3/F Cheng Ming Building, New Asia College, CUHK

This year, there are five graduates from the Master of Fine Arts program, with Margaret CHU Cheuk Wai, Joseph LEUNG Mong Sum, YANG Sue Yon, Monica On Yau TAI and TONG Kam Ting presenting their graduation exhibitions respectively.

Margaret CHU Cheuk Wai’s exhibition – “Gather and Scatter – Urban traces and Imagination” showcases the artist’s personal perspective on urban spaces. The phrase “Gather and Scatter” describes the ephemerality and short-lived nature of people, events and objects in the modern society. By examining the fragmentary traces in the city, the exhibition probes into those personal stories and memories across streets and lanes, ultimately tackles the idea of time, authenticity and imagination. The work uses contemporary sculpture and paintings to illustrate the urban experience of ‘time’ and ‘space’ in hope of reviewing the unique relationship developed between the city and its people.

Joseph LEUNG Mong Sum’s solo exhibition – “In Just a Moment”, centers around the poetic moments we encounter in our daily and contemporary lives. Through employing different artistic media such as photography, installation, porcelain and found objects, Leung probes into the nature of these poetic moments, ultimately reveals them as key to understanding our state of being and consoling our existential anxiety towards death.

In YANG Sue Yon’s exhibition – “Not To Be Outstripped” – Sue Yon focuses on humanity, especially on how human beings fears inevitable fate and finitude. The fear of mortality drives human beings to create taboo and superstitions related to death, and develop myths and beliefs on deified objects to glorify eternity. The artist would like to challenge this idea by breaking the superstitions and mythical beliefs, and reveal the futileness of human’s desire. Using various mediums from traditional silk painting to installation, Sue Yon would like to explore the domains of traditional painting by extrapolating traditional materials with contemporary expressions.

TONG Kam Ting tries to explore the helplessness and struggle of human beings when facing desires through painting-installations in the show “I wish I wish”. Following the use of Buddha images in last year’s solo exhibition, she will once again borrow images from religious paintings to express the powerlessness of humankind.

While Monica’s inspiration finds its roots in contemporary thinking, it revolves around micro shifts in human relationships and the understanding of the cognitive dissonance between our actions versus our intentions. It then progresses to the analysis of individual identity and the realization of our own self image, in contrast to that of others. Through the mobility of the viewer and the extension of time as he/she moves throughout the exhibition space, the viewer is able to explore his/her meaning of existence.