12 Flowers Heroes
Highlight of the Month - Eunice Cheung Wai Man
2021.09.05 - 2021.10.03
Touch Gallery sincerely invites Hong Kong "new gongbi" artist Eunice CHEUNG Wai Man to present the "12 Flower Heroes - Eunice Cheung Wai Man New Gongbi Ink Art Solo Exhibition" from 5 September to 3 October. Based on the Twelve Flower Deities in classical themes and the exquisite and elegant traditional gongbi painting techniques, she reinterpreted them with contemporary surreal aesthetics, transforming the international stars on the screen into anthropomorphic animals! What kind of sparks will it also bring when new gongbi painting meets Canton porcelain?
As time goes by, flowers keep impressing people with their timeless beauty in different posture and appearance, which inspire numerous fascination and imagination. Since ancient times, literati have used flowers to create poems, and even imagined twelve flower deities of each month as their creative themes. The image of the Twelve Flower Deities changed with time. In ancient times, there were flower deities such as Tao Yuanming and Su Shi. Although not complimented for how handsome they were, they showed excellence in arts and literature, while known for their moral virtues as gentlemen.
In this generation, there are also "male gods" who shine on the stage of performing arts, and have accompanied many of us for years of youth. Growing up in Hong Kong, where Chinese and Western cultures converge, our favourite male gods come from various countries. With the theme of the twelve flower deities, Eunice pays tribute to the twelve male superstars who are brilliant for their both on-screen and off-scene images. From local stars Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung, to Korean actor Hyun Bin and Japanese idol Takuya Kimura, they will "appear" on paper and meet you at the exhibition! In the paintings exhibited this time, Eunice continued the delicate and elegant brushwork of gongbi painting, using anthropomorphic animals and the characteristics of different cultures and times to tell the stories of twelve contemporary flower heroes. It not only evokes reflection about the inseparable connection between humans and animals, but also demonstrates her care for humanity and nature. Her soft, lively, humorous and sophisticated style of artistic creation, also indicates the diverse vitality of contemporary gongbi painting. In addition, she incorporates Canton porcelain's unique aesthetics and compositional features that combine Eastern and Western artistic concepts into her new gongbi paintings, so as to contain our collective memories.
Let these unforgettable legends and classic characters bring you a touch of tenderness as life goes on.