EVENT DESCRIPTION
Karin Weber Gallery is excited to announce our first exhibition of the year Reimagined Narratives, with new works by popular local artists Avery Lau Hong Lam, Joey Leung Ka Yin, Carmen Ng and Frank Tang Kai Yiu. This exhibition invites viewers to embark on a journey through diverse artistic expressions that reinterpret and revitalise familiar narratives and cultural motifs, with the rich visual and artistic history of Japan as a major inspiration.
In this exhibition, Joey Leung presents new work inspired by her series The Dwarves Who Borrow Words. Each section of a six part bookshelf is thoughtfully curated to showcase various elements of Japanese culture, along with intriguing artifacts that capture her imagination. Through this creative display, Leung invites her audience to explore the interplay between art and culture, fostering a deeper appreciation for the nuances of Japanese traditions and their resonance in contemporary life.
The Forest of Giant Trees (Attack on Titan) continues Frank Tang’s series of animations depicting a significant setting in the anime Attack on Titan. This forest symbolizes freedom, exploration, and humanity’s struggle. As humans venture beyond the walls, they face giant attacks, with the forest providing a temporary refuge where they can evade danger by climbing the trees. Throughout the narrative, this space becomes pivotal, reflecting the emotional transformations of the characters and the story’s deeper meanings.
Lau Hong Lam’s artwork explores the relationship between the Japanese deities of the moon, the sun, and food. The composition centers around the shared circular forms of the moon, the sun, and the cake—each an emblem of cycles, renewal, and balance. This circular motif suggests a continuity between day and night, celestial rhythms, and earthly rituals. His work seeks to highlight the harmony between the natural and the human, employing familiar imagery to express the interconnectedness of cosmic and everyday cycles.
Carmen Ng’s trio of paintings explores the theme of ACG (Anime, Comic, Games) through iconic works by film director Hayao Miyazaki, Doraemon, and Super Mario. These well-known characters are synonymous with specific colour schemes and shapes to evoke their recognizable characters and props, even in their absence from the artwork. Ng employs symbolic colours, colour blocks, and shapes as foundational elements to present her interpretation of these beloved universes. ‘Reimagined Narratives’ serves as a guiding theme throughout this exhibition, as each artist breathes new life into familiar stories, symbols, and motifs. From Joey Leung’s cultural explorations to Frank Tang’s emotional landscapes, Lau Hong Lam’s cosmic balance, and Carmen Ng’s playful homage to popular culture, this collection highlights the evolving nature of storytelling. It emphasises the power of art to reinterpret and connect us with our shared histories.
ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER
Joey Leung (b. 1976, Hong Kong) obtained both her BA (2000) and MFA (2007) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her works are part of the collections at the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK. Leung has exhibited at Art Basel in Hong Kong, Asia, and America. Leung is one of the most prominent and celebrated Chinese ink artists in Hong Kong with a substantial following.Frank Tang Kai Yiu (b. 1988, Hong Kong) uses a range of technologies and mediums in his projects, including ink painting, video, sound and collaborative performance. Tang graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2010 and obtained his Master of Fine Arts Degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2023. Tang has participated in some important exhibitions such as ‘Ink City’ at JC Contemporary in Tai Kwun, Hong Kong (2021), ‘Humor In Ink’ at Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan (2021), ‘Hidden Forest’ at Asia Society Hong Kong Center (2019). His artworks have been exhibited in museums, art organisations and galleries in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Avery Lau Hong Lam (b. 1996, Hong Kong) earned his bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2019. He also studied at the Academia di Belle Arti di Bologna in Italy. Lau specializes in intaglio and the classical technique of mezzotint in printmaking. His work has been exhibited internationally in South Korea, Australia, and the United Kingdom, as well as in notable Hong Kong venues such as Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hanart TZ Gallery, and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Carmen Ng (b. 1988, Hong Kong) obtained her BA in Visual Arts from Hong Kong Baptist University and has won several awards including the 11th Hong Kong Book Prize Award, RTHK and Hong Kong Public Libraries, HK (2018), Distinguished Publishing Awards: Publishing Concept at the 29th HK Print Awards (2017). Her works are in the collections of Hang Seng Bank, P&G in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China and Soho House HK, alongside local and international private collections. Ng was recently awarded the ‘Excellent’ Prize in the 15th Adachi Ukiyo-e Award.