CHOW CHUN FAI
Map Of Amnesia
Hong Kong Central Space
September 13 - October 15, 2024
Tang Contemporary Art is delighted to announce Hong Kong artist Chow Chun Fai’s solo exhibition “Map of Amnesia,” which will be held at the the Central HQueen’s space from 13 Sep to 15 Oct. Encompassing works that perpetuate the artist’s practice of portraying Hong Kong’s memories and cinematography, presented are historic locations like the Mahjong House at Portland Street, Man Mo Temple, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Mido Café, and Lin Heung Tea House. Meanwhile, cinema classics like As Tears Go By 旺角卡門, A Moment of Romance 天若有情, Comrades: Almost a Love Story 甜蜜蜜, City War 義膽紅唇, Infernal Affairs 無間道, and The Lucky Guy 行運 一條龍 are also featured in the exhibition.
Created specifically for this exhibition, Chow’s latest canvas paintings are based on his photography done over the last 20 years when wandering around the city streets of Hong Kong. From there, Chow echoed his paintings with how Hong Kong films would depict particular scenes at particular times, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the collective memory in a romantic urbanity of the past, breaking the framework of time and expressing the artist's thoughts and feelings about these locations over the past several to tens of years.
This exhibition will also feature a large-scale six-panel work titled "Chicken and Duck Talk 1988 at Tai Po Man Mo Temple”. The unique aspect of the artist's collage work is that each panel has an independent figure within it, which also reflects the artist's persistence in the work. The 14 brand new works on display capture many disappearing locations, overlapping impressions that are familiar to Hong Kongers and even tourists, in order to evoke the audience's resonance and collective memories of the city. Each work contains countless details, from the fading neon lights, window grilles, and scaffolding, to every brick and tile, all of which are worth savoring.
In one of Chow’s latest works 1988 City War at the Carpark of Star Ferry Pier, we see the two protagonists Chow Yun-fat and Tik Lung confronting each other on the top storey of the carpark at Star Ferry Pier. The Bank of China Tower, which was still under construction at the time, could be seen in the background. It is the significance these two structures – the Star Ferry Pier and the Bank of China Tower – possess that intrigues Chow, of which both are indispensable to Hong Kong’s collective memory.
EXHIBITING WORKS
Chow Chun Fai The Lucky Guy 1998 at Lucky Café Acrylic on canvas 152 x 100 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai Infernal Affairs 2002 on Ap Liu Street Acrylic on canvas 100 × 180 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai The Longest Summer 1998 at Lin Heung Tea House Oil on canvas 122 × 244 cm 2024 |
---|---|---|
Chow Chun Fai City War 1988 at Star Ferry Multi-storey Car Park Acrylic on canvas 152 × 100 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai Comrades: Almost a Love Story 1996 in Kowloon King George V Memorial Park Acrylic on canvas 150 × 200cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai As Tears Go By 1988 at Mahjong School Portland Street Acrylic on canvas 166 × 200 cm 2024 |
Chow Chun Fai Chicken and Duck Talk 1988 at Tai Po Man Mo Temple Acrylic on canvas 180 × 600 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai A Moment of Romance 1990 on Connaught Road Central 2014 Oil on canvas 71 × 203 cm 2014 - 2024 | Chow Chun Fai A Moment of Romance 1990 on Granville Road Acrylic on canvas 150 × 100 cm 2024 |
Chow Chun Fai Hong Kong Museum of Art 2014 Oil on canvas 150 × 300 cm 2014 - 2024 | Chow Chun Fai As Tears Go By 1988 in Yau Ma Tei Theatre and Fruit Market Acrylic on canvas 45 × 91 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai As Tears Go By 1988 in Yau Ma Tei Theatre Acrylic on canvas 50 × 60 cm 2024 |
Chow Chun Fai He's a Woman She's a Man 1994 at Fringe Club Acrylic on canvas 43 × 60 cm 2024 | Chow Chun Fai All About Ah Long 1989 at Shatin Inn Restaurant Acrylic on canvas 50 × 60 cm 2024 |
ARTIST
CHOW CHUN FAI
b. 1980, Hong Kong SAR
Chow Chun Fai graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Department of Fine Arts (BA and MFA). In 2012 he ran in the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections, for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication constituency. Most recently his work has been featured in the following exhibitions: “Chow Chun Fai Solo Exhibition: Interview the Interviewer” (SC Gallery, Hong Kong, 2023); “Chow Chun Fai & Stephen Wong Chun Hei Duo Exhibition – A Mirage of a Shining City” (Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, 2023); “Portrait From Behind” (Gallery Exit, Hong Kong, 2020); “Chow Chun Fai” (Eli Klein Gallery, New York, 2018); “Everything Comes With an Expiry Date” (Klein Sun Gallery, New York, 2016); “Venice Meeting Point” (Venice Biennale, 2015); “Hong Kong Eye” (Saatchi Gallery, London, 2012), the “Liverpool Biennial” (Liverpool, 2012).
Chow is the recipient of the Grand Prize of the Hong Kong Arts Centre 30th Anniversary Awards, and the Sovereign Asian Art Prize.