Visitors at C&G Artpartment have to watch their step. The 19 paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations cluttering the walls and corners of this 300 sq ft Prince Edward art space leave little room for a crowd to manoeuvre.
But that's exactly the predicament Preview of New West Kowloon Exhibition Venue wants to highlight. Curated by artist couple Gum Cheng Yee-man and Clara Cheung Ka-lai, this new group show, which runs until January 27, highlights the acute shortage of exhibition space in the city, its repercussions and how local artists are tackling this problem before the mammoth West Kowloon Cultural District project is in place.
To drive home the point, Cheng and Cheung set themselves and the other 17 artists just 1 sqft of space to work in. Artist Hanison Lau Hok-shing regards the exercise as a good discipline. 'Maybe we also have to comply to certain rules if we are to have our works displayed in the art and cultural district in future,' he says.
Taking up this challenge is a mix of established and young artists in media ranging from painting to conceptual installation. They include Tang Ying-chi, Jaffa Lam Laam, Lee Kit, Ivy Ma, Wong Chi-fai, Chow Chun-fai, Siy Tak-yin, Christopher Ku, Aries Wu Chun-yin and Cheng's four-year-old student painter Chan Hau-yuen.
For his space, Lau created a metal container in the shape of the West Kowloon site, filled with water from Victoria Harbour. The piece asks the public to think about the meaning and purpose of setting up an art and cultural district.
Some artists say the fact they're not given more space to showcase their works reflects the general lack of recognition and respect for what they do. Designer Siy urges society to value her artistic passion through her installation Bloody Luggage.
The artwork, which is part of her ongoing Popcorn Eyes series, features big eyes made of red fabric popping out from luggage. 'I put a lot of heart into my artworks. They're like my blood,' she says. The red fabric symbolises the 'blood' of artists and the eyes represent individuals.