Tag: Jaffa Lam

Blooming art: Five upcoming Hong Kong artists we’re rooting for

It’s safe to say that Hong Kong’s art scene is flourishing. This seems to have encouraged a slew of young artists to give in to their creative sides and try to grab a foothold in the competitive art scene. We have for you a list of five upcoming Hong Kong artists, who we think are here for the long run. 

Chloe Ho in front of her creation Wellspring

Chloe Ho

Ink artist Chloe Ho has already carved a name for herself in the international art scene with her East-meets-West creations. Feted in Hong Kong and overseas alike, Chloe is also fascinated by the strange marriage of art and technology and is currently experimenting with virtual reality art forms. Talking about what draws her to ink art, she says, “Ink is naked and unalterable. It’s a lot like life – you don’t get a do-over.” (Read full interview here)

Victo Ngai with the Johnnie Walker bottles that showcase her art

Victo Ngai

The next artist on whom we can firmly place our bets is LA-based illustrator from Hong Kong, Victo Ngai. A Forbes Art & Style 30-under-30 honouree and a two-time gold medallist at New York Society of Illustrators, Victo’s list of achievements is already quite staggering. A regular illustrator for the New York Times and the New Yorker, her work has also been used by Hollywood powerhouses like DreamWorks. Her most recent tribute to Hong Kong was an illustration of a Cantonese opera performer that was featured on Johnnie Walker Blue Label limited-edition bottles.

Doodood and Haze, oil on canvas painting by Chris Huen

Chris Huen

Chris Huen, another millennial on our list, draws inspiration from things around him. He deliberately avoids larger schemes in life, like religion, politics, etc. and instead chooses to focus on the beauty that lies hidden in our mundane humdrum ways of existence.

Huen’s art is inspired by en plein air (French for painting outdoors) which he applies to his paintings of indoor scenarios. His artworks try to capture the relationship between space and object.

Starry Day, a 2016 creation by Jaffa Lam

Jaffa Lam

One of Hong Kong’s most renowned sculptors, Jaffa Lam has brought a new dimension to her artworks through her sustainable approach to art. Specialising is large-scale installations, Jaffa creates mixed-media sculptures using recycled materials like old furniture, crate wood, discarded fabrics, etc. One of her most notable work – that even made it to Sotheby’s Women in Art exhibition – is Starry Day, which was made using white umbrella scraps gathered during the iconic Umbrella Movement of 2014.

Jennifer Chow painting Sad Cherry

Jennifer Chow

Our final to-watch artist is Jennifer Chow, whose character Sad Cherry borrows from her own life experiences. Being born and raised in Hong Kong, her artwork is heavily steeped in the city’s visuals. According to Jennifer, her art is her process of self-discovery and it’s as much an inward journey as an outward journey for her.

 Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
Photo credit: Victo Ngai, Sotheby’s, Chris Huen, Jennifer Chow Art Facebook page

Sotheby’s hosts ‘Women in Art: Hong Kong’ exhibition to celebrate the city’s female artists

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is hosting a special exhibition, Women in Art: Hong Kong, in collaboration with New Hall Art Collection, displayed at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University.

At a time when there’s global attention on women empowerment, Sotheby’s hopes to create a dialogue around women’s visibility in art through exploring the rich heritage of female artists in Hong Kong.

The exhibition showcases diverse works by female artists from Hong Kong spanning the last 50 years. The works displayed cover a wide range of mediums, including traditional ink paintings by Fang Zhaoling and Irene Chou, video art by Ellen Pau and Angela Su, film posters by Ho Sin Tung and installation art by contemporary artists Ko Sin Tung and Jaffa Lam.   

The artworks displayed are steeped in Hong Kong’s culture and politics, from Ko Sin Tung’s ‘Closed 24hrs’ neon sign that comments on Hong Kong’s consumerist excesses to Jaffa Lam’s ‘Starry Day’ installation, that is made using white umbrella scraps gathered during the iconic Umbrella Movement of 2014.

According to a research conducted by Eliza Gluckman, curator of New Hall Art Collection, and independent researcher Phoebe Wong, a very high percentage of women (around 70%) graduate from art programmes in Hong Kong, but only a mere fraction of them survive in the male-dominated market. Phoebe pointed out many female artists take up teaching as a more viable option, due to a lack of proper infrastructure and funds to support emerging female artists in Hong Kong.

Through the Women in Art: Hong Kong exhibition, Sotheby’s has started a discussion which we hope will not only bring awareness to the work of leading female artists but will also inspire future generations.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
Photos: Sotheby’s