Gourmet Art - Art HK 12 X Mandarin Oriental
It is May again, which means everyone in Hong Kong is getting their annual art fix at Art HK 12 and Le French May! I can just feel our city buzzing with activity and excitement. I don’t know about you, but I am completely OD-ing on art this week, since I managed to cram several art events in my schedule before leaving for an exotic holiday in Mauritius.
After catching the rather entertaining production of Bizet’s Carmen with the girls, I moved onto finding out more about Mandarin Oriental’s input for Art HK 12. As the designated hotel for Art HK, they sure have got an uber creative art-inspired menu by chef Uwe Opocensky at the Mandarin Grill Bar, which is topped off with a fantastic art installation exhibition by Tang Kwok-hin at the Clipper Lounge, and an assortment of special Art HK 12 cocktails at the M Bar!
As one of Hong Kong’s best known young contemporary artists, Tang Kwok Hin is increasingly gaining attention in the international art scene. On last Monday, 14 May 2012, I was lucky enough to be invited to Mandarin Oriental for indulging in their luxurious tea experience at the classic Clipper Lounge with the artist himself, as he gave us a detailed tour through his latest collection, I call you Nancy.
Nancy is actually Hin’s fictitious sister, and the exhibition is like taking our childhood imaginary friend to the extreme. For the theme of this collection, he was inspired by his mother, who gave up a daughter 25 years ago, and the collection tells the story of what he imagines her life to be like. The collages are amazingly detailed, and it leaves us wondering what their life together would have been otherwise. Hin used 4 layers of glass for each collage, placing different cutouts on each layer to create a sense of depth. Each cutout had to be measured before printing so that they would fit together, making each piece incredibly intricate.
One of the most touching pieces was the video of Hin’s mother looking through a photo album of filled with Nancy. You could really feel her longing for the child she never knew of as she slowly flipped through the pages. The album is actually a collage of photographs you would get from Google images when you search for the word Nancy. Hin incorporates googling quite heavily into his creative process because the fact that anyone anywhere inputting the same word would get the same search results really fascinates him.
As you walk through the displays, you will catch glimpses of Nancy's daily life, from her desk and computer, with her screen showing a Google image search, to her stamp collection, to her working life, and ultimately to her dreams and aspirations.
As Hin was creating his collages, he realized that he was slowly merging his own personality with Nancy's. Bits and pieces of him appeared in the collages too, including pictures of his own childhood toys.
I really love how personal the collection is, I could tell that Hin gave much thought into what was to be included, and every cutout had its reasons to be there. The whole collection is very cohesive, since the pieces are all interconnected. If you paid enough attention, you will even notice that the names on the map of his fictitious world correspond to the photos of places that Nancy had visited. The whole installation is a journey; you can’t just look at one part of it without referencing upon the other pieces.
While Hin was admiring one of his favorites in the collection - a collage depicting 24 different Nancys, I was sampling the perfect combo: art dessert. Cakes from the Clipper Lounge's classic tea set inspired by Hin's art include the American cheese cake, the chocolate ganache, and the layered coffee butter cream cake. And don't forget to try their scones with the renowned rose petal jam. Hin's I Call You Nancy will be displayed at the Clipper Lounge from now until Saturday, 26 May 2012. Definitely worth checking out!
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