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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240327
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240512
DTSTAMP:20240507T001255Z
CREATED:20240306T152220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240507T001255Z
UID:10019242-1711497600-1715471999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Objecting Reality
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to announce Objecting Reality\, a group exhibition curated by Saša Bogojev. Taking place during Hong Kong Art Month\, the group exhibition showcases recent paintings of 10 distinguished international artists: Niklas Asker\, Jennifer Carvalho\, Ginny Casey\, Suzuki Hidetaka\, Quinten Ingelaere\, Heesoo Kim\, Damien Meade\, Filip Mirazović\, Ken Nurenberg\, and Wedhar Riyadi. The exhibition focuses on the painting’s capability to petrify anything into a still image by converting the painted flat surface into an illusion of a lifeless object within a three-dimensional scene. \n\n\n\n\n“Art is a lie.” “Painting is an illusion.” These notions reflect profound philosophical and artistic perspectives on the nature of art and its connection to reality. They express insightful concepts regarding the role of art in representing and interpreting the world. In this regard\, the legacy of painting inanimate objects is a testament to humanity’s enduring fascination with the transfiguration of the ordinary into the extraordinary. \nFrom depictions of food and possessions in ancient Egyptian tombs\, decorative Roman wall paintings or floor mosaics\, the portrayal of everyday objects carrying religious and allegorical meanings in the Middle Ages\, and the emergence of still life as a distinct genre in Netherlandish painting during the 16th and 17th centuries\, our artistic heritage is intertwined with the idea of objectifying reality. Through their inexplicable mastery of capturing depth and perspective\, painters are capable of summoning the very essence of sculpted forms on a flat canvas\, creating a theatrical world where light and shadow gracefully dance across rigid subjects. \n\n\nWhile the Baroque period celebrated the drama of chiaroscuro to infuse life into their sculptural forms\, contemporary painters are often drawn to capturing the deceptive glow of lustrous materials and polished surfaces. In an age increasingly defined by artificial\, fabricated\, inorganic\, or virtual existence\, there is an increased interest in capturing the stillness and lifelessness of our surroundings. Rather than portraying the essence of the subject\, a convincing visual representation of the world is crafted by capturing the flare of life that surrounds it. Employing painting’s sorcerous ability to transcend its two-dimensional boundaries and achieve sculptural illusion\, a well-executed brushstroke holds the power to transform any segment of the natural world into veiny marble\, gleaming gold\, or translucent porcelain or glass.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/objecting-reality/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 3 Sun Street\, 3 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ken-Nurenberg-Again-2024m-Oil-on-Linen-77-x-55-cm-.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240425
DTSTAMP:20240306T151410Z
CREATED:20240306T151134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240306T151410Z
UID:10019241-1711324800-1714003199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Clinton King: Moonshine
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present American artist Clinton King’s solo exhibition Moonshine. This is King’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong and marks the gallery’s first exhibition with the artist. The exhibition showcases a body of King’s recent oil paintings exploring a fresh approach towards new and unforeseen identities. Moonshine will be on view from March 25 – April 24\, 2024\, at WOAW Gallery Central. \n\n\n\n\nTransitional works hold a profound significance within an artist’s practice as they serve as pivotal moments of an artist’s exploration and discovery. In Clinton King’s solo exhibition “Moonshine”\, each painting represents such a juncture in King’s practice\, departing from familiar approaches towards new and unforeseen identities. The paintings also embody both his fresh explorations as well as remnants of his earlier endeavors\, and reflects his instinctive approach to painting. \n“Moonshine” is in response to one of the first paintings King completed in this series of works\, and marks the inception of his solo exhibition. Titled In the sun’s shadow\, the painting captures a dynamic interplay between positive and negative elements. This delicate equilibrium of his exploration\, where light and dark coexist in harmonious proportion\, made King reevaluate the concept of “shining” and “borrowing light”\, and what it means to be seen by others in full light. “Moonshine” is thus the embracing of the shadow – embodying an ongoing quest to reconcile the opposing forces of light and dark\, it also emphasizes a confidence that we can still shine even when the sun has set. \nKing’s works emphasize his use of material and the sensory qualities of painting through his minimalist approach. Fascinated by the amount of information a single\, loaded brushstroke can convey\, King’s abstract paintings layer graphical\, gradient strokes of resonant colors in order to achieve intricate but powerful effects. In each canvas\, every mark borrows from\, responds to\, and guides the next in a painterly dialogue\, distilling painting to its essential elements. King’s gestural brushstrokes push abstraction to new levels of visual intensity\, drawing the gaze of viewers into atmospheric spaces unique to each composition. From dense\, kaleidoscopic stratification to vaporous fields of color\, King’s broad spectrum of mark-making serves as a guide to unknown territories\, offering simultaneously dramatic and intimate experiences.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/clinton-king-moonshine/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Feedback-cascade-Oil-on-linen-79in-x-63in.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240221
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240321
DTSTAMP:20240220T003446Z
CREATED:20240220T003446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240220T003446Z
UID:10020576-1708473600-1710979199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Chris Regner: Careers in the Arts
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Careers in the Arts\, Chris Regner’s first solo exhibition in Asia. The exhibition features a series of self-deprecating paintings that delve into the personal and universal human experience\, through a lens of Regner’s self-identity as an artist and his encounters with struggles and solitude in the contemporary art world. Showcasing 9 artworks he created this year\, Careers in the Arts will be on view from February 21 to March 20\, 2024\, at the gallery’s Central location. \nIt’s been argued\, or perhaps agreed\, that every painting\, every artwork even\, is a self- portrait of the person who made it. Once that is acknowledged\, there is a small step to approaching a more pronounced\, traditional self-portrait format. And for his Asian solo debut with WOAW gallery in Hong Kong\, Chris Regner made that step and focused solely on creating a self-deprecating body of work. Somewhat continuing onto his 2021 solo that dealt with the struggles with masculinity in the context of lacking a good role model\, he is now talking about himself as an artist. Lonesomely making work in this day and age\, motivated and crippled by contemporary reality and both the personal and universal human conditions\, he examines the challenges and sacrifices imposed by choosing Careers in the Arts. \nThe preceding mash of visuals borrowed from Google images\, mythologies\, popular culture\, imagination\, and autobiographical elements has now been replaced with a more compact way of portraying the scene built from scratch with the help of VR software. Software which ironically helped remove screen-like flatness by adding a sense of volume and depth to his imagery. Regner’s visual language is now stark and bold\, with its rigid\, plastic veneer creating a more obvious distance between the internal emotions and how they’re revealed (or not) to the world. This polished\, plastic\, balloon-like aesthetics also conveys the pressure of existence or ego inflation (Balancing Act\, 2024) while simultaneously commenting on the superficial way of presenting ourselves\, primarily through social media. \nUsing exaggeration\, caricature\, vibrant shades of bright colors\, and perfectly rounded\, smoothened\, and lit VR shapes\, the hyper-stylized images merely hint at deeply personal concerns. Evoking Dana Schutz or Peter Saul’s frenzied ambiances\, Regner employs humor\, goofiness\, or absurd to counterbalance the heavier subjects filled with melancholy\, empathy\, and anxiety. In this light\, the Balancing Act\, 2024\, depicts the fragile and elusive equilibrium of career requirements\, marriage\, vices\, and self-hatred held by a skinny\, tired\, and scarred (artist’s) hand. The interest in this ongoing clash between expressing oneself\, running a professional career\, and navigating the demands of society or family is arguably most evident in Future Planning\, 2024. Offering an air of solemnity through an approachable and fun picture\, the image shows an artist caught in a calm\, meditative posture\, getting his seemingly Zen-like state interrupted by real-life concerns. The same tension between personal and professional may also be observed in Soul Transfer\, 2023\, where the anxious artist literally “pours their heart and soul” into the work. With his face (reminiscent of Ashley Bickerton’s colorful portraits) reflecting on the Paul McCarthy-like sculpture while being observed and judged by the Grim Reaper\, Regner is underlining the weight and intensity of his choices. Ironically\, this more personal and revealing approach is executed through airbrush\, a distant\, highly impersonal tool that leaves no actual mark of the artist’s hand on the surface. And that\, itself\, could be a perfect metaphor for careers in the arts – baring oneself emotionally and mentally for everyone to see and judge through a significantly removed\, one-way communication.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/chris-regner-careers-in-the-arts/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Soul-Transfer-Acrylic-on-canvas-56in-x-65in.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240314
DTSTAMP:20240126T035731Z
CREATED:20240126T001359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T035731Z
UID:10019187-1707177600-1710374399@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Fluid Maze
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is proud to present “Fluid Maze”\, a group exhibition showcasing the works of eight distinguished local artists – Hector Chan\, IV Chan\, Dony Cheng\, SSAN Hui\, Mandy Lau\, Florence Lee\, Wong Kaying\, and Wu Jiaru – as they experiment with different mediums to question the meaning of “seeing”. Whether they live or grew up in Hong Kong\, the artists are all connected by the city. The essence of Hong Kong is embedded in their works as they each weave their individual experiences\, forming a maze of their consciousness in an interplay between each artwork and the bigger picture. The term “fluid” refers to a lack of fixed shape. Like liquid\, it is floating\, formless\, and freely flowing. In the realm of art\, we try to stay afloat by grasping at ideas amidst a sea of deeper connotations and interpretations as we seek to find the “correct” answer. But like liquid\, art is not anchored to a single thought – it is an endless flow of ideas as it fills and takes the form of the space it occupies\, presenting various meanings forever in flux. Instead of finding the “true meaning”\, “Fluid Maze” encourages visitors to simply enjoy the experience of seeing art. Let the art carry you to no destination\, and simply allow yourself to be lost in the maze.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/fluid-maze/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/WU-JIARU_Animak_Island_III-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240118
DTSTAMP:20231109T005913Z
CREATED:20231109T005913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T005913Z
UID:10020383-1701216000-1705535999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Imagined States Chapter 2: Intrinsicality
DESCRIPTION:This November\, WOAW Gallery is pleased to present a series of exhibitions\, along with an academic panel discussion\, on the visual exploration of cultural self- identification. At various gallery locations throughout Hong Kong from November 16\, 2023 – January 17\, 2024\, the exhibition series “Imagined States” showcases over 20 recent paintings of 12 acclaimed international artists\, offering a thought-provoking journey through two distinct chapters: Chapter 1 – “Extrinsicality” and Chapter 2 – “Intrinsicality”. As a culmination of this exciting event\, an engaging academic panel discussion will be held delving into the intricate themes and concepts behind the artwork. \nTaking place at the gallery spaces in Wan Chai and Central\, the exhibition series “Imagined States” showcases the artistic process of empowering metaphors through which humanity constructs and locates itself within realms\, places\, and territories of the mind. In the realm of art\, artists do not seek to depict accuracy\, but to present a version of the truth based on their unique visualization of the world. They change their surroundings through various mediums\, palettes\, and techniques\, as they seek to express their truth by engaging with our senses\, our memories\, and our emotions. Through their works\, each artist illustrates what exists beyond words as they unfold their personal truth before our very eyes\, inviting us to reexamine our own truths. \n“Imagined States”: Chapter 2 – “Intrinsicality” \nThe second chapter\, “Intrinsicality\,” refers to something that is natural and inherent\, and takes place at the gallery’s Central location from November 29\, 2023 to January 17\, 2024. In this chapter\, the focus shifts inward as artists invite viewers to perceive their personal truths. Through the weaving together of intimate memories and unique stories\, each artist presents their personal landscape\, mediating their emotions and identity in the world. This immersive experience allows both the artists and the audience to reflect on their sense of self and engage in a shared contemplation of identity. \nPropelling the “Intrinsicality” chapter is Korean artist Miyeon Yi\, who negotiates ideas of freedom\, death\, and ennui based on her own experience with her great-grandmother. Her atmospheric works illustrate a continuous push and pull between the anxiety of living empty lives and the hopeful desire to transform the world that we live in. Presenting alongside Yi is American artist Blake Daniels. His evocative paintings are a collision of personal\, historical\, social\, and political memories\, as Daniels draws inspiration from traditions of cultural practices and storytelling. He intertwines his experiences with vivid colors\, art histories\, and religious iconography in a celebration of his understanding of the world through memory.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/imagined-states-chapter-2-intrinsicality/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Blake-Daniels-Johannesburg-Street-Dogs-or-The-Assumption-of-Lerato.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240118
DTSTAMP:20240320T015202Z
CREATED:20231109T005416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240320T015202Z
UID:10020382-1700092800-1705535999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Imagined States Chapter 1: Extrinsicality
DESCRIPTION:This November\, WOAW Gallery is pleased to present a series of exhibitions\, along with an academic panel discussion\, on the visual exploration of cultural self- identification. At various gallery locations throughout Hong Kong from November 16\, 2023 to January 17\, 2024\, the exhibition series “Imagined States” showcases over 20 recent paintings of 12 acclaimed international artists\, offering a thought-provoking journey through two distinct chapters: Chapter 1 – “Extrinsicality” and Chapter 2 – “Intrinsicality”. As a culmination of this exciting event\, an engaging academic panel discussion will be held delving into the intricate themes and concepts behind the artwork. \nTaking place at the gallery spaces in Wan Chai and Central\, the exhibition series “Imagined States” showcases the artistic process of empowering metaphors through which humanity constructs and locates itself within realms\, places\, and territories of the mind. In the realm of art\, artists do not seek to depict accuracy\, but to present a version of the truth based on their unique visualization of the world. They change their surroundings through various mediums\, palettes\, and techniques\, as they seek to express their truth by engaging with our senses\, our memories\, and our emotions. Through their works\, each artist illustrates what exists beyond words as they unfold their personal truth before our very eyes\, inviting us to reexamine our own truths. \n“Imagined States”: Chapter 1 – “Extrinsicality” \nTitled “Extrinsicality”\, referring to something that exists externally from someone or something\, the first chapter of the exhibition series will commence at WOAW Gallery Wan Chai. From November 16\, 2023 to January 17\, 2024\, the exhibition breaks down our fundamental perception of reality through visual distortion. Each artist employs a variety of artistic techniques\, from trompe l’oeil to calligraphic marks\, from airbrushing to displaced cultural iconography\, as they challenge our understanding of our surroundings. Their works encourage us not to simply accept things at first glance\, and prompts us to consider the endless possibilities of the universe. \nArtists featured in “Extrinsicality” include American artist Lauren Hussey\, whose multidimensional compositions are filled with an array of illegible text\, scribbled calligraphic marks\, and sporadic ink blots to offer viewers a riveting visual experience. Her dynamic patterns engage with our innate desire to make sense of our surroundings as she challenges our subconscious understanding of the visual lexicon. Another artist participating in “Extrinsicality” is Chinese-Canadian artist Peter Chan. Showcasing his new series ‘Magic Windows’\, Chan presents a surrealistic study of the illusory nature of media\, aiming to highlight its role in the shaping of cultural identities. His striking blue\, green\, and purple framed screens explore the formation of social mentalities by dissecting the role of perception within social and visual culture.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/imagined-states-chapter-1-extrinsicality/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Peter-Chan-StudyofAnticipation1_imageonly-tif.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231027
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231220
DTSTAMP:20231014T041433Z
CREATED:20231014T041433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231014T041433Z
UID:10020322-1698364800-1703030399@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Jonathan Casella: Pink Diamond Too
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to debut Jonathan Casella’s Pink Diamond Too. This is Casella’s first solo exhibition in Asia and marks the gallery’s first exhibition with the artist. The exhibition showcases Casella’s personal experiences and reflections\, depicted through his ongoing Doublestar series\, and paintings that incorporate carefully selected found images and photography of flowers from California. \nPink Diamond Too showcases Casella’s work as a whole when two serialized bodies become one as paintings from the artist’s ongoing Doublestar series are framed within the narrative of his syntactic and vernacularly driven abstract works. As the title suggests\, the color pink overtly connects the works in Pink Diamond Too\, but Casella’s ability to subvert our logic\, utilizes the color pink to entrance us and divert us into his playground. The pink diamond is at once a concrete object of desire and an abstract concept\, though the line between its existences blurs. It is iconoclastically a rare gem studded throughout the zeitgeist and fed into the culture as a beacon of achievement while simultaneously losing its splendor once attained\, failing in its intended promise. It is also the kind of diamond whose pink origin cannot be agreed upon by gemologists who are presented with a myriad of right answers\, so much that they cannot rely on any one of them to be certainly true. \n\n\n\n\nCasella’s pink doused paintings are a current of color\, form\, and imagery that ferry us like a perfume leading us to its source as we sift through its notes. Weaving our own connections throughout the room\, we find ourselves triangulating occurrences\, marks\, images\, shapes\, patterns\, and hues within each painting and amongst them\, to decipher the metaphor of the author of the work\, but by this point Casella has slyly involved us in the narrative. Assembled together as they are here\, Casella’s paintings are a stable of information that then becomes ours to parse\, and in a sense our own empirical data to translate. \nWhile all of the paintings in Pink Diamond Too share attributes in the logic of their making\, they each are self-contained in an approachable scale that emphasizes their jewel-like refraction of their densely configured content. The reduced scale is important for the works as they also begin to feel like windows or portals making us feel as though we can move into and out of them as well as laterally between works\, by virtue of the mark-making that Casella flourishes with dexterity. \n\n\n\n\nIn Casella’s Doublestar paintings\, the use of an abstracted but identifiable shape and semblance of frame are almost image-like\, yet as the marks upon its surface are scanned\, the viewer becomes drawn to its components\, causing an oscillation or vibration back and forth between the holistic image and its particles. Alongside the flush of color that guides the viewer through the show\, Casella’s style of mark-making is abound in each work\, contextualizing the works from different series side by side and drawing us as much across the walls as we are drawn across each painting’s surface. \n\n\n\n\nCasella’s ever-evolving lexicon is a collection of details of vivid colors\, jagged shapes\, soft edges\, and images from his personal relationships\, iconography\, and environment. Painted imagery of photographic images\, logo-like designs\, and hand-drawn characters appear to sit side by side with expanses of colors\, polka dots\, grids\, starbursts\, stripes\, and erratic hard-edged lines. These all congregate in Casella’s narrative abstractions leading to compositions where he has carefully and strategically arranged photographic images in a layout akin to a comic strip — suggesting a sideways legibility. We are made by this layout to feel as if a plot will unfold\, however\, its structure is obstructed by impeding color and pattern that within the paintings command the same urgency. These impediments\, though\, do not serve to stop the story\, but rather to infer that the story is composed of elements not just in descriptive pictures\, but also of external influences. \n\n\n\n\nPink diamonds though real and naturally occurring are very elusive\, and in their rarity exist as nearly an abstract concept. From Lil Uzi Vert’s infamously ripped out pink diamond face piercing (for which he saved a small fortune)\, to the name of the cursed\, flawed jewel in the Pink Panther pantheon\, that is often the focus of mischievous effort to acquire it\, the pink diamond while at the center of aspiration and lust\, remains just a rock. It is the way that the mind is activated through suggestion and influence that we come to symbolize the gem as an object of desire. In this way Casella’s paintings\, subversively tricky in their making\, remain paint\, but it’s in Casella’s deft handling of the material and content that they become for us pink diamonds too.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/jonathan-casella-pink-diamond-too/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jonathan-Casella_Brutalist-Bathtub.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230902
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230918
DTSTAMP:20230913T040918Z
CREATED:20230816T113409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230913T040918Z
UID:10020199-1693612800-1694995199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:The Descendants
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to announce The Descendants\, a group presentation of over 20 international artists and our sophomore return to K11 MUSEA\, running from Saturday\, 2 September through to Sunday\, 17 September 2023. \nThe exhibition is curated and organized by Melanie Lum\, Micki Meng\, and Kevin Poon\, presented by WOAW Gallery in venue partnership with K11 MUSEA. Taking up the entire Kunsthalle of K11 Art & Cultural Centre\, K11 MUSEA\, The Descendants showcases a generation of pivotal artists who are at the forefront of guiding contemporary art from across the globe. \nIn the pursuit of reinvigorating once-classic forms of abstraction as well as experimenting with portraiture and landscape\, each participating artist foregrounds artistic exploration in the particular histories and legacies of the art cosmopolitans they hail from and identities they inhabit. The new vanguard of contemporary art binds itself to visions of diaspora\, racial and gender dynamics\, sexuality\, and the untrammelled participation of art that moves these narratives forward.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/the-descendants/
LOCATION:Kunsthalle\, K11 Art and Cultural Centre\, K11 MUSEA\, 18 Salisbury Road\, Tsim Sha Tsui\, Yau Tsim Mong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dominique-Fung_Look-Steadily-and-Intently_-2021.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230825
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230923
DTSTAMP:20230819T141711Z
CREATED:20230819T141711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230819T141711Z
UID:10020205-1692921600-1695427199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Alexander Guy: WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is delighted to announce WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN AT\, a solo exhibition by Scottish artist Alexander Guy\, showcasing nine of his recent and earlier oil paintings. Drawing inspiration from quotidian objects and situations\, the exhibition captures the post- COVID cultural vibrancy through a series of visual records\, formalized by the artist’s experience in Glasgow. It’s a testament to the extraordinary that lies hidden in the ordinary\, with a reflection on the excesses of consumerism. The exhibition will be on view from August 25 to September 22\, 2023\, at WOAW Gallery Central\, marking Guy’s first solo showing in Hong Kong. \nIn the swift passage of time\, memories often fade\, especially during these times of COVID. Yet\, humanity persists in grasping at every moment and etching it into existence\, transforming the intangible into something visible. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN AT is a visual souvenir of the past year in Glasgow\, a time capsule for the year of 2023 that captures the essence of our times. It serves as the artist’s visual record\, documenting the effect of post- lockdown changes in a consumerist society. From sky-rocketing price tags to excessive packaging in Glasgow supermarkets\, the anxiety\, nervousness\, and tension are palpable between the lines of Guy’s vibrant colors. Indirectly pointing out the paranoia of the public through a significant event of modern history\, the exhibition invites us to reflect on the challenges of our times through mundane and the commonplace. \nRooted from his musical background\, Guy sets the exhibition in a format of a music album\, with each individual work created to complement the others. Guy visualized the nine paintings to be viewed as “singles” and “B-sides”. By presenting his works in this format\, Guy encourages viewers to engage with each painting as a standalone piece while also considering its connection to the larger body of work. The visual album concept invites visitors to explore the exhibition as a curated journey\, where the arrangement and sequencing of the paintings create a deliberate flow and rhythm. Through this musical- based approach\, Guy aims to enhance the viewer’s experience and evoke emotions\, much like the way a well-crafted album can resonate with its listeners. The exhibition becomes a multisensory experience\, where the visual compositions and thematic threads intertwine to create a meaningful and thought-provoking narrative.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/alexander-guy-what-are-you-looking-at/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Alexander-Guy_THIS-IS-NOT-AN-ORANGE-PAINTING.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230822
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231023
DTSTAMP:20230816T112451Z
CREATED:20230816T112451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230816T112451Z
UID:10020200-1692662400-1698019199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:The Record\, the Double\, and the Singular
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its new location situated in the vibrant neighbourhood of Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong on August 22\, 2023. Building upon its unwavering dedication to showcasing cutting-edge contemporary art and enriching the local art scene\, this expansion follows the resounding success of our original space on Sun Street in Wan Chai and now includes an additional street-level gallery in close proximity\, expertly overseen by the acclaimed Beau Architects. To mark the inauguration of this new location\, WOAW Gallery will be presenting a special twofold exhibition by Korean artist Taedong Lee and local artist Kitty Ng\, with one in the new space\, 3 Sun Street Wan Chai\, and the other in its first space in the same street. The vivacious dialogue between the two exhibition represents the gallery as a bridge\, connecting disparate artistic communities worldwide. \nFrom August 22 – October 22\, 2023 at 3 & 5 Sun Street Wan Chai\, a duo-solo exhibition of works by Kitty Ng and Taedong Lee\, titled “The Record\, the Double\, and the Singular\,” initiates a dialogue between two contemporary artists who start their paintings with their personal archive of photographs. In the first half of Camera Lucida (1981)\, Roland Barthes argues that photography is a medium of death; when the camera captures a moment\, it records the passing of that very moment. Ng and Lee\, however\, view photographs as catalysts for the singularity inherent to the processes of recollection and distortion. \nBy indulging in images from their archive\, they allow for a certain fantasy to take hold of them — a fantasy from the present\, that deepens and changes the original memory associated with the photograph. By giving in to the centrifugal force of speculation\, their memories become muddled with their lives today. They reduce\, add\, revise\, and ultimately transform the image\, etching onto the canvas the irreducibility of their singular response. \nSpatial and temporal speculation lies at the heart of Tae Dong Lee’s practice. From the comfort of his studio\, Lee traverses his family photographs and uproots them of their context\, concurrently opening up the image and his practice to conjecture. The distortions of his memory that take place through this process combine the vitality found in the vivd landscapes of Jeju Island with his interiority. The figures found in the photographs — himself\, his parents\, and his siblings — take new shape and form against a renewed terrain. \nIn “An Exceptionally Bright Night” (2022)\, three figures — the artist and his parents — sit atop horses\, eddying in the lush blue-green pigments that make the environment. Echoing the mysticism of Peter Doig\, the work absents spatial markers and engenders what the artist calls a “phantom place.” In “Escaping” (2022) and “Escaped” (2022)\, two images that share the same source image\, we are offered an insight into the ebbs and flows of the artist’s interiority. Utilising darker hues\, the former offers an elegiac lament while the latter indulges in a reluctant jubilance. \nIt is imperative for Kitty Ng that her photographs reinvent themselves through her paintings. Taken over the course of her college years\, her imagery is composed of friendships and kinships rooted in a quotidian intimacy. Her subjects can be seen in a dorm room\, the streets of Shanghai\, in the comfort of a home\, in a dorm room\, or even on something as mundane as a walk. As rings true with most beautiful banalities\, each stroke on the canvas is placed with yearning\, a yearning to reconcile the fallibility of relationships — that they change\, dissolve\, and take new forms. \nNg’s studio practice began with making collages in Photoshop; in works such as “Forward We Go!” and “S to S\,” she supplants intimate memories with friends and family and combines them with jovial moments. The resulting compositions are playful\, charming\, and full of a lived life. During her residency in Shanghai\, she started moving away from college but retained the figurative impulses she developed through them. In the series of works titled “Love Languages” and “Bittersweet Fantasy\,” she embraces the selective nature of memory\, leaving behind few details and white space to surround it. \nNg and Lee firmly reject ideas of nostalgia that have become the ascendant trend in figurative works. They reject the stability the personal archive might suggest. They reject\, and they reject. Their voices converge in the act of failing to double the memory. Our minds are always in flux\, we are affected by the troubles of the every day\, the whims of the heart\, and the travails of existing. Unlike mechanical processes\, our bodies cannot reproduce exactitudes. They can barely do approximations. It is this singularity that distinguishes us. We fail\, fail\, and we fall. And therein lies something gorgeous.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/the-record-the-double-and-the-singular/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Kitty-Ng_Forward-We-Go.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230720
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230820
DTSTAMP:20230716T175433Z
CREATED:20230716T175433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230716T175433Z
UID:10020177-1689811200-1692489599@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Vibrant Escape: An Ode to Summer
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is thrilled to present Vibrant Escape: An Ode to Summer\, a group exhibition of sixteen artworks by eight multigenerational artists from around the world\, including Imon Boy\, Deborah Brown\, Isabella K. Cancino\, Alli Conrad\, Marcela Flórido\, Kurt Lightner\, Charlie Roberts\, and Kristian Touborg. The exhibition will be on view from July 20 to August 19\, 2023 at the gallery’s Central location. \nOne of those July days where wind has fled\, the vibrant city welcomes a scorching summer heat into its streets. Drawing inspiration from the bold palette of the season’s nature scene and the sense of openness it connotes\, the exhibition embarks a visual conversation between artists in different cities bringing fresh perspectives in visual arts and design and allowing creative minds to connect and inspire one another. Showcased within one space\, each artist presents their own definition and visualisation of the season summer\, conveying one’s message as their ode to summer. This group exhibition invites viewers to experience the artworks individually and as a whole\, sparking conversations with personal impressions of this shared summer in the year 2023.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/vibrant-escape-an-ode-to-summer/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Imon-Boy-Sargo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230615
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230723
DTSTAMP:20230608T062355Z
CREATED:20230608T062355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230608T062355Z
UID:10020100-1686787200-1690070399@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Auudi Dorsey: We Just Got to See Us
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present We Just Got to See Us\, an exhibition of new work by American artist Auudi Dorsey\, at the gallery’s Wan Chai\, Hong Kong location. Featuring 11 artworks\, the exhibition explores the experiences of African Americans in the Southern region of United States with quotidian scenes through a contemporary lens. The exhibition will run from June 15 to July 22\, 2023\, which also celebrates the artist’s first solo showing in Asia. \nNo matter the space\, place or time\, the Black community has endured a vast amount of exportation through the capabilities. Dorsey captures moments from the past and present\, drawing from personal experiences to depict the community’s struggles and triumphs. As a native of black neighbourhoods in the Southern region\, the artist draws inspiration from daily life that have shaped his identity and heritage\, evoking a sense of pride in his work. The exhibition invites visitors to step into a world that celebrates the Black community’s resilience and spirit. \nThis new series of work is a testament to the importance of community and its role in shaping the lives of the Black community in the Southern region. The figures in the artworks are fully present and at the forefront of the subject matter\, with often-seen objects in Dorsey’s works – white tees\, cars and cigarettes. The artist’s colour palette is primarily composed of earthy tones that complement the rich hues of black skin. In contrast\, the white background in some of the works represents the absence of community that once existed\, leaving people to either migrate or be viewed as intruders in their own community. \n“Being able to express any kind of emotion with a contemporary context allows me to engage in environmental\, social and the political climate of black folks in the Southern region. Moments in the past and present are depicted in these bodies of work and some from personal experiences. I want the people of my community to be seen and honor because people is what keeps community together.” the artist says. \nAuudi Dorsey (b.1992) work comes from within and comes from perspective. Figures seen in the artist work are inspired by the day-to-day people and circumstances that exist in Southern culture. The ideal of adding value to what may seem valueless aesthetically to the human eye or stories of how Black Americans in the south still hold on to most of their ancestorial culture. Figures in his work can be seen engaging in their environment whether it’s from celebrations\, traditions\, or social conditions.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/auudi-dorsey-we-just-got-to-see-us/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Auudi-Dorsey_two-men-one-pleasure_2023.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230711
DTSTAMP:20230625T234007Z
CREATED:20230506T134957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230625T234007Z
UID:10018550-1684454400-1689033599@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Soimadou Ibrahim: In Deeds and Gestures
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Soimadou Ibrahim’s In Deeds and Gestures\, the French artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery’s location on Queen’s Road Central\, Central\, Hong Kong. \nIn these new artworks\, Ibrahim draws on various elements from his native Comoros and other parts of Africa. The ylang-ylang flower\, for instance\, is a recurring motif in his pieces\, representing the beauty and richness of his home country. The blue-bellied roller\, a bird commonly found in different parts of Africa\, serves as a symbol of freedom and exploration. The birdwatcher is another important symbol in the exhibition\, highlighting the importance of paying attention to the natural world around us and connecting with the environment. Throughout the exhibition\, Ibrahim also depicts various characters and wildlife\, celebrating the diversity and cultural richness of the African continent. \nUsing bold strokes and bright colors\, In Deeds and Gestures is a visually striking exhibition that gently provokes the viewer to reflect on the importance of care and nurturing. Ibrahim’s artwork encourages viewers to pay attention to the natural world around them\, connecting with the environment and the communities they belong to. By depicting elements from his own cultural heritage\, the artist also highlights the importance of preserving and celebrating diverse cultures. In Deeds and Gestures is a powerful reminder of the significance of the significance of self-care\, community care\, and environmental stewardship\, a process that allowed the artist to reconnect and engage with his own roots. \n“Not only do we rely on nature and the state of connectedness for our survival\, but also as a means to flourish. The food we savour\, the sanctuaries we build for ourselves\, and the relationships we forge; all seeds that allow us to thrive\,” the artist says.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/soimadou-ibrahim-in-deeds-and-gestures/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Soimadou-Ibrahim-Seat-of-Affection-2023-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230426
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230531
DTSTAMP:20230520T065351Z
CREATED:20230412T100514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230520T065351Z
UID:10019765-1682467200-1685491199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Giorgiko: The Seed of Peace
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present The Seed of Peace\, a solo exhibition by the Los Angeles-based artist duo Giorgiko. Partnered with Thinkspace Projects\, the exhibition features 25 new oil paintings and ink drawings that explore the search for peace in its different forms and the costs of obtaining it. The exhibition is on view at WOAW Gallery’s location at Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong\, from April 26 to May 25\, 2023\, which also celebrates the artist duo’s first showing in Hong Kong. \nThrough the journeys of childlike characters\, Giorgiko takes viewers on a captivating exploration of the pursuit of peace. The characters navigate scorched lands\, tumultuous storms\, and wild dogs in search of shelter. In this new series of artwork\, a divine seed is a centrepiece that grows into a pure white olive tree\, standing in gentle contrast to the chaos of the environment\, offering peace to the children. Giorgiko draws inspiration from the sacred story of Christ’s self-sacrificing death and resurrection\, which bring peace to many. The exhibition presents a parallel story; the death and rebirth of a seed\, which grows into a new plant and offers shade to all who would rest under it. \nGiorgiko’s unique interpretation of this story offers viewers a fresh perspective on the search for peace. Viewers are invited to contemplate their own sources of peace in temporal and lasting forms. Giorgiko’s work reminds us that peace cannot be forcefully taken or manufactured but rather needs to be planted gently.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/giorgiko-the-seed-of-peace/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Giorgiko-The-Seed-of-Peace-2023-30x30-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230324
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230416
DTSTAMP:20230328T050852Z
CREATED:20230328T050852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230328T050852Z
UID:10019655-1679616000-1681603199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:HORIZONS
DESCRIPTION:Sow & Tailor is pleased to announce our upcoming curatorial endeavor\, HORIZONS\, a group exhibition connecting forty-six artists across multiple backgrounds at varying stages in career. \nThe bonsai tree\, which Sow & Tailor credits as the conceptual inspiration for the gallery\, is a miracle of boundaries: to propagate a flourishing tree within the confines of a pot demands both familial delicacy and a precision to detail. Since Sow & Tailor’s institutional debut in Hong Kong with Hot Concrete: LA to HK at K11 Musea\, Karen Galloway’s keen eye for burgeoning talent has grown into a global root system. HORIZONS is her latest experiment in propagation — a mosaic of artists across backgrounds and boundaries in celebration of global community\, while emphasizing the gallery’sa core value of intimacy over fireworks. \nHosted in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district and featuring small works hung salon-style\, the pop-up location is the apotheosis of the Sow & Tailor ethos — art made accessible\, not just figuratively\, but physically as well. The domestic scale of the pieces press up against the viewer\, beckoning them to participate rather than merely witness. The artist list reflects a similar non-hierarchical equitability of space\, holding equal room to emerging\, mid-career\, and established artists alike — nurturing space for artists of all kinds to occupy together\, as one. \nFrom the lush paintings by Jonas Wood\, Freudian slippage of Aryo Toh Djojo\, mandala- esque carpet paintings of Kour Pour\, and familial histories of Tidawhitney Lek — the exhibition features wildly disparate artists\, steeped in a diversity of personal nuance; it’s a global perspective without the flattening of globalism. Symbology is deconstructed\, reconstructed then tossed away altogether. Domestic spaces are warped\, cultural and consumer symbols are alienated from context\, and the familiar is made wholly unfamiliar. The salon style allows each artist’s practice to be in conjunction and conversation with one another\, celebrating the nebulous multiplicity of the human experience in the 21st century.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/horizons/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/93a99d13-93c5-45a3-8ea1-697be94c443b.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230320
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230417
DTSTAMP:20230314T104946Z
CREATED:20230314T104946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230314T104946Z
UID:10019575-1679270400-1681689599@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Stacy Leigh: ESCAPE TO B-ROLL
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Stacy Leigh’s ESCAPE TO B-ROLL\, the New York City– based artist’s exhibition featuring 10 paintings she created this year at WOAW Gallery’s location at 9 Queen’s Road Central\, from March 20 to April 19\, 2023\, which also celebrates the artist’s first showing in Hong Kong. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nESCAPE TO B-ROLL features a series of unplanned\, freestyle paintings inspired by the artist’s fantasy of “selling her apartment and moving to a house somewhere with no neighbors.” The exhibition showcases artworks of bright\, bold colors with whimsical titles like House full o hoes\, Bad bish\, and The life of a drone day 8. Each scene in the painting center quaint houses and landscapes of lush greenery\, painstakingly created from the artist’s imagination. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe artworks depict a fantastical world created by the artist after an unpleasant experience with her housing board—a “b-roll” of a life she wishes to escape into. The paintings exude a suburban calm\, and are littered with potted plants\, tiny dogs\, and handsome cars. Behind half- drawn shutters\, viewers are offered glimpses into the cozy interiors of warmly-lit houses\, and on the outside\, the neatly-trimmed lawns and isolated cliffs provide the setting for weekend barbecues and picnics on a summer’s day. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n In this series of paintings\, the houses are set against a backdrop of sunset-drenched skies\, with no trace of human presence in any of the frames. The artist imbues her farcical sense of humor into hidden corners of the paintings\, works that require careful viewing for all their details to come into focus—for instance\, doormats that read “If you’re reading this\, take off your shoes” and “There’s some hoes in this house.” Some works are new iterations of the “drone day paintings” in Leigh’s oeuvre\, which often tackle similar themes of quiet suburbia life. Yet there is also an unsettling quality to the perfection of these scenes\, with their vivid colors and bold brushstrokes\, as though at any moment\, the arrival of a stranger may puncture the fantasy and bring the peace to an abrupt end.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/stacy-leigh-escape-to-b-roll/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image001.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230217
DTSTAMP:20230117T063701Z
CREATED:20230112T013735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230117T063701Z
UID:10018311-1673913600-1676591999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Evgen Čopi Gorišek: Paradise Lost and Found
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Paradise Lost and Found\, by Berlin-based artist Evgen Čopi Gorišek’s debuting his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong\, at its Central location. Paradise Lost and Found will be on view from January 17 to February 16\, 2023. Paradise Lost and Found is also WOAW’s third exhibition with Gorišek\, with two previous group exhibitions Romancing Relevance and Familia. \nWhen in the late 15th century Hieronymus Bosch started conceptualizing his magnum opus The Garden of Earthly Delights\, he was determined to portray the Catholic church’s idea of sin and its consequences. Driven by strong religious beliefs\, he felt the urge to warn about the effect of worldly fleshy indulgence on the eternal afterlife. However\, what the Early Netherlandish master might’ve seen as a “fall from grace”\, the 21st-century everyman sees as part of the human condition. And so\, some 500 years later\, Evgen Čopi Gorišek (b. 1994\, Slovenia)\, took the essential elements of the epochal triptych to portray his vision of contemporary life and his own place in it. \nAlthough religious propaganda inspired by medieval infernal literature and visualizations of misinterpreted biblical texts\, this intensely moralistic work prompted the likes of Salvador Dalí to claim that Bosch should be labeled the first modern artist. Creating an early form of cinema with his highly entertaining conversation piece\, inspired the Berlin-based artist to review the concept from a 21st-century viewpoint. Transforming WOAW Gallery’s space in Central Hong Kong into an immersive installation\, Čopi Gorišek’s Paradise Lost and Found introduces an all-new body of work comprising works on canvas\, a series of watercolor and pencil drawings on paper\, and a life-size sculpture. Seated on the camping chair in the middle of the grassy ground\, the chill picnic-goer is the centerpiece of this presentation. Radiating happiness and content while daydreaming about life through a repurposed mix of realism\, metaphor\, and fantasy\, he is inviting the viewer to tag along on his journey to delightful revelation. Honoring the composition of the iconic triptych\, the exhibition curated by Saša Bogojev divides the gallery walls into three sections but stays clear from going into the spiritual or religious sphere. Although sharing many of the elements of the original\, such as the use of a common horizon\, foreground with the main protagonists and story\, midground with lush surroundings\, flowers\, and body of water\, and background with manmade elements in the “hell” part\, the updated vision is taking place in a public park instead of the mythical Garden of Eden. \nRather than confounding and confusing like Bosch’s visual world of metaphors did\, the park and its attendees feel familiar\, inviting\, straightforward\, and friendly. Referencing the archetypal romantic setting filled with greenery\, flowers\, and fountains\, the story replaces the sinful pleasure with socializing\, flirting\, and easygoing lifestyle. Meaningful allegories understandable to the righteous elite are substituted with stylized portraits of seductive sitters whose appearance is their most important quality. Instead of audaciously portraying mostly nude characters\, often subordinated\, increasingly insecure or terrified\, and in midst of shameless action\, these fashionable muses are confidently posing for the artist and the viewer. Doubtless and fully aware of their own presence\, they are signifying a modern-day perception of the world and the accompanying absence of spiritual “paradise”. This shift becomes more obvious in the part of the exhibition meant to represent “hell”. \nHonoring the original idea to depict this section as a manmade world Čopi Gorišek’s vision of the netherworld is similar to the rest\, just slightly dimmed as it takes place indoors. Therefore\, where the 15th-century subjects feel suddenly ashamed of their bodies and actions or are getting punished\, the up-to-date muses still act equally nonchalant and careless. Yet\, their motionless grinning face brings back the Boschian sense of the grotesque\, questioning their real emotive state against the polished shine of their clothes\, accessories\, and the perfection of their smooth skin. Perched up in the de-lighted nightlife setting evoking a club\, house party\, or back of an Uber\, they’re steadfastly delighted to live in what the Renaissance master would likely describe as paradise lost.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/evgen-copi-gorisek-paradise-lost-and-found/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Paradise.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230110
DTSTAMP:20221215T235358Z
CREATED:20221215T235358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221215T235358Z
UID:10018263-1671062400-1673308799@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Smart Idiots
DESCRIPTION:Spanish painter Matias Sánchez has only one true passion: painting. The act of painting is the foundation of Sánchez’s artistic practice\, beyond style\, subject\, and narrative. The self- taught artist was born to paint. While he learned the craft from his father\, his great teachers were works by important Spanish and European painters throughout history that he studied in museums and libraries. He has deep reverence for good paintings\, and therefore has great respect for his colleagues\, who in one way or another\, also devoted themselves to painting. \nFor this reason\, he has invited friends and colleagues whose work he appreciates for the exhibition at WOAW Gallery. All the artists in the exhibition are about the use of color\, the physicality and sensations of painting. Sánchez works with colors\, shapes\, and composition until figures and scenery emerge. Cristina Lama and American painter Dan Schein also celebrate this style of impasto painting. French artist Gregory Forstner’s works are deeply rooted in the tradition of painting\, shining a light on human nature through his animal figures like a fable. Some paintings tell a story\, like Paco Pomet’s precisely rendered painting of a displaced reality. Some paintings celebrate the virtuosity of acting with paint\, and sometimes the content takes a back seat\, but it is all about painting. Some paintings were not created with a brush and pigment on a canvas\, but with needle and thread like Klaas Rommelaere’s tapestries. \nThe world of painting is so vast and varied\, the common thread between this selection of artists is that they share a sense of humor. The title “Smart Idiots” is tongue in cheek and perfectly reflects Sánchez’s wit. While the oxymoron does not make sense in the first instance\, many successful people are probably smart idiots – deftly playing to their strengths and minimizing their shortcomings. The deprecating title also points to the imposter syndrome many of us can relate to. In reality\, it may pay off to be a smart idiot than an idiotic genius. \nSeemingly fun and silly\, the title has many layers of understanding to it\, much like the works by Sánchez\, which are joyful and fun upon the first glance. When digging deeper\, the viewer will see a certain menace and edge. Deeper yet\, one will realize that the act of painting is his core interest. Any subject or narratives that manifests on the canvas is simply the result of the artist’s exploration of colors\, shapes\, and references distilled from the artist’s decades of dedication to studying history and the arts. Such depth comes so naturally that for him an inside joke about Brancusi or revolution poets are merely the basic tools and building blocks for his painting compositions. The selection of artists will act as a manifestation of Matías ’ artistic vision beyond the canvas.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/smart-idiots/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/013-20221213WoawCentralGroup0239-KitminLee.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230111
DTSTAMP:20221207T004750Z
CREATED:20221206T001114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221207T004750Z
UID:10018233-1670544000-1673395199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Drew Englander: Real World
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present THE REAL WORLD\, Brooklyn-based artist Andrew Englander’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong\, at the gallery’s location at 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai. Featuring 12 works from 9 December to 10 January\, 2023 THE REAL WORLD is also WOAW’s debut exhibition with Englander\, who joined the gallery program this year. \nTaking its title from the reality show first launched in the nineties that follows a group of young adults living together\, THE REAL WORLD prompts viewers to consider the absurdity of one making a claim over “the real” while being aware of the impossibility of asserting objectivity—a contemporary paradox of the post-truth era. The name serves as a point of departure for the paintings on view\, which are themselves studies of warps in reality\, a lens through which to observe a world where perspectives are perpetually in flux. \nThe paintings of Drew Englander (b. 1985 in Ventura\, California) explore solitude in a highlyinterconnected world\, and the necessity of adapting and responding to environmental and psychological developments in our current times. His practice combines digital and analogue methods\, first making observational sketches with an iPad then painting with acrylics. Incorporating his daily interactions with digital technology\, sports and entertainment\, fantasy\,virtual reality\, and art history\, the artist’s works are characterized by bold colors\, distorted perspectives\, and intricate details that come to life to depict an intimate\, surreal\, yet familiar world. \nThe indoor spaces as portrayed by Englander are spellbinding in their asymmetry\, foregrounding contorting windows\, the spiny tendrils of plants or cables of digital devices\, and furniture that swell and protrude into the four corners of a room and the canvas. His works are a gesture towards the imperfect ways we perceive our surroundings and create memories\, giving attention to certain details while ignoring others altogether. The domestic scenes in his still-life drawings rarely feature the presence of human beings\, yet with their warm tones and vibrancy\, they reach out from the relative isolation of their subject matters\, and towards commonality and community.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/drew-englander-real-world/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/63898131e90e41669955889.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230103
DTSTAMP:20221124T054911Z
CREATED:20221124T054911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221124T054911Z
UID:10018206-1669248000-1672703999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Jon Burgerman: Friendly Neighbours
DESCRIPTION:“Friendly Neighbours” by British-born\, New York-based artist Jon Burgerman\, jointly organised with WOAW GALLERY. Jon Burgerman developed his first Sesame Street Collection and created a total of 49 humorous artworks that references the main cast. \nSesame street and the creations of Jim Henson have influenced Burgerman’s life since the early 1980’s. “Watch Sesame Street before I would go to nursery school\, with a glass of milk and a slice of my mother’s chocolate cake. The characters\, songs and animations left an indelible mark on my psyche\, showing me that kindness and fun is something that benefits from being shared.” The iconic Sesame Street characters had introduce themselves into the world of Burgerman’s art. The characters in this exhibition brings out the pleasure and joy to those who view them.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/jon-burgerman-friendly-neighbours/
LOCATION:Gallery by the Harbour\, Ocean Centre\, Harbour City\, Tsim Sha Tsui\, Yau Tsim Mong\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221021
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221114
DTSTAMP:20221021T034821Z
CREATED:20221021T034527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T034821Z
UID:10019057-1666310400-1668383999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Hot Concrete: LA to HK
DESCRIPTION:K11 MUSEA is pleased to present Hot Concrete: LA to HK\, the first major group presentation of Los Angeles-based artists in Hong Kong\, running from Friday\, 21 October through Sunday\, 13 November 2022. \nSponsored and supported by UBS AG\, H.Moser & Cie and Ruinart; the Pop-up is curated by Sow & Tailor (Los Angeles)\, presented by K11 MUSEA (Hong Kong) and WOAW Gallery (Hong Kong); and co-organised by Ouyang Art Consulting (Los Angeles). \nHot Concrete: LA to HK is the second iteration of Sow & Tailor’s inaugural exhibition from 2021 with an expanded selection of thirty artists and over fifty-five artworks. As an epicenter for creativity not only in Asia\, but also internationally\, Hong Kong enthusiastically welcomes the explosive creativity of Los Angeles and the breadth and rigor of its multidisciplinary and multi- generational artists. \nHot Concrete: LA to HK’s unique curatorial perspective uses the four major principles of ikebana\, the Japanese art of flower arrangement\, as its point of departure\, particularly a fresh approach\, movement\, balance\, and harmony. The Pop-up is not only a bridge that connects two significant artistic hubs and geographies\, but also provides Hong Kong’s art-viewing public with a glimpse into the current creative energy of Los Angeles and its limitless opportunities for exploration\, innovation\, and self-fashioning. Hot Concrete not only fosters cultural exchange\, but also injects the vibrancy of Los Angeles into Hong Kong’s cultural landscape\, benefiting the latter’s community of artists\, curators\, collectors\, and enthusiasts of art. \nHot Concrete is a multi-generational Pop-up\, presenting a diverse arrangement of artists positioned at various points in their career who define this important moment in Los Angeles’s creative history. It is also multidisciplinary\, featuring numerous practices such as sculpture\, installation\, video\, painting\, and furniture design to showcase a wide range of talents. Hot Concrete’s artists represent Los Angeles’s unique position as a place where a multiplicity of cultures coexist and flourish. They reflect on their personal histories and lived experiences as minorities\, children of diaspora\, first-generation citizens\, and immigrants in their practice. References to California’s vernacular cultures\, including car culture\, murals and graffiti found on overpasses\, bridges\, and the concrete walls of the LA River\, or signage on mom-and-pop shops in ethnic pockets\, are abound in the Pop-up. \nAll the artists are community-oriented and socially engaged\, interrogating class\, gender\, race\, identity\, and alternative subcultures\, like skating\, surfing\, lowrider\, and graffiti\, all of which add to the colorful fabric of the city. They turn inwards while looking to their city’s unique history. Like Los Angeles\, Hong Kong is a bustling metropolis shaped by a fusion of disparate cultures. The work of Hot Concrete’s artists serves as a reminder for Hong Kong audiences to reflect on their personal histories\, their relationship to the city\, and the communities that shape it. Hot Concrete continues the creative legacy of generations of cultural workers using the sprawling city’s vibrant landscape\, physical and cultural\, and its history\, both chaotic and harmonious\, as a reference. While often personal\, nostalgic\, and emblematic of the locale in which it is made\, the work of these artists finds parallels globally.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/hot-concrete-la-to-hk/
LOCATION:K11 Art and Cultural Centre\, K11 MUSEA\, K11 MUSEA\, Victoria Dockside\, 18 Salisbury Road\, Tsim Sha Tsui\, Yau Tsim Mong\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting,Sculpture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/63452f7e00c991665478526.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220921
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221025
DTSTAMP:20220920T035226Z
CREATED:20220920T035226Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220920T035226Z
UID:10018950-1663718400-1666655999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Contemporary Curated: Landscape
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Contemporary Curated: Landscape curated by gallerist and curator Taymour Grahne\, highlighting ten contemporary artists based between the UK and USA. Sixteen landscape paintings were created to illustrate each artist’s personal interpretation of nature\, ranging from mythology\, historical references\, social issues\, to human consciousness. \nThis group exhibition will be showcasing works by Tessa Perutz (b.1988) who portrays nature through abstract minimalistic shapes in a soft colour palette\, allowing audience to experience the feeling of lightness within a scene of nature. Hilary Doyle (b.1985) depicts a time when all genders were equal in society. Her painting carries connotation of a world in prehistoric period\, under the influence of ancient and Neolithic periods. Nadia Ayari (b.1981) and Asif Tanvir Hoque (b.1991) are both inspired by mythology and yet have created rather different subject matters. Hoque incorporate elements from Italian art history into his figurative paintings\, giving the character a traditional heroic quality within the painting. On the other hand\, Ayari’s distinctive paintings focus on simple products by nature which can be easily overlooked\, yet these objects become the protagonists of her paintings\, being magnified in size through powerful combination of strong colour palette and bold outlines; a simple flower can now be seen in a different light and gain a sense of significance in its existence. \nMatthew F Fisher (b.1976) visualizes the infinity of time and space\, portraying scenes of nature that are suspended in time\, exploring the cosmos from a deep personal perspective. Eliot Greenwald (b.1983) challenges the audience’s perception by combining elements from all sides of universe\, connecting outer space and earth’s nature in ways that skew the traditional concept of landscape. Stipan Tadic (b.1986) explores the relationship between various dimensions within his paintings. Meanwhile futuristic and conceptual\, the techniques used to paint the subject matter remains to be traditional with hints of surrealism. Shaun Ellison (b.1984) portrays personally memorable moments of his life into his paintings. Ellison’s figurative painting captures a live moment in time where the sun is setting as groups of people are at the beach\, gazing into the sea and sky\, this captured moment stands still for audience to experience the once shared sunset hour. \nMinyoung Kim (b.1989) and Evie O’Connor (b.1993) both depict food as their subject matter\, the main resource humans obtain from nature. Kim is fascinated by human emotions and consciousness\, therefore her painting often store elements of comical irony and evokes a sense of laughter from the audience\, allowing them to react and interact with the subject matter. O’Connor on the other hand\, retrieve image archives from social media platforms and paints the subject matter in an ordinary and realistic setting. The rawness in his subject matter awake audiences and disconnect them from the polished subjects they had gotten used to viewing on mass media platforms.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/contemporary-curated-landscape/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Shaun-Ellison-July-4th-Coney-Island.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220909
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221005
DTSTAMP:20220914T031913Z
CREATED:20220914T031913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220914T031913Z
UID:10018038-1662681600-1664927999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Willem Hoeffnagel: Old Friends
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present ‘Old Friends’\, a solo exhibition by Dutch painter Willem Hoeffnagel. This series of new works incorporate nostalgic references to his childhood memories of automobiles through fragmented scenes and uniquely stylized faceless figures. \nBorn in Arnhem\, Netherlands\, 1995. Willem Jacques Hoeffnagel has been illustrating since a young age. While training to be a professional illustrator\, Hoeffnagel was developing his style in painting and experimented with a vast range of painting techniques and ideas. Later realizing illustration was not the only practice he was drawn to\, he then began to focus more on painting. The anthropomorphic figures featured in Hoeffnagel’s paintings have been near and dear to him for over a decade\, the ambiguous figures can be contemplated freely as a metaphor for the artist\, or another human being\, as they serve as a link between the scene and fragmented narrative. \nIn ‘Old Friends’\, a series of paintings inspired by his childhood memories involving automobiles and motor racing. Hoeffnagel painted Drive It Like You Stole It to commemorate his family’s stolen car\, a Fiat 500c\, the car he used to drive his 90-year-old grandmother in\, who continues to enjoy the rides despite her age. Like many of Hoeffnagel’s previous works\, the oeuvre in ‘Old Friends’ resonates with its viewers in a similar manner – “I think even the people who wouldn’t say they have an interest in cars could be reminded of something they’d look back on fondly.” Allowing viewers to reminisce on their own childhood memories and nostalgia with old friends.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/willem-hoeffnagel-old-friends/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220818
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220915
DTSTAMP:20220823T062012Z
CREATED:20220822T054914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220823T062012Z
UID:10017978-1660780800-1663199999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Bianca Nemelc: Sea\, I’m Awake
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present SEA\, I’M AWAKE at its Queen’s Road location in Central. The solo exhibition features acrylic works from Bianca Nemelc\, a figurative painter whose practice lives within the profound and nourishing correspondence between the human body and the natural world. \nBorn and raised in the urban city landscape of New York City\, much of Bianca Nemelc’s practice pulls inspiration from imagined narratives and her own Caribbean heritage as she reconnects with her ancestral roots and finds new revelations in how humans coexist with nature. In SEA\, I’M AWAKE\, the artist makes use of fanciful brushstrokes to explore the possibilities for brown bodies and the waters to synchronise in harmony and find comfort in one another. The result is a body of wondrous paintings portrayed in the serene colours of earth tones\, breathing with ease in the fluid compositions of effortless balance. \nThe element of water is a frequent theme for the artist\, owing to her perception of rivers\, oceans\, and seas as points of intersection between the living and the spiritual. Almost like yin and yang\, these water bodies exist between freedom and captivity\, the unpredictable wilderness and the mother of all things tranquil\, and forgetting and remembering—for just as the tides pull away and push back again\, the water quietly lets us know\, “I’m still here.” \nOn top of the rich hues of brown in the figures depicted in her paintings\, the artist also has a fascination with the wide spectrum of colours that carries different bodies of water\, from the brightest Caribbean blues to blood-stained copper waterfalls of the Antarctic. One of the most powerful qualities of water\, she says\, is its ability to transform and become a reflection of whatever it inhabits. The flesh-coloured waves in her recent collection of work\, for instance\, are a contemplation of the body’s pink flesh hidden beneath melanated skin—“both cannibalised by the ocean and cradled with love in the same breath.” \nThe artist divulges\, “It is imperative to my own self-discovery to create safe spaces within my work to meditate on these dualities\, because they are the same that exist within myself.” Bianca Nemelc concludes\, “SEA\, I’M AWAKE is a loud declaration and a quiet acknowledgement of the kinship between body and water.”
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/bianca-nemelc-sea-im-awake/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bianca-Nemelc-Leap-of-Faith-311.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220809
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220903
DTSTAMP:20220810T074906Z
CREATED:20220810T074906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220810T074906Z
UID:10018729-1660003200-1662163199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Goblin Fanfare
DESCRIPTION:Inclined to repetition as the principal method of his process\, Shannon Peel is relying on momentum and its subconscious and spontaneous nature to foster his painterly practice. Allowing for recurring elements to echo through the paintings\, such an approach creates a sense of continuation and coherence through ongoing alternation\, evolvement\, and refinement. Equally pronounced and deceptive\, the works comprising Goblin Fanfare are celebrating the establishment of the flow\, form\, space\, and color\, through perpetual self- quotation and technical improvisation. \nThe particularity of Peel’s studio work has been directly conditioned by the unique path that led him to painting. After spending the majority of his life drawing daily for a job\, the Australian-born and Brooklyn-based artist approached the painting easel with admirable confidence and refined curiosity. Drawing straight onto the canvas and resolving the quandaries by spontaneously trying out things\, the classical tropes are used as vessels to refine the style. Spellbound by the possibilities of oil as a medium and painting as a language\, the long-established cast of concepts\, shapes\, and characters are employed as templates for this exhaustive survey. The constant revision and refinement continuously abstracts and transforms the archetypal formats while also utilizing the vintage freshness of subdued tones picked outside the traditional color palette. And although employing the layered textures built with the thinnest traces of pigment\, the scraped\, scratched\, dirty\, and broken-down textures are in fact bringing out the muted and seemingly discordant colors. This fanatical focus on textures and surfaces stems from years of working in the streets\, the need to consider the existing elements\, and the appreciation for their effect on the finished work. \nOn the other hand\, the washed-out and absorbed color fields\, mere evidence of life once existing on the canvas are in strong contrast with the resolute and brisk linework. Linework that is the core of the process and which is generously giving way to the other aspects of work with each new iteration of a particular image. In the end\, hyper-stylized and heavily polished elements stemming from graffiti language are bastardized into “psychedelic optimism” aesthetics by clashing them against painterly tradition. Such “happy accidents” are the precious moments of confident balance between technique and emotion\, and are the thriving moments for Peel’s proliferative practice. – Saša Bogojev
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/goblin-fanfare/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Shannon-Peel-Pirates.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220706
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220811
DTSTAMP:20220705T032819Z
CREATED:20220701T133102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220705T032819Z
UID:10018569-1657065600-1660175999@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:James Goss: Paradise
DESCRIPTION:Woaw Gallery is pleased to announce its representation of New York based artist James Goss’ and his first exhibition in Asia titled ‘Paradise’. The exhibition is on view from July 6 to Aug 10\, in 9 Queen’s Road Central\, Central\, Hong Kong. \nSpending most of his lifetime in the outdoors of Long Island\, New York City\, Lake Champlain has become an endless source of beauty for James Goss. This source of inspiration serves as the springboard for the string of compositions – ‘White Boat’. Set against the lakeside backdrop\, the series showcases the ever changing appearance driven by time of the day; light or lack thereof to form a stunning glimpse into the calm waterscape. \nInformed by Josef Albers’ instructions of colours\, Goss uses his personal sense of looking and experiments with colours\, rendering vibrant hues that pervade his oeuvre. Accompanied by ample birch trees\, the lake offers a tranquil haven of serenity which lets the light play its game. Among the wondrous colour spectrum that the lake reflects\, the hues during the golden hour accompanies textured and sculptured strokes to exude an aura of serenity. \nNature has long been providing comfort to James\, acting as a beacon shedding hope in his artistic journey – ‘A roadmap to the universe is found within the flower. I’m here to listen and take notes to enjoy all of her splendour’. As the boat sets off from shore\, makings its way through the sea facing all sorts of currents\, waves and tides before docking on an island. James plays with this metaphor\, where the boat sails from island to island representing one’s self journey through life.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/james-goss-paradise/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/james-goss_white-boat-207-2022_oil-on-canvas_h91.4-x-w91.4-cm.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220526
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220708
DTSTAMP:20220518T071121Z
CREATED:20220518T062839Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220518T071121Z
UID:10018317-1653523200-1657238399@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:En Iwamura: URLANDSCHAFT
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present URLANDSCHAFT\, the Asia solo debut of multidisciplinary artist En Iwamura. Citing the current state of confusion and chaos in the world from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate disasters and catastrophic wars\, the Kyoto- based Japanese artist aims to invoke a sense of lively and wondrous innocence with his paintings\, sculptures\, and installations that take the viewer to a new\, metaphysical realm as the ultimate prompt for contemplation. \nEntitled Neo Jomon: Beans\, Iwamura’s ceramic sculpture series presents “simple round forms” of dynamic beings with childlike expressions that seem almost cartoonish. Portraying themselves in pastel ombres\, the odd and fanciful shapes are cast to inspire a strange-yet-familiar feeling of peace that resonate deeply and thematically with the artist’s abstract ink-on-paper paintings of neutral faces and geometrically fascinating patterns. Similarly\, the newly developed installation of plants is created as an indoor garden in the gallery space to bring forth an ambiguous vision of tranquility that only exists in the viewer’smind\, and with it\, the artist continues the exploration of Ma in his practice – the Japanese concept of space and movement. \nAs alluded by the exhibition title\, the works on show depict “the original scenery from the bottom of the human heart\, which are often accompanied by feelings of nostalgia but may also be a mental landscape rather than a real landscape\,” says En Iwamura. \nKyoto-born and based\, En Iwamura is a Japanese artist holding two MFAs in Visual Arts/ Ceramics and Crafts/Ceramics respectively. His work has been exhibited in Belgium\, France\, Macau\, Japan\, and various cities in the United States. In 2018\, he was an artist- in-residence at China’s Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/en-iwamura-urlandschaft/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting,Sculpture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_6660-e1652855200956.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220427
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220531
DTSTAMP:20220428T031559Z
CREATED:20220427T104914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220428T031559Z
UID:10017686-1651017600-1653955199@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Sun-Kyo Park: Huddle Around
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is delighted to present Huddle Around\, a solo exhibition featuring contemporary painter Sun-Kyo Park’s acrylic-on-canvas work of surreal portraitures. Finding inspiration from his childhood memories of gathering\, praying\, and connecting with family and relatives in the neighbourhood\, the word “huddle” reminds Park of the human\, basic survival need for warmth in today’s society\, where people are tightly interconnected with one another in metaphysical ways. \nHailing from South Korea\, where he was raised in a religious family\, Park fondly remembers the posture of sitting cross-legged not only as a traditional Korean act\, but also the warm and familiar memory of a weekly occurrence called District Worship\, when people from different districts of the church would gather in one house to share food\, hymns\, Bible verses\, and stories. “Although silent\, a mysterious air seemed to have formed a promise that they would not turn their backs on each other\,” the artist recalls. \nThe soulful individuals in Park’s artwork look to the viewer intently\, seemingly waiting for the beholder to gaze back into their eyes to build a connection with roots deep beneath the surface. In setting the figures in his paintings in the same posture and space\, however\, Park explores how we are wildly different\, yet fundamentally the same. Some of the portraits referenced the artist himself and his acquaintances\, while others were based on strangers. \nPark’s observation of people is deeply contemplative. The artist believes that a person’s facial expression reveals their emotions and history\, and when he paints a character\, he makes use of their body\, clothes\, background\, and other surrounding elements to complete a well-rounded yet harmonious impression of who they are at their core. \nAs the viewer enters the exhibition space\, these unknown individuals seem to be huddled around\, speaking to each other at a close distance\, but what do we really know about them? What do we know about their stories\, from occupations and sexual orientations to religious beliefs? \nIn painting these figures\, Park seeks to pose the question: What do we see when we see people? The artist elaborates\, “Perhaps the truth I am looking for is to properly understand and love the essence that goes beyond the conceptual idea or the type of representation that defines a person.” Ultimately\, people are inherently complex in their unique depths and experiences\, and so much more than the one-sided impressions they may be perceived for. It is this particularly nuanced notion that brought Park’s paintings for this exhibition\, into formation.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/sun-kyo-park-huddle-around/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery 5 Sun Street\, 5 Sun Street\, Wan Chai\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/04-e1651056486182.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220419
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220515
DTSTAMP:20220412T033545Z
CREATED:20220412T023626Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220412T033545Z
UID:10018112-1650326400-1652572799@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Reflections: Partly Fiction
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present REFLECTIONS: PARTLY FICTION \, a group exhibition curated by Matt Black and Kevin Poon\, featuring works by John Armleder\, Daniel Crews-Chubb\, JPW3\, Jordy Kerwick\, Leelee Kimmel\, Spencer Lewis\, Chris Martin\, Cristina de Miguel\, Julian Schnabel\, Pat Steir. \nThis new exhibition from the REFLECTIONS series titled “PARTLY FICTION” explores the intentional decisions of artists to tell a truth\, their truth\, or their idea of the truth. As per Barnett Newman\, Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb’s manifesto in the New York Times in 1943 “It is our function as artists to make the spectator see the world our way – not his way.” The idea of art from its origins is rooted in the artist attempting to capture what is around them and make it theirs. Art is often a representation of a moment in time through the eyes of the painter\, or simply their personal perspective as it relates to the feelings of the social unconsciousness. \nIt is partly fiction. Through these ten paintings\, the artists as narrator explore their individual interpretations of that truth.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/reflections-partly-fiction/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Leelee-Kimmel_Orange-Crush-2022_Oil-Oil-Stick-and-Acrylic-on-canvas_182.9-x-167.6-cm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220331
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220415
DTSTAMP:20220408T041245Z
CREATED:20220330T091105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220408T041245Z
UID:10018089-1648684800-1649980799@cultureplus.asia
SUMMARY:Romancing Relevance
DESCRIPTION:WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Romancing Relevance\, a thematic group exhibition curated by Kevin Poon\, celebrating an unfettered exploration of imagination\, featuring works by Brian Calvin\, Jake Clark\, Sean Gannon\, Evgen Čopi Gorišek\, Baldur Hegalson\, Monika Karandi\, Laure Mary-Couégnias\, Zoe McGuire\, Keita Morimoto\, Charlie Roberts\, and Trude Viken. The exhibition is on view from March 31 to April 14\, in 9 Queen’s Road Central\, Hong Kong. \nIt is said that desire populates the space between artists and their work. Fixated on a subject — a memory\, a taste\, a sensation — the artist transforms raw material into objects of the world. In other words\, this desire catalyses artists to continually experiment and transgress the boundaries set up by their predecessors. In pursuit of the sublime\, the writers and artists of Romanticism\, the literary and artistic movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th Century\, expanded upon notions of myth-making\, landscape\, nature\, and the melancholia. \nA nod to the Romantics\, Romancing Relevance brings together a group of artists who share an obsession with paint and its possibilities. By challenging the bounds of their imagination\, the artists court the contemporary as a site of transfiguration and transformation\, offering up new possibilities for the painterly surface. \nTraversing the land of dreams and mountains\, Zoe McGuire\, Monika Karandi\, and Laure Mary-Couégnias transform paint into mysticism and fables. Preoccupied with contorting memory and representation\, Trude Viken and Brian Calvin deform and reform themselves through self-portraiture. Meanwhile\, Evgen Čopi Gorišek and Baldur Hegalson disfigure bodies and faces\, rendering them into mutable containers of the psyche. A reflection on consumer culture and its contents\, the works of Sean Gannon and Jake Clark open up a light-hearted space of reflection. Citing the Dutch Golden Age and perspective painting\, respectively\, Keita Morimoto and Charlie Roberts offer enigmatic snippets that capture the interiority of the contemporary.
URL:https://cultureplus.asia/event/romancing-relevance/
LOCATION:WOAW Gallery Central\, WOAW Gallery\, 9 Queen's Road Central\, Central\, Central and Western\, Hong Kong
CATEGORIES:Painting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cultureplus.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9D6E7E85-2347-45AB-9FC3-CBD2E45FC12F.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR