EVENT DESCRIPTION
CHAN Wai Lap’s latest solo exhibition ‘LOVEGUARD’ reimagines the role of lifeguards, exploring the connection and disconnection between people in contemporary society. The exhibition responds to Hong Kong’s lifeguard shortage while contemplating how strangers might build trust and maintain intimacy in an age of widespread wariness.
The exhibition begins with the Loveguard’s office, presenting a series of objects and drawings that hover between reality and fiction. Visitors will step into the life of the Loveguard, learning about their practice, observations, and personal interests. This immersive experience may trigger one’s desire to get help from a Loveguard, or the curiosity to join and become one.
Three drawing series are featured in the main gallery spaces. ‘You come to me on a summer breeze’ continues the artist’s research into public swimming pools worldwide. The works presented this time document Budapest’s historic Gellért Baths and Széchenyi Thermal Bath, reflecting on human desires for shared spaces and a moment of leisure and healing through these architectural landmarks.
‘Dreaming of Swimming Pools’ portrays an imaginary pool system connected by crescents, stars, planets, and heart-shaped forms. The artist deliberately moves away from the pool’s functional aspects, transforming it into a poetic vessel for dreams and emotions.
The swimming pool has long been a place loaded with emotions, especially evident in the narratives of films. ‘Love Hate Lust Fear Envy Leisure Boredom Glamour Excitement Oblivion Inspiration’ has selected swimming pool scenes from various films, revealing the rich emotional spectrum contained within these seemingly ordinary spaces. The deliberate absence of human figures creates a moment of suspense, allowing viewers to project their own emotional experiences onto the scene.
Scattered around the gallery are installations inspired by the artist’s encounters in swimming pools. ‘Little Cool Companion’ gives new meaning to the mundane air conditioner, metaphorically addressing the give-and-take interactions in modern relationships. ‘Mr. Caution’, a kinetic installation, brings an additional dimension to the exhibition through the choreographed movement of warning cones, creating a rich audiovisual landscape.
‘Sweet Attraction’ reimagines the mandatory shower area found before heading into the swimming pool zone. Twenty-five showerheads create a space where butterflies dance together in a surreal scene. This unique combination suggests that the exhibition’s focus extends beyond physical rescue towards spiritual guardianship and purification.
The exhibition also features ‘The Shards of a Star’ series originated from the artist’s previous large-scale public art installation ‘Some of us are looking at the stars’ at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Through preserving and re-staging these mosaic fragments, CHAN continues his exploration of public spaces, offering viewers a new perspective to rethink the relationship between art, memory, and space.
