PLAYGROUND
A Gallery | Hong Kong
Playground
Presented by A Gallery
Opening Reception: 10 September 2022 | 2:00pm-6:00pm
Through 30 September 2022
Exhibiting Artists:
Osamu Watanabe
Chivas Leung Wai-yan
Cynthia Cheng Ip-ip
Even Lee Chak-ning
A Gallery is pleased to present Playground, a collection of stories inspired by childhood memories and dreams, as narrated by Osamu Watanabe, Chivas Leung Wai-yan, Even Lee Chak-ning, and Cynthia Cheng Ip-ip. The exhibition title ‘Playground’ drives the audience through a reminiscing trip out of the current uncertain times, leading our thoughts and feelings toward a more optimistic introspection, at the same time, the techniques showcased in the presentation make works imposing a playful and very much reflected to the space it’s situated in.
Defining a new genre that makes use of ‘fake food’ to create decorative, edible-looking treats and a revolution that has changed the art scene from bewildering contemporary art to decorative art bring us to one of the highlighted artists known as Japan’s “Prince of Sweets”, Osamu Watanabe. The artist tracks down his obsession with all things sweet from his childhood. His mother being a confectionary school teacher has highly influenced his craft using it as the theme to his artworks. Osamu believes, “everyone has some of their unforgettable memories related to candy and I hope my work would bring these happy memories back again”.
2021 Award 360’s Illustration of the Year awardee and a graduate from the Academy of Visual Arts at the Hong Kong Baptist University (2018), Chivas Leung Wai-yan wants to remember everything. While her memories are all ‘based on a true story’, the young artist creates a future of ‘what could have happened’, filling in the gap by fictionalising impossible scenarios through her work. The small altercations in her past, however, are something she would rarely tap into, as for the artist, the past is meaningful as it is irreversible. Her art practice focuses mainly on painting, drawing and printmaking. All her stories contain unrevealed clues, and secret anecdotes to recover the missing pieces in her memory, creating images to commemorate what she wants to remember. Chivas creates not to regret, but to remember the past and create a better ending of her own past in her own frame of mind.
Engaging with the viewers through creating a literal reflection of themselves by becoming part of the work, Cynthia Cheng Ip-ip captures her drawings in mirrors that feature one of her works, “Answer Without Answer”. Cynthia believes that finding freedom comes with great responsibility and frames it for her audience to see and be part of. Another graduate of the Hong Kong Baptist University, School of Visual Arts and currently working as an illustrator,
Cheng’s work intends to depict contradicting emotions in both an exuberant and light hearted way by taking the viewer into a different universe—a roller coaster ride of emotions, complex, yet orderly as it deals with one of the dilemmas we all face growing up—wanting to be an adult when you’re still a child; and wanting to go back to being a child when you’re an adult. We can't have everything all at once—the innocence, and playfulness; the freedom and the knowledge, but with Cynthia’s work we might just get a little taste of it.
Bringing justice to the world through his art, Even Lee Chak-ning found a way to create and tell his story through his alter ego – BEAR, bringing vibrant and yet mysterious pieces of nostalgic memories into his thought-provoking artworks. The artist creates immersive pieces of work that somehow steer the viewer’s thoughts of reconsidering certain things in their lives and everyday circumstances it brings. Being an illustrator all through his life, the artist has experimented by including different elements in his work and filling it with many hidden messages and clues.
To know more about the gallery, view or contact:
Flat A, 1/F, Kwai Bo Industrial Building, 40 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2868-0776
in case you missed…