Solo Exhibitions

CONNECTA 連・謰 2023

CONNECTA - An exhibition of the Artist Wong Yee Ki & Kidist Leila Ip《連・謰》黃綺琪x葉天怡小朋友作品展

“The Heart of creativity is to reconnect your inner child”

As I delved deeper into my art learning process, I began to realize the many historical gaps that need to be filled and this sparked my imagination about lines and Bi Mo (筆墨). The exhibition, "Connecta" (連・謰), seeks to bridge these gaps and connect unclear meanings. "連"means “to connect” and the concept of "謰" means nonsensical speech like the way a child talks. I personally believe that art doesn't always have to be clear or perfect; rather, it requires a simple belief, like the directness and innocence of a child. This exhibition showcases a collection of narrative works that may appear disconnected or unrelated at first. However, when viewed together, a clear and consistent discourse emerges.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the "Learning Innocence" series, in which I collaborated with a child. Combining the unfiltered creativity of a child's wild ideas with my Gongbi techniques, we created a unique fusion of untainted innocence and refined artistic skills. This series represents a departure from simply copying the grandmasters, and instead embraces a new approach to Bi Mo (筆墨）. The child featured in this Crossover series is someone I've had the privilege to teach for eight years, starting when she was only four. During our art classes, we embraced the idea of making "perfect mistakes." Even if the drawing was flawed or the coloring strayed outside the lines, we never gave up on our creative process.

Through this experience, I opened up the door in embracing the pure and unbridled creativity of a child. In essence, I've regained a sense of childlike faith and liberation. In my art making process, I brought my faith into it by incorporating worship and dance to unlock a deeper level of creativity. By doing so, I'm able to create pieces that are more dynamic and unrestrained. When I was first introduced to Gongbi, a lot of people said that my lines looked like those drawn by a computer. They were so neat, sharp and straight. When I continued to create, I learned different Gongbi drawing methods that added an academic quality to it. But this time, the lines I paint and draw are more impassioned and even with a certain level of inadvertence, between control and loss of control.

Qi Baishi once said: "The excellence of a painting lies in its being alike, yet unlike.” As for me, “The excellence of creation lies between control and loss of control.” I hope this exhibition gives the audience a fresh perspective on Bi Mo (筆墨）.

Artist

Wong Yee Ki

Exhibiton Details:

Period: 14/10/23 - 11/11/23

Venue: Grotto SKW 2/f, East 17, No. 17 Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan

Artist Reception: 21 Oct 23 2pm-6pm

The Park of Luminous Ridicule 繆悟公園 2016

The Unstoppable Carousel 旋轉的突破, Ink, colour, pastel and crayon on paper, 145 (H) x 282 (W) cm.

The Unstoppable Carousel 旋轉的突破, Ink, colour, pastel and crayon on paper, 145 (H) x 282 (W) cm.

Solo Exhibition: The Park of Luminous Ridicule 2016

Venue: Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong

Exhibition Period: 17 March - 9 April 2016

If Luis Chan was the Chinese counterpart of Toulouse-Lautrec, in that both strived for the bohemian visions, then Wong Yeeki was certainly the artistic parallel of Cirque du Soleil. Wong's latest collection was not only the most ambitious and technically sound; they used a theatrical and character-driven approach that defined the Cirque. In fact, audience could easily link the puppet babies to expressionless acrobats or the delicate line drawn bombers to linear cages of motorized actions. On the level of colors and hues, Wong's paintings created stages of gleeful chaos. In addition to pure lines, the artist used a multitude of mediums to create layered compositions loaded with details. We could see traditional Chinese landscape juxtaposed with geometric color shapes and fine gongbi lines with heavy pastel mixtures. Yet the most interesting part of the Park of Luminous Ridicule was the darker underpinnings that all works collectively shared. Wong stressed that her inspiration came from chaos, wars and games. According to her, it was our "epistemic failure" to the understanding of the order of this world that led to such a mess. Her newest paintings were all war games perhaps, each with characters mocking and "bombing" each other. Though as we decoded the apparent chaos, we were left with not only ridicules but revelation and social awareness. Luis Chan would have never thought the 21st century bohemian life could be so much fun!

 

Henry Au-yeung

February 2016     

Hong Kong artist Luis Chan was arguably the most celebrated painter in the fantastic realism genre. He painted people from the street, restaurants or clubs; mostly in a semi-realistic manner yet some contorted or unrecognizable. With predominately primary colors and surrealistic composition, he adopted an unorthodox approach with no traditional lineage attached. Like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the Post-impressionist master of the 19th century, Chan wanted to present his surroundings - the bohemian lifestyle once defined the artistic class.

Wong Yeeki is the latest proponent in this colorful genre. Her 2011 exhibition Escape gave the first glimpse of her whimsical interpretation of reality. Centered heavily on narratives, it was the artist's character display revealing her charm as a young artist. Traces of the Floating World in 2014 featured her discoveries from research from the MFA thesis on the Chinese brush lines, bai-miao. Academic and methodical, the works were clearly mature demonstrations of an enlightened mind. The Song of Songs series, particularly, gave the audience simple yet complex composition derived solely from lines.

 

Traces of the Floating World 杳．跡 2014

The Song of songs 九歌淘 ( A Set of 4), Ink on paper, 129.5cm(W) X 66cm(H) (each)

The Song of songs 九歌淘 ( A Set of 4), Ink on paper, 129.5cm(W) X 66cm(H) (each)

Traces of the Floating World 2014

Venue: Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong

Exhibition Period: 13 Mar - 14 Apr 2014

The Chinese painting technique baimiao (plain-outline) produces a finely controlled, supple ink line drawing without color or wash embellishment. It is commonly used in traditional figure  painting for its precise descriptive function. To the ordinary baimiao painter, the predominant concern is to use lines to define and describe the subject matter. For a more gifted painter, he is able to add feelings and emotions through the undulation, intensity and tonal variation of his lines. To the classical masters such as Wu Daozi and Li Gonglin, however, the usage of line is beyond mere technical repertoire. Baimiao is above all a philosophical concept.   

 Hong Kong artist Wong Yeeki is one of the few ink painters working primarily in the baimiao genre. Moving away from colorful works since her 2011 exhibition, Wong has successfully developed a new individual expression in the most abbreviated manner. Her comparative studies in the relationship between Western sketches and Chinese biamiao led to her discovery of the essence of the Chinese genre – Zen drawing. In biamiao , the act of tracing the line is in itself meditative. It forces the artist to abolish all mundane thoughts and expectations. What precedes is as unimportant as what follows. One must focus on the present moment with maximum concentration. It is a process-oriented technique that produces unexpected results.

For Wong, the resulting works are juxtaposition of ancient ideals and contemporary anecdotes. She traces the composition of ancient paintings then paints over them with new motifs from her imaginary world. The overlapping lines create visual confusion. It requires the audience to look between and beyond the lines to “find” the logical scene. Sometimes coherence and at times chaotic, Wong's painting presents a new dynamic composition that is manipulative and meditative. Like the artist's creative process, the audience must focus on one point at a time, proceeding with utmost concentration.

 By tracing the compositions of ancient anonymous painting, Wong Yeeki attempts to give new life and recognition to these works. Rather than simply filling in the gaps with new motifs, Wong introduces a new method of perception to her works. Most importantly, in addition to the technical merits of biamiao, Wong brings forth the philosophical essence of the genre.

 

Henry Au-yeung

February 13, 2014

Escape 逃 2011

 

Escape 逃 2011

Venue: Grotto Fine Art, Central, Hong Kong

Exhibition Period: 12 Oct 2011 - 10 Nov 2011

Among contemporary ink painters in Hong Kong, Wong Yee-ki stands out as a surrealist grounded in traditional repertoire. Her fantastic landscapes and images present her inner world and reflect our collective mundane experiences. Wong's paintings are predominately colorful compositions. A wide range of hues mixed with mineral pigment, sporadic use of splash ink, and meticulous contours combined to form overlapping layers of translucent forms. Motifs inspired by comic book and daily lives pay specific tributes to nature; yet through metaphoric and allegorical manipulations, the artist expresses profound messages concerning vanity, insecurity and spiritual refuge.

In this materialistic and often stereotypical society, people become vulnerable without a distinct and clear sense of identity. Wong Yee-ki's painting explores the notion of this collective urban dilemma.

Her bizarre and fantastic images challenge our sensory perception with fear and anxiety. The artist's apparent playful composition marks as stark contrast to the solemn atmosphere. By combining different objects or animals with human faces and expressions, Wong presents a group of loaded metaphors and motifs as in a children story book. However, these are non-organic icons. Our emotional attachments become nothing more than surrealistic symbols. Deliberately dislocating and obscuring common sense, Wong Yee-ki cleverly addresses the present generation's reliance on material indulgence and false sense of security. The irony is, albeit bizarre and surreal, we often found ourselves sharing this collective sentiment and self-reference.

Henry Au-yeung

September 2011



 

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