One Person, Two Systems
The Hong Kong Artist Whose Cultural References Derive From His Upbringing Under Two Systems – Ng Lung Wai
As with many Hong Kongers from the 1970s of Chinese ethnic descent, there is a split dichotomy in identity that shapes how they define themselves. Born and raised in Hong Kong before the return of mainland rule, Ng Lung Wai says culturally he feels “Chinese” despite the inevitable influence drawn from a hybrid lifestyle that was not uncommon among his generation in Hong Kong, a generation that grew up to know Hong Kong as the British Colonial, City State.
In his latest solo exhibition “One person – Two systems” a reflection of Ng’s cultural identity, the artist once again invokes indicative and iconic portraits. He is a visual artist very much influenced by western eugenics and in this exhibition, he works with a new range of materials, which juxtapose cultural references recalling the Hong Kong artist’s observations of the developing state.
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It is with these creations, portraits in culturally symbolic hues of red and blue, that we see eastern and western tools of artistic creation, or the familiar objects representative of war strategy games, such as Western and Asian Chess Pieces, Chinese ink brushes and oil paintbrushes becoming the points or pixels, which form the timeless iconic faces of the late Chairman Mao Zedong and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the two leaders of the East and West in the 1970s. In 1971, the year Ng was born, during the reign of these ruling figureheads, Ng confidently venerates two of the most influential and important individuals in recent history.
Exhibition Information
Open to Public
Venue: A2Z Gallery Hong Kong, 20 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong
Exhibition period:
Opening Ceremony at 6 pm to 8 pm on March 24, 2018
1 pm to 9 pm from March 29 to April 21, 2018
In addition to the artwork mentioned above, the artist will demonstrate to visitors
the Virtual Reality that he created with the Shadow Factory. Ng used himself as a starting point to construct an interactive and three-dimensional self-portrait.