In Wonderland
Sim Chan, Apple Cheng, Alex Heung, Dave Ho, Tobe Kan, Kitty Kong, Hanison Lau, Lau Kam Hung, Lulu Ngie
2023.02.14 - 2023.03.11
Exhibition Statement
A whimsical, magical and unclassifiable work of literature might better describe "Alice in Wonderland" than simply a fairy tale. This psychedelic fantasy explores the open narrative of fairy tales, conjuring illusionary dreams of sleepwalking during the daytime, while unveiling the peculiarities of adult life. This is perfectly echoed in contemporary art as well, which marries the bizarre with the worldly.
Rabbit Hole
The dark is where impossible things happen, but it is also the place where imaginations glint.
Take a plunge into the mysterious rabbit hole with Sim Chan and Apple Cheng, and let go of your habits. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to explore the realm between familiarity and strangeness? The city and the dreams are tucked away in a cave as Sim Chan flits between day and night. He illuminates the evening lights during the day, but sleepwalks in the afternoon, pondering his "déjà vu". As a messenger between the real and virtual worlds, Apple Cheng travels in the parallel universe. Despite capturing human melancholy, her cartoon characters always inspire hope. Everything here is inexplicable, as it should be.
Selected Works:
Forest
There is no need for logic or sensibility here. As we celebrate the wonders of life, you will discover that irrational events are more common than you think. Plants with artificial embellishments promise vitality and nature; everyone in the garden joins in the masquerade, while forest animals play along to blend in. It is a waltz between plants, humans, and animals...
Tobe Kan is a restless gardener. She sometimes fertilises her plants with blue, so they sprout between good and evil under moonlight and dance to music. Lulu Ngie depicts ambiguous human forms that drift in and out of action unconsciously. Despite the absence of a body, the facial expression continues to exist. It is as if the painted figures are losing their gravity as they dance along the lines. Alex Heung, as the animal trainer, has no idea that the creatures are forest pixies. They spill messages from the gods when drunk.
Selected Works:
Garden
The reality is full of tensions and conflicts entangled in relationships. Forests, cities, and norms embody how humans and nature can coexist - those who fail to obey the rules of nature will be exterminated.
Lau Kam Hong plants with devotion. By cultivating trees into wood, he spreads their roots across the land. As he looks after the plants, he believes they speak a language of their own. Hanison Lau and Dave Ho construct the city and chamber using trees as building materials; As a way to compensate for his loss, Hanison Lau revives the castle in the sky with the lives of the trees, which becomes a gift for the future. There is a chamber in which guardian Dave Ho keeps the secrets of the city, but the chamber itself is already a secret. The sleepwalking Kitty Kong wanders between forests and cities. A witness to the story, she glides through the narrow streets of the city and darts through the forest like a breeze.
Selected Works:
