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Zheng Chongbin is an artist propelled by his experience and exploration of the natural world. His view, as expressed in his paintings, as with his practice, is non linear, even non-Euclidian, and multi-dimensional. It operates at the micro as well as the macro level, a view that attempts to capture the dynamics of change in natural processes and to convey the dimensions of time, light and space. He is concerned to explore the processes of our perception and awareness of nature and natural phenomena, as much as he is concerned with those phenomena themselves. The human/non-human dynamic is therefore central to his work. He wants us to understand his art, and ourselves, as part of a broader space, a broader architecture or landscape, to be continuous with the reality he is presenting.
His recent works in colour open a new vector in a long career of innovation, reinvention and reinterpretation of media and presentation of the natural world. We can be sure that the works in the current exhibition are the beginning of an important new phase in Zheng Chongbin’s development.
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Viewing Date: 2024.03.24-04.23
Up Close Hollywood Road
x Leelee Chan & Lau Hok Shing
At GALLERY149, Chan explores the connection between the archaeology of the past and her own archaeology of the present. The artist started with broken ceramic wares in different shades of green, more specifically Qingbai ware, Longquan ware and Yaozhou ware dating from the Song to Ming dynasties (10th to 17th centuries AD). Studying ceramic shards is not only essential to the understanding of the authenticity of ceramic wares, it is also an invaluable opportunity to learn more about and appreciate their unique craftsmanship.
For her work, Chan polished these shards into oval discs and set them in silver bezels, which were then connected to a chain mail of interlinked metal rings. Inspired by the gallery owner’s collection of textiles and furniture, including a Ming dynasty clothes rack made from huanghuali (“yellow flowering pear”) wood, the chain mail with the shards is draped over a free-standing structure, resembling a piece of fabric flowing over a clothes rack. The monochromatic glazes, humble shapes and undulating carved motifs of the ceramic shards reflect the sedate beauty that Song dynasty aesthetics and philosophy aspired to.
Lau Hok Shing’s work is influenced by the Chinese tradition of scholar-artists, or literati. An avid collector of antiques himself, the artist has created a series of sculptures modelled after scholar’s rocks and other collectibles treasured by Ming- and Qing-dynasty literati. Despite being inspired by century-old objects, Lau’s work betrays an acute awareness of Hong Kong’s current situation.
The works shown at GALLERY149 mirror the shapes of scholar’s rocks, natural stones which were appreciated by literati for their resemblance to mountains and other landforms. While the original objects were valued for their sense of harmony, Lau’s sculptures are often deliberately unbalanced. Some of the mountain-like shapes are fixed in awkward positions on top of spheres, looking as if they might tumble down at any moment.
Up Close Hollywood Road is supported by HK Arts Development Council, exhibition partner by Asia Art Hong Kong.
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Viewing Date: 2020.05.30-06.28
Zheng Chongbin: Layering Views
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Morita Shiryu: Dragon Knows Dragon
This exhibition entitled Layering Views, showcases Zheng's newest light-and-space installation conceived especially for Gallery149, abstract works from his most recent series, and a selection of key earlier ink paintings dating back to the late-1980s. Zheng's latest ink-and-acrylic innovations continue to investigate abstraction and perception. The exhibition offers the opportunity to observe the ways in which Zheng Chongbin has reconceptualized and transformed the role of ink as a medium.
Twenty one works by Morita Shiryu are showcased in this exhibition presented in collaboration with the Bokujin-Kai. The majority of the pieces are from the 1960s and have never been shown in Hong Kong before. The works in particular the ones that use the same character allow viewers to compare and contrast the variations within his oeuvre. Morita pushed the boundaries of East Asian calligraphy, thus making significant contributions to intercultural discourse between artists in Japan and the West.
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Viewing Date: 2019.03.30-04.19
all images courtesy of Gallery149
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