Giraffe Leung / Jay Lau
“Reality but Virtual”
The exhibition, titled "Reality but Virtual," features Hong Kong artists Giraffe Leung Lok Hei and Jay Lau Ka Chun, who utilize coins and prints as their canvases, respectively, employing fragments of Hong Kong's history as a medium to collaboratively create virtual scenes constructed from reality, showcasing a frame of “Hong Kong” in a parallel time and space. Under the overarching theme, the artists establish several key elements within their works: "authentic historical context," "virtual historical relic," and "visuals that could be true or false."
The thematic highlights of the exhibition are Leung's Long Live and Lau's JC202501_fragment01, both of which reference a historical photograph depicting the Hong Kong Hilton Hotel (currently Cheung Kong Group Center) and the Bank of China Tower from the 1960s . This photograph captures the coexistence of Chinese and British commerce, architecture, and culture in Hong Kong during a bygone era; viewed from a contemporary perspective, this past time appears dreamlike, resonating with the exhibition's theme.
Leung's work represents his most significant “Coins” series, wherein he employs chemical reactions to oxidize and darken certain coins, thereby assembling a landscape of Hong Kong. In Long Live, the once ubiquitous two cent coins - now nearly abandoned in daily life - constitute the canvas of the artwork. As lighting shifts, the piece emits a muted copper luster, further enhanced by the mold stains at its base, resembling an old photograph that has been sealed away and is gradually fading. Similarly, Lau adopts the concept of "pseudo-artifacts," first creating silicone molds from carved wooden blocks, then pouring concrete into these molds to "reproduce" the etched wooden blocks. The final touch involves manually adding scratches, resulting in works that resemble stone tablets. These "pseudo-artifacts" are adorned with collages of various historical photographs, creating virtual historical images. For instance, in JC202501_fragment01, alongside images of Central from the 1960s, collaged above are images from the 1997 handover ceremony of Hong Kong.
Giraffe Leung 梁洛熙
Born in 1993, Hong Kong
Giraffe Leung Lok Hei holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His artistic practice is deeply rooted in the exploration of local Hong Kong culture, architecture, and urban development. The artist's subtle observations of everyday life in Hong Kong and reflections on "normalcy" render his work an experience that invites the audience to rethink their personal identity and imagination towards Hong Kong. Leung’s flexible use of various media, combined with his emotional projections, creates a distinct artistic language. By employing a range of materials, his works navigate the ambiguity between the seen and the unseen, guiding the audience to re-experience aspects of society that should be recognized yet are often taken for granted and overlooked.
In recent years, the artist has continued to use everyday found objects as a medium for creation, responding to the absurdities of society through art in the rapidly changing and unsettling daily life. In documenting the abnormalities of the present, Leung brings art to the streets, encouraging the public to reflect on the power dynamics between their surroundings and bodily politics.
In his most significant series, "Coins — Memories of Hong Kong," the artist prominently features Hong Kong coins. By employing various chemical techniques to alter the coins' surfaces, Leung creates evocative representations of both currently exists and lost scenes from Hong Kong.
This body of work not only reflects his personal memories of his home city but also addresses the broader theme of the inevitable evolution of urban identity. Utilizing tens of thousands of coins as a fundamental component of his visual narrative, Leung underscores the intricate relationship between his art and the socio-cultural shifts occurring in Hong Kong.
Jay Lau 劉家俊
Born in 1997, Hong Kong. Currently live and work in Hong Kong.
Lau obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019 and 2023 respectively. He also received the Hong Kong Fine Print award from Hong Kong Open Printshop in 2019. Lau’s artistic practice focuses on exploring mechanical reproduction techniques such as printmaking, photography, and mold making, and how they are used to create and recreate images. He utilizes the techniques involved in image production to combine various materials, images, and media, emphasizing the physical characteristics and cultural content of the materials. This enriches the meaning and malleability of the images.
Lau’s artistic creations transcend the simplistic categorization of "prints" or "sculptures"; he delves into the possibilities of materiality and the reimagining of images through these techniques. His works may manifest as prints, woodcut sculptures in the format of Matrix, secondary creations produced from the Matrix, or merely as components of an installation. For instance, in the current exhibition, the artist uses silicone to create a mold from a carved woodblock, subsequently pouring cement into the silicone mold to produce a cement "stela" that replicates the pre-existing woodblock engraving.
Installation View
