The Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) will launch three new "Oi! Spotlight" exhibitions from tomorrow (March 22), featuring artists Toyofuku Ryo, Phoebe Hui and Adrian Wong, which will turn Oi! Glassie and the Oi! Warehouses into unique art spaces. The exhibitions are part of an annual flagship project.
Renowned Japanese contemporary artist Toyofuku will hold his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. "The Golden Realm by Toyofuku Ryo" exhibition presents two large-scale installations at the two-storey Oi! Glassie. Surrounding the "Golden Tearoom" is a floor covered with white gravel, which is reminiscent of a traditional Japanese karesansui (dry garden) and forms a tranquil space. Aglow with golden brilliance, the interior of the tea room is decorated with 213 paintings created by the artist, including a tram, a fire dragon, a seafood stall, a cucumber growing in Oi! and the artist's favorite Hong Kong delicacies barbecued pork, pineapple bun and roast goose, depicting motifs that he has encountered in Hong Kong. The "Golden Playroom" invites visitors to immerse themselves in the artist's created space, interact and engage with others through electronic and board games. Unified by the overarching theme of the Golden Realm, the two installations, which represent tranquility and interaction, offer visitors an immersive experience in a space infused with Japenese aesthetics and cross-regional cultural elements to contemplate everyday life from a distinctive perspective
Hong Kong artist Hui, dedicated to cross-media creation and research, transforms the Oi! Warehouse into a whimsical environment with a series of interactive installations blending art and technology at the "The Garden of Resemblances" exhibition. Drawing inspiration from the 16th century Western medical concept of the Doctrine of Signatures, Hui closely observes the similarities between human and plant forms, and combines organic elements with artificial mechanisms to create a nebulous state between reality and illusion. Playful artworks such as a ginseng that breathes, an onion with an eye, and a pomegranate with teeth, blur the boundaries between nature, technology, and imagination. Some of the interactive installations were inspired by plants at Oi!, such as the idea of the artwork "Pomegranate Myth is a Romantic Lie", which comes from the pomegranate flowers planted at Oi! garden. The green grass in the artwork "I Miss Him" echoes with the Oi! Lawn, as the artist also expresses her longing for her deceased relative.
Artist Wong, who is active on the international contemporary art scene, will launch his "With Love from Hong Kong" exhibition. Drawing inspiration from classic soap opera narratives, he has created two short videos of his grandmother's experience immigrating from Hong Kong to Chicago in the 1980's, combining it with dramatic scenes such as the Chinese fable of "hopping zombies" in a whimsical retelling. He also restages sets in the Oi! Warehouse, taking audiences on a journey through time and space back to the households and on-street cooked food stalls of the past. Wong has also developed a third video, weaving in distinctive community elements of Oi!. Collaborating with the community, Wong and audience members will co-create a "soap opera" that explores themes of love, cities and human connection.
Admission is free for all three exhibitions. "The Golden Realm by Toyofuku Ryo" will run from March 22 to August 17, while "The Garden of Resemblances" and "With Love from Hong Kong" will run from March 22 to August 31. The exhibitions are presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by Oi!. For programme details, please visit the website www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/oi_projects_and_programmes.html or call 2512 3000 for enquiries.
Follow this news feed: East Asia