Artist Statement -

 

Dictation is an act of learning in school that we are all familiar with ever since we are a child. It requires a person to carefully reproduce the original from memory with the intention of improving our basic skill of reading and writing. It prove one can spell and remember, but it does not mean one necessarily understands the meaning of the words or the use them. 

 

Culture is rooted in a history of habits, values and ways of thinking. We live our everyday lives based on this culture. We follow the norm and our culture to create our identity. Our lifestyle, the way we think and idea of value are dictated to us by culture. To understand our identity, we often rely on studying our ancestry and mistake that for our own history without understanding how it relates to us as an individual. In times, we use our cultural references for granted and stereotype others.

 

Could we exist without our cultural ancestry? How do we find a balance between our individuality and our shared identity?

Hong Kong born and raised Chinese Artist Joe Joe Ngai shares his view on the subject through the series of pencil drawings based on traditional ink painting.

 

背默,是我們自幼年學習階段已熟練的學習模式,我們需牢記原文然後將其再現,從而提高讀寫的的基本技巧。背默能顯示拼寫及記憶能力，卻不能有效地反映對文字的理解或應用能力。

文化,植根於習俗、價值觀及思維方式的歷史,我們的日常生活都建構於文化。我們從規範和本地文化建立身份認同,乃至我們的生活方式、思路和價值權衡,大部分都從我們的文化中「背默」而來。在探討身份認同的過程中,我們常習讀前人的歷史及過失，有時卻未盡理解這些事件與我們自身的關係。久而久之,我們將文化看成理所當然的事,並將他人歸納為文化下的刻板印象。

我們可否不活於前人文化的柳蔭下?我們如何在個體性及文化共同體中找到平衡?土生土長的香港藝術家Joe Joe Ngai,以鉛筆畫系列,將中國傳統水墨畫再現,闡述他對主題的觀點。

 

KaleidosManic - An Exhibition of Fragmented Proportions

July 14, 2011 - August 6, 2011

Voxfire Gallery is excited to present KaleidosManic, a mixed media collage exhibit by artist Ko Tak Kit. 

Opening reception party will be held on Thursday July 14 from 6pm - 9pm. 

Come and see modern day HK through the artist's kaleidoscopic lenses.

Artist Statement:

Creativity and joy can be found in the most unlikely of places, including piles of old newspaper and stacks of worn magazines. In them I have discovered a fascinating medium that is not only dynamic and vibrant, but whose contents can be wildly shuffled and redefined to ignite new ideas and fresh perspectives. This made me put my love of pastel painting and ceramic making aside, as I found myself immersed in the words and images of modern day newspapers and magazines, weaving endless layers of colorful stories in the form of collages. 

With no particular topic in mind, I dive into each collage piece by letting my mind, my eyes, and my fingers wander freely. The result is each work following a unique destiny, peppered with both joy and sorry, unconsciously reflecting on inter personal relationships and the world we live in.

 

Among the Lambs Clothed in White

Artists:  Rebearth X NML

Show Dates: April 29 – May 28, 2011

Among the Lambs Clothed in White is a collaborative art exhibit featuring NML, a rising visual artist, illustrator and winner of Perspective Magazine’s “40 under 40” emerging artist award, and Rebearth, a dynamic music artist and lyricist.

ALCW will feature paintings combined with unique musical track and poetry to tell the fantastical journey of a young girl’s adventures in self-discovery as she seeks purpose, meaning, and ultimate “holy grail” called Happiness.  

            

      

As part of the exhibit, the gallery space will be transformed into a magical surrounding with sculptures and lighting installations.

Visitors will be given a music player to listen to excerpts of the music as they enjoy the series of fantastic paintings and lyrical poetry.

About the Artists:

NML – A rising visual artist, painter and illustrator, NML’s work simultaneously stretches our imagination and invites us to discover truths in ourselves as well as the world we live in.

Rebearth – A composer and a poet/MC, Rebearth’s eclectic style reflects negativity to reveal positive energy, taking his listeners on a captivating musical excursion and self-exploration.

We are super excited to be participating in this year's HK Artwalk, which will be held on March 16th from 5:00pm - 12:00am!  It's for a good cause so grab your tickets and stop by our gallery that night for wine and munchies and sexy artwork.  See below for more info:

 

Hong Kong ArtWalk 2011 Background Information

Hong Kong ArtWalk is a one-night event that raises money for charity by selling tickets (HK$450 adults and HK$150 tertiary students) to the public. ArtWalk 2011 will be held on Wednesday 16th of March 2011 between 5pm to 12midnight and ticket-holders enter each participating gallery to view art, drink wine provided by galleries and eat snacks provided by ArtWalk’s restaurant sponsors.

A charitable donation is made from the sale of ArtWalk tickets to a selected Hong Kong charity. Over the past few years the benefiting charity has been the Society for Community Organization (SoCO) – SoCO will again be the benefiting charity for ArtWalk 2011 and last year received HK$428,000 in donations from ArtWalk. For information about SoCO please see: www.soco.org.hk

ArtWalk 2011 is the eleventh year that ArtWalk has been held and this year will involve the participation of 65 galleries. The first ArtWalk (in 2001) involved ten galleries and last year we had 63 galleries, 60 restaurant sponsors and sold about 1,400 tickets. Since its inception, ArtWalk has distributed charitable donations totalling HK $5 million to Hong Kong charities.

For more information on participating galleries and ticket sales: http://www.hongkongartwalk.com/2011/ 

Sunday Night Movie: Oscar Nominated "Exit Through the Gift Shop"

 

Spend your Sunday night with fellow art lovers! :D

Voxfire Gallery will be screening this year's Oscar nominated film "EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP" by the legendary and notoriously reclusive street artist Banksy on Sunday Feb 27, the night before the OSCARS.

"EXIT" explores the wildly bizarre world of street art, and the ambition of an individual looking for (and finding??) overnight super-stardom in the art world.

New York Times gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Rotten Tomato gave it 5 stars!

Film Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2018051097/

★ ☆★ ☆★ 

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Sunday Feb 27
Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Cost: $25 / pp to cover expenses
Drinks and light snacks will be provided.


LOCAL ARTISTS HEAT UP FOR VALENTINE’S EXHIBITION BENEFITING THE HONG KONG AIDS FOUNDATION

 

 

HONG KONG, CHINA, January 24, 2011 – Voxfire Gallery is pleased to present a provocative show for the upcoming ‘month of love’.  Heat – an Exploration of Sex in Relationships is a multi-format art exhibition that pushes boundaries and challenges the creative output of 8 diverse emerging Hong Kong artists.  Their works of art will be showcased in mediums including paintings, drawings, digital artwork, photography and installation.  For the duration of the show, portions of proceeds from art sold will benefit the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation for work on HIV prevention.

The Heatexhibit explores sex a subject matter often idealized in today’s popular culture.  Films, television, and music have catapulted sex to a near holy-grail status in this society.  But have these fantasies and idealization of sex made us more open to the subject of sexuality in our personal lives?  Or have they actually made us become more self-conscious and timid about sex?  And how has this impacted the close interpersonal relationships we have with people in our lives?  These 8 diverse artists will explore the subject of sex through their unique perspectives and voices. From the humorous to the intimidating, from the romantic to the sensual, each artist boldly tackle the subject head on, getting the audience to think, feel, and most importantly, talk about sex.

Opening reception: Friday, February 11, 2011 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Show dates: February 12 to March 19, 2011. 

Participating Hong Kong based Artists:

JJ Ngai: Artist curator for Heat.  City and Guilds of London Art School

No Matt’s Land (NML):Art Institute of California and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  Winner top “40 under 40” art award from Perspective Magazine

Yolanda Yeung:CUHK Fine Arts and past winner of Philippe Charriol Foundation award

Sonya Fu:Modernist digital artist inspired by dreams, psychology and emotions

Norm Yip:Fame photographer and abstract painter. Owner of Norm Yip photography and cofounder of Meli-Melo Artists Alliance (MMAA).  Celebrity photographer for Jennifer Lopez, Rain, and Zhang Yimou among others.

Lau Wai:Goldsmith College University of London fine arts.  First prize Small Pictures Exhibition, Salisbury Arts Centre, UK.

Florian Ma:  Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. LVMH Young Artist Award.  Solo exhibition “Gene” currently at K11 Art Space, Hong Kong.

Nicola Wat:Emerging fashion designer and artist

Nelson Chan: Visual artist and film maker

Local Voices

Show dates: 6/12/2010 – 21/1/2011
Opening Reception
Date:
Sunday December 5, 2010
Time:
5:00pm – 8:00pm

LOCAL VOICES will feature three Hong Kong based artists spanning three generations, each sharing personal stories through their distinct and innovative works of art.

Using mixed media approaches, each artist explores issues of identity and societal conflicts in our fast-paced metropolis.

Come with an open mind and maybe you'll leave with a fresh perspective. Wine and light refreshments will be served. So come and unwind with us on Sunday December 5th from 5:00pm – 8:00pm.

Local Voices