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EVENT DESCRIPTION
A major statement show for Art Month. UPWARD – Huang Yulong brings more than 20 giant sculptures to the Hong Kong Harbourfront at the iconic Hong Kong Observation Wheel and AIA Vitality Park. Monumental in scale, facing upwards to a bright future, this specially created sculpture series will form an unforgettable exhibition.
The spirit of UPWARD – Huang Yulong embraces openness, community, youth engagement and a feeling of optimism and positivity for tomorrow. The hooded sculptures, each one in a unique pose, gaze upwards at the Hong Kong skyline and present unrivalled social media opportunities for guests from the public and corporate parties. The show will be open to the public, and bookable for events.
Huang Yulong is a hugely popular artist in his native China and has exhibited extensively overseas, including in Paris. UPWARD – Huang Yulong takes his hip-hop, street culture style to new heights and never-before-seen scale. Presented in partnership with the Great Entertainment Group, UPWARD – Huang Yulong will occupy the most attractive exhibition space in Hong Kong, a specially curated area at the heart of Central where the water meets the land.
Huang Yulong has a devoted fan base, and a number of successful partnerships. In 2018, he collaborated with superstar Andy Lau on a sculpture series titled: Share the Love. Huang Yulong’s sculpture Be You, depicting a hooded figure on a large hand, formed part of the 1/X Andy Lau X Art Exhibition in West Kowloon Cultural District in 2023.
Huang Yulong’s work serves as a powerful commentary on the evolution of street culture in China since the early 2000s. By incorporating familiar symbols like the hoodie, he invites a positive dialogue on belonging and the complexities of urban life. Furthermore, UPWARD – Huang Yulong features selected sculptures which combine hoodies and rugby, a timely nod to the Hong Kong Sevens which will also be taking place in March.
ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER
Huang Yulong was born in Anhui, China in 1983. In 2007, he graduated from the sculpture department of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China. Huang Yulong harnesses the hoodie, ubiquitous symbol of street culture globally, working predominantly with ceramics, bronze and steel to present sculptures which challenge our preconceptions of youth culture. Within the hoodie is an emptiness which is the void into which acceptance and inclusion will pour. Each visitor will imagine themselves as being welcomed into youth culture, exploring the Taoist principle of Oneness, considering everything as nothing and nothing as everything. Skateboards have also been sculpted out of porcelain in recognition of the evolving nature of Chinese tradition and the ever-presence of our past in the midst of our urban reality. His three-metre-tall, hooded centaur figure has been exhibited internationally, including in Beijing, Hong Kong, and France, where it was recently featured on the grounds of the Château de la Celle Saint-Cloud, which is managed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
