Wong Chak Hung Solo Exhibition

Galerie KOO is pleased to present Wong Chak Hung Solo Exhibition from 17 February to 11 March 2017. Opening reception on the first day of exhibition, 6pm-8:30pm.

Wong Chak Hung (b.1963) was born in Hong Kong. He graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1988, majoring in oil painting.

Wong’s early paintings were his surreal impression of his surrounding environment — quiet and almost uncanny sceneries of the streets, contrasting from the busy, hustling city that Hong Kong appears to be. Since 2000, he focused on painting the signature mosaic wall tiles of the Hong Kong MTR in a 1 to 1 ratio –- Its grid format, formation and color palette. He takes the MTR mosaic wall tiles as the oeuvre for his spiritual mediation of this bustling city. His squares and the MTR mosaics wall tiles are all in the same size of 1:1; his paintings are all 100% comprising simulations of urban situations that his hyper-realistic counterparts can never dream of. He uses his work to play with the public space, creates spatial encounter and develops such public form into an artistic language of his own. Wong fuses everyday life into his artworks.

Wong’s work has taken a particular approach to explore the interpretation of realism and abstraction. A view of extreme realism is presented beyond the limits of imagination by toppling the inherent boundaries of realism and abstraction as well as wandering through the urban space—when viewing Wong’s work, “the actual physical distance” between the viewer and the works provokes the extreme realism of his paintings.

Chinese ink is the essence of all Chinese paintings.  Wong has extended his MTR wall tiles series by using Chinese ink and incorporating the art of Chinese seal stamp into his paintings.  As a continuous process of exploring the materiality of ink, its pigmentation and interaction with Xuan paper, he searched for the perfect material to act as the medium that works best with the synthesis of Chinese ink and Xuan paper. The repeating act of stamping countless number of grids for numerous nights has become a part of his everyday life. The indifferences and philosophical thoughts adopted in traditional Chinese painting are mixed and integrated along with the Western painting framework, while he combines traditional materials & ideas with contemporary technique and practice.  As the artist notes, “painting is a record of my mental performance and manifestation of our popular ideology”.

Wong’s works have been collected by the Hong Kong Culture Museum, University of Hong Kong, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Baptist University, among many others.

Exhibitions
2016: AAF Hong Kong, Galerie Koo
2016: Chinese Contemporary Ink, Group Show, Galerie Koo
2016: Duo Show : 四方的世界, Taiwan
2016: Ink 3X, JCCAC, Hong Kong
2015: Ink Asia 2015, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
2015: Wong Chak Hung solo Exhibition, Art Experiences Gallery, Hong Kong
2013: A One-Man Exhibition, MOST Hong Kong
2012: “RE-INK” Hubei Museum of Arts
2012: New works by Wong Chak Hung – 1:1 100% Hyperrealism, MOST Hong Kong
2010: << Positive >> Platform China Contemporary Art Institute, Beijing China
2005-10: Numerous Solo Exhibitions in Hong Kong
1999: Solo Exhibitions, Hong Kong Baptist University, First Institute of Art & Design Hong Kong
1993: Solo Exhibitions, Taiwan
1988: Graduated from China, Beijing, The Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1988.