Craig Au Yeung Ying Chai: Sik⁶ Ngaang⁶ Nei⁵

‘Sik⁶ Ngaang⁶ Nei⁵’ is a solo exhibition presented by Quiet Gallery featuring 18 new works by veteran Hong Kong comix artist, writer and food culture curator, Craig Au Yeung Ying Chai.

Drawing inspiration from the unique food culture of Hong Kong and the unique vocabulary and colloquialisms that resulted from the long coexistence of Western and Chinese culture on the island, Craig brings local slang related to food culture to life through his hand-drawn comix on paper.

Throughout his career, Craig has obsessively studied Hong Kong’s food culture, hosting radio and tv programs and publishing over 20 books on the subject. At the start of 2023, he launched the ‘Sik6 Zi6 Gei2’ food-language cultural archive project, followed by a solo exhibition at PMQ.

“When friends ask me what I’ve been up to lately, I always say: Drawing something dirty. Wait a sec… Why dirty? How dirty? Is it filthily dirty? Or is it naughtily dirty?” says the artist.

This new exhibition is a continuation of Craig’s previous show, with a series of brightly coloured ‘dirty’ comix that depict Cantonese sayings around food, such as “Sik6 Wun2 Min2 Faan2 Wun2 Dai2 (Eat the food and Flip the Bowl (Ungrateful Traitor)”, “Nei5 Ngaau5 Ngo5 Sik6 Aa4 (You Bite I Eat? (What Can You Do With Me?)” and “M4 Suk6 M4 Sik6 (Only Eat the Ripe One (Pick an Easy Target)”.

As a lover of food culture, Craig also collaborated with local gin brand Perfume Trees Gin to craft a special cocktail that will be sold at Quiet Gallery. In addition, a limited-edition badge will also be available for sale during the duration of the exhibition.