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South China Morning Post
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How culture, politics and people inspire this Hong Kong artist
Artist Chow Chun-fai first became aware of journalist Sharon Cheung Po-wah from her 2000 interaction with the then Chinese president Jiang Zemin . During a press conference in Beijing, when Cheung quizzed Jiang over the endorsement of Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa for a second term, the Chinese leader famously berated her, calling her questioning, as a journalist, 'too simple, sometimes naive'. It is a moment that has since achieved meme status with the Hong Kong public, both in journalism circles and beyond. Advertisement 'It's not just how Cheung was bold enough to ask the question, but also that the leaders revealed their true emotions,' says Chow. 'I don't know if that was my first encounter with her, but it definitely was the most memorable.' Over the past two decades, Chow, 45, has built a reputation as a quintessentially Hong Kong artist. A graduate of Chinese University's Department of Fine Arts, he is best known for his ongoing series 'Painting on Movies' , depicting scenes from films that often uncannily reflect public sentiment. One of his most recognised works, from 2007, features a still from Infernal Affairs (2002), with Tony Leung Chiu-wai's character stating, 'I want my identity back' – an allusion to the then nascent struggles of Hongkongers' relationship with their hometown. One of Chow Chun-fai's most recognised works is based on a scene from the film Infernal Affairs for his series Painting on Movies. Photo: courtesy SC Gallery Chow has also drawn on his experience as a taxi driver, having inherited his father's taxi licence when he was still in school. In recent years, he's been taking inspiration from the political upheaval of 2019 for his series 'Portraits from Behind', and has depicted lost street corners and cultural landmarks in his 'Map of Amnesia' exhibition Cheung, formerly of the South China Morning Post and Cable TV, left her trade during the pandemic and studied for an arts degree, initially seeing it as a way to indulge her interest in drawing. But when artist and educator Kurt Chan Yuk-keung complimented her on her curatorial skills, she parlayed her passion into promoting local artists who could benefit from her background in marketing and journalism. In 2022, she founded SC Gallery, in Wong Chuk Hang, and has since put on a slew of group and solo exhibitions, working with artists such as Gum Cheng Yee-man, Oscar Chan Yik-long and Cheng Ting Ting. For 'Interview the Interviewer II', a series of paintings that will be on display at Art Basel Hong Kong's Insights sector, Chow assumes the role of the interviewer, drawing from materials accumulated by Cheung during her time as a political reporter, to interpret and re-present recent Hong Kong history through the lens of someone on the front lines of important moments in the city. Chow Chun-fai's painting of a still from news footage showing a 1999 meeting between US president Bill Clinton and premier Zhu Rongji, subtitled 'I love American people, thank you.' Photo: courtesy SC Gallery Among the works is a still from news footage that shows a 1999 meeting between former United States president Bill Clinton and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, subtitled I love American people, thank you. Given where Sino-US relations stand today, it recalls a simpler geopolitical era, one near-unimaginable today.
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Show at Art Basel Hong Kong Revisits History to Interpret Today
As he pored over old news archives, the painter Chow Chun Fai was trying to work out what could be said about a transformed Hong Kong. His exhibition, 'Interview the Interviewer II,' is the second installment in several years of collaboration with Sharon Cheung, a former television journalist, who covered diplomatic news from 1995 to 2004 before setting up her namesake art space, SC Gallery. It will be displayed in March in the Insight sector at Art Basel Hong Kong. The exhibition revisits scenes of her reporting, from the White House lawn to a Harvard auditorium where Chinese leaders gave speeches. It also includes the official moment when Hong Kong was handed over to China from the British. The paintings re-examine Hong Kong's tumultuous political transformation in recent years, and as it finds itself increasingly caught in the middle of tense U.S.-China relations. The exhibition revisits scenes of Cheung's reporting, including the White House lawn. Credit... Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times 'Looking to history does not necessarily provide a clear answer, but it gives people an opportunity to reinterpret memory,' said Chris Wan Feng, the curator of the exhibition. 'Art can help us understand from a more personal point of view, rather than an institutional one.' Cheung's journalism career began before Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997. Over the next decade, she traveled the world covering diplomatic news. Locally, she gained fame as the Hong Kong reporter whose dogged questioning so annoyed the former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, that he rebuked her as 'too simple, sometimes naïve' in an extended rant captured on the air. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
South China Morning Post
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, March 7-9, such as guided meditation
With early March bringing a chilly touch and the promise of a rainy weekend to Hong Kong, it may be tempting to throw your plans out of the window and stay at home. Advertisement However, the city offers a mix of cosy and engaging activities this weekend to draw you outside – head to a gallery for a thought-provoking art exhibition, celebrate International Women's Day with empowering cocktail creations, or watch a science fiction film from an Oscar-winning director. Though the skies may be grey, we hope our suggestions for a fulfilling weekend provide a silver lining. 1. Adrian Wong X Doris Wong: The Trivial Sublime Two artists take the meaning of life and the act of caring for yourself and others as starting points for their joint exhibition at SC Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang, on Hong Kong Island. Doris Wong Wai-yin , an art historian and multimedia artist, is showing work created through 'Pastel Nagomi Art' – a type of healing art that forces slow, focused creation to relax and de-stress. Her works make references to art history and explore themes of motherhood and nurture. Meanwhile, Adrian Wong combines his deadpan humour with the stress of juggling multiple roles as father, professor and artist in his works, which are inspired by his interactions with his children. Advertisement Adrian Wong X Doris Wong: The Trivial Sublime, SC Gallery, 1902, Sungib Industrial Centre, 53 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Tuesday-Saturday, 11.30am-6.30pm. Until April 5.
