Sketches
Gouache, pastels and charcoal
All sketches were done in my sketchbook during my spare time or during my travels. Top left was drawn from life at the MET Museum in New York City, whilst the top right was drawn from life and photograph at the Salisbury Church in Salisbury. Bottom left was drawn from life at a park in New York City. Bottom right is an observational sketch of a plant at home.
Orthographic drawings and laser cut wooden model
Completed during an architecture pre-college program at University of Pennsylvania in 2019.
Inspired by organic architecture and the endless possibilities of a harmonious coexistence between the man-made and natural world, I designed and built a model of my playscape which emulates the forms of waves and amalgamates with the contours of the given open space. The aim of the playscape was to encourage children to explore and improvise - the space unsophisticated and flexible, allowing them to run, jump, climb among other things.
Mixed media light and wax sculpture installation
The wax monster sculpture represents the retributions humanity will face if we continue to neglect global/social issues in dire need of addressing. Often, humans can get too caught up in other things and forget about these wider issues. For example, we are so consumed with technological advancement and development that we sometimes ignore the negative consequences our actions have on the environment and natural world. This piece intends to convey the idea that as humans, we have the responsibility to grow and become more aware and conscious of reality. Furthermore, we should never get comfortable, settle for status quo, or allow the mindset of "someone else will fix it" to take over.
I created clay prototypes for the monster and people, created my own mold from alginate and used wax with the custom molds to create the sculptures.
Oil
The marble placed inside a traditional Japanese "Ramune" soda bottle (the bottles depicted in my oil painting) is essentially impossible to remove unless you break the glass. My piece stems from the idea of not being able to remove or attain something unless you break, or sacrifice something in exchange for it. Goldfish symbolise good luck and fortune in Chinese culture, and I believe that sometimes, humans can get greedy, always wanting more than they can/should get. The broken glass symbolises what happens when one grows selfish and is consumed by greed, representing the things given up in order to obtain something such as status or wealth, or in this case, the goldfish. Examples of what may be sacrificed include things such as identity, or even family, and can often cause irreversible damage.
Oil
Hong Kong has experienced over a year of political unrest. Whilst it has undoubtedly had negative consequences on the city's economy, unemployment rates, international reputation among other things, I personally believe it has had the largest effect on the lives of the younger generation here in Hong Kong. Many have been arrested, some even disappearing and my paintings pay tribute to them, the youth fighting peacefully for a compromise, fighting peacefully for what they believe in - fighting peacefully for our democracy. The flower featured in the paintings is the Bauhinia flower - the flower featured on the Hong Kong flag - and represents our city, our people, but most of all, our freedom.
Chaos
Ink
Fascinated by the contrasting relationship between the man-made and natural world, I compared this juxtaposition to the one prevalent in my city - the political divides. I wanted to discuss the main difference between the protests I have been seeing in 2019/20 and those in 2014, during the HK Umbrella Revolution - and the difference being that the younger generation has grown up and developed their own thoughts, judgement, and beliefs, and are now taking a stand for themselves. Within this piece, the wildflowers represent the new, unprecedented opinions. I wanted to convey the idea that whilst different opinions and perspectives on certain issues can bring about good change, progress and a better world, if no one is willing to compromise, listen and communicate - it will only cause chaos. The goal was to overwhelm the piece with wildflowers, like the city is suffocating from the conflicting views and voices.
The Half Of It
Mixed media, acrylic paint and light installationI was inspired by Takashi Murakami’s Mr. DOB, a recurring original character in many of Murakami's artworks. I invented my own character, which represented myself. This series consists of two pieces, each depicting a different character. The one above shows a creature created based on a bull, drawing on my Western horoscope of the Taurus, whereas the one below shows a creature created based on a goat, my Chinese zodiac animal. Within these pieces, I wanted to show different facades of myself - the happy and the sad, the calmed and the angered - focusing on the idea of how people often only know “the half of it”, or half of who I really am or how I really feel. The first facade of both pieces are painted, whilst the alternate facade is illuminated through a series of hammered holes which form the outline of my other “face”/emotion. My goal was to experiment with light as an artistic medium.
A Journey In Isolation
Mixed media storyboard/zine, gouache, markers, ink, photography
The following slides are comprised of a "storyboard" project I created about my growth and realisations during the quarantine due to COVID-19. I hoped to convey the idea of what my world is like in isolation, and how it has become defined by the walls of my home and the limits of my imagination.
Abstracted Cityscapes
Note: Work in progress
Ink, paper, laser cut wood
Experiment with different shapes abstracted from familiar silhouettes and shapes of Hong Kong's skyline. Goal is to create a sculpture from laser cut wood pieces and to play around with different compositions when putting the pieces together.
Implode
Mixed media oil painting and light installation
Inspired by immersive art installations and in particular, Yayoi Kusama's infinity light mirror room, I wanted to emulate a similar feeling within my own exhibition held in May 2019. I chose to focus on humanity's negative impact on Earth, especially in regards to environmental destruction, and that we need to work together to stop this from progressing. I experimented with photography, where my photographs were projected onto my oil painting of the planet burning. Furthermore, I used recycled materials to construct and create an infinite mirror box, which my painting is placed in, amplifying the visual effect of the planet's "explosion". I titled the piece "Implode" as there are internal negative consequences we, as living organisms who reside on the planet, will suffer from - considering we are very much catalysts for Earth's destruction.
Still Don't Know My Name
Acrylic paint (hand-painted custom masks) and photography
Especially in Asian Culture, the glorification of overworking is common. With this photography series, I wanted to discuss this toxic work-life culture. There is a phrase in Cantonese which translates to "have face", meaning to have a good reputation or status - this idea of being the top of the top prompting people to overwork themselves to reach the highest status in society. To symbolise this idea of "having face", I hand-painted the masks in the photographs based on traditional Chinese opera masks; each consisting of different colours, which express and represent a different emotion or façade of a person. This toxic culture can often confuse identity, thus the idea of still not knowing who you are. When masks are on, we become the person everyone wants us to be, but when the mask is off, we become who we really are. To strengthen then this contrast, I experimented with light and colour.
Mixed media collage, pencil and pastels
This piece started in a life drawing session (30-45 mins per pose) and combines life drawing with mixed media collaging. I wanted to discuss the objectification and abuse women are subject to in our society. This particular piece was inspired by the USA gymnastics sex abuse scandal, involving various female gymnasts like Aly Raisman and Simone Biles. It horrified me that women who worked so hard to train and condition their bodies for a sport they love get abused and exploited in this way, prompting this piece which I hope conveys freedom of movement and how women should feel comfortable to be using their bodies, whether a model or an athlete among other things, in the ways they so wish. Additionally, the newspaper collage pieces are from articles detailing the scandal.
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