Chung Tai-fu’s A Salute to Medical Workers, is a tribute to Hong Kong’s frontline medical staff for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Art Next Expo, the only international art fair in Hong Kong dedicated to emerging artists, is back this year, in both its physical and virtual avatars. The current show not only complies with social distancing restrictions, but also features works of art directly inspired by COVID-19. The +VE/-VE show features works paying tribute to the selfless commitment of frontline medical staff as well as Hong Kong citizens, who have shown their characteristic resilience in dealing with the global health crisis.
“Despite the negative impact that the pandemic and social distancing have had on the global economy and our daily lives, they have also forced us to reflect on what matters most to us as individuals and as a community,” says Judy Inn, director of Art Next and curator of +VE/-VE. She hopes the exhibition will generate some income for struggling art professionals. “Like many of us, artists have suffered financially during this difficult time. We hope the exhibition will reconnect them with art collectors and help them get through the challenges they are facing.”
Abby Lee Yan-yee’s painting depicts the anxiety of catching the virus. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Inn says the show title is a reference to COVID-19’s impact on the art world which, she points out, isn’t all negative. “I think art has become more accessible to people in a way, with museums, art institutions and art fairs more willing and eager to share their content online free of charge.” Also, says Inn, the title draws attention to recent developments such as the political symbolism behind wearing face masks getting more ambiguous, the earth becoming a less-polluted place and more workplaces adopting new technology.
Over 60 works created by around 40 Hong Kong-based artists are featured in the exhibition. Highlights include Chung Tai-fu’s emotive piece, A Salute to Medical Workers; Abby Lee Yan-yee’s cross-section of tower block apartments showing residents going about their daily lives; Cheung Chin-hang’s visually arresting Virus Ball Project: Black & White Experiment; and photographer Kasper Forest’s latest series TheGhostCity, an eerie image showing a paper doll couple against a backdrop of deserted streets.
Kasper Forest’s TheGhostCity paints an apocalyptic vision of Hong Kong. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Inn says the artists tried to capture “snapshots of how people have reacted to the whole situation.”
Chui Pui-chee, a lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at Chinese University of Hong Kong and an artist featured in the exhibition, believes that works of art play a significant role in chronicling important historic events as newspapers and books. He says, “Art creation is just one of the ways to record and respond to the pandemic at this time. I think all types of documentations are important as the pandemic leaves an indelible mark on everyone on the globe.”
Cheung Chin-hang’s Virus Ball Project: Black & White Experiment. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Chui also believes that art can help lift the collective morale of people in these depressing times, as he has tried to do with paintings titled, Social Distancing – Fxxk off! and Friends of Humble Chamber XXXI – Group Gathering Ban which shows mosquitoes in clusters of not more than two or three across a big canvas. He says, “I hope to bring the audience a little black humor during this hard time.”
Inn hopes that +VE/-VE can provide some respite from the negativity of the current situation. She says, “Just as artists have found solace in the process of their creative work, viewers will have the opportunity to seek comfort in the power of art.”
If you go
+VE/-VE
Hosted by Art Next
Date: Until end September, open Tuesday to Saturday
Venue: 2/F SML Tower, 165 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong
For virtual tour click on
