾視線游走於山徑的不同部分，又有如賽車遊戲的駕駛體驗。而畫中交通工具的立體模型亦裝設於畫框上，為本來平面的作品增添趣味。
 
黃進曦的作品一貫地結合真實與虛構的風景。《Life in 2020》描繪了藝術家火炭居所窗外的日落景色。過往一年他就如別人般需要長時間待在家中，現實的處境就如窗外的景色般虛幻。