Contemporary Romantics

EVENT DESCRIPTION

a | n gallery has unveiled their latest exhibition entitled “Contemporary Romantics”, which will be running from December 8 to 23. Five artists, Alan Cheung, Hector Chan, Livy Leung, Winnie Hui and Matthew So, will lead the audience to explore the bold yet subtle romantic elements in our modern daily life.

Curated by Hiya Lee, this exhibition combines a variety of mediums to uncover transcendence and the beauty of abstract emotions. By adopting visually impactful elements, the works convey artists’ interpretation of contemporary romanticism and their yearnings for utopian romance. Such emotional richness tugs upon the audience’s heartstrings, prompting them to reflect on how to fall in love with the world and themselves without losing sight of their personal values.

Alan is showcasing five acrylic on canvas pieces, one of which is adorned with the vibrant hues of oil pastels. He attempts to fight the binary opposition between abstraction and figuration by using contemporary art as a creative vehicle, hence redefining himself and his worldview. With an exquisite blend of fine and rough brush strokes, Alan depicts urban and natural landscapes through hazy lenses which blur the boundaries between the reality and imagined spaces. His works are akin to a visual diary which documents his neighbourhood and community with sharp contrasting colors.

Hector Chan is exhibiting five pieces using different mediums, including oil paints, acrylics and pencil sketches. To him, painting is an innate response to the human desire to engage in visually enthralling experiences. Hector adopts a multitude of painting styles and forms to mimic the fluidity of moving images, hence capturing its speed and quantity on canvases. With artful strokes highlighting the dynamics of stop-motion imagery, Hector’s artworks are a captivating visual feast where life is breathed into two-dimensional images to evoke the audience’s continuous stream of consciousness.

Livy’s exhibited works are oil on linen paintings, which adopt flattened spaces to present her own fantastical universe. Her works consist of vague outlines reminiscent of prairie scenes from the Wizard of Oz, with hazy fade-outs depicting abstract intersections between the real and imaginary world. Livy is inclined towards using rough silhouettes and vivid colors to reflect ambiguities in society’s broad notion of reality. Art is a form of expression and self-indulgence to enable Livy to recompose her thoughts about her surroundings and incidents occurring around her.

Winnie’s “Soul Painting” series consists of four oil and acrylic on linen works, which are inspired by her religious belief. Art acts as a starting point for Winnie to examine her personal identity, status and personality. With soft arcs and faint brushstrokes, Winnie creates a mystical atmosphere shrouded with layers of misty tulle. This illusory ambience urges the audience to pause and consider the artist’s intention behind the works. Not only does it spark personal reflection, but it simultaneously offers solace and comfort to those who engage with her works. Winnie’s pieces exemplify both the artists’ and the audience’s longing for redemption from Mother Nature, communities and families.

With the belief that words are often insufficient to fully express one’s emotional state, Matthew uses oil on linen works to visually represent various relationships and ambiguous states. Tension is evident in his usage of colors and forms, yet they simultaneously coalesce with an occasional touch of pastel hues and blurred edges. Matthew uses visual language as a means to transform long-concealed emotions and trauma into pools of luminous saturation, urging wordless conversations between his artworks and the audience.

With their respective unique painting styles, these five young artists uncover the lesser-known elements of romance in modern everyday life – intricately tied interpersonal relationships, societal norms, and poetic tidbits of daily life – these inadvertent little ‘romances’ signify each individual’s wishes and desires. May our generation not only seek worldly love, but also true ‘romanticism’.