Trevor YUENG, “Yuen Long Wet Market at Night”, c-print on archival paper, 80 x 120 cm, 2010
Hanison LAU Hok Shing, “Hello NO.1”, mixed media, 80 x 245 x 100 cm, 2014
Gallery EXIT brings the curtain down on the summer exhibition series with Hanison LAU Hok Shing’s Say Hello to Hello and Trevor YEUNG’s That Dog at That Party – the artists’ first solo exhibitions with the gallery.
The two exhibitions anchor in the idea of distant proximity – space is not only conceived as an absolute unit of measure, but also the result of cultural, social, interpersonal and temporal tensions. Under this “relational unit of measure” of space, the exhibitions Say Hello to Hello and That Dog at That Party explore the sophisticated geography of proximity and distance. By creating spatial paradoxes through artistic means, LAU and YEUNG engender a sleek aesthetic experience of distance and proximity.
Working about the gallery space is Hanison LAU Hok Shing’s Say Hello to Hello. Between familiar and unfamiliar aesthetics, tangible and visual experiences, Say Hello to Hello delves the nature of psychological distance emerged between art and audience. Through a deliberate spatial composition of objects, sculptures and installations, LAU creates a tailor-made experience resembling much of the varied cinematic effects such as “long shots”, “close-ups” and “extreme close-ups”. Throughout the show, the informal and unobtrusive composition of each work is juxtaposed with a sense of spontaneity and directness. The textural contrast and compelling visual effect exuded from styled images also devise a sense of otherworldliness.
In Trevor YEUNG’s That Dog at That Party – often highly emotionally coloured and meanwhile tinged with a peculiar touch – this tension is translated into a personal relation. Through a leap of linguistic manoeuvre, the artist creates an environment in which organic and inorganic entities all convene for an imaginary “tango dance”. In the midst of visual unreality and tactile encounters, like dancing tango, each work draws audience near while at the same instance parachutes him to the ocean floor. Caging inside this moment of double-detachment, That Dog at That Party revolutionises our ordinary and habitual way of looking at things, unveiling an unexpected perspective from the reverse as a surprising revelation.
