Four young Hong Kong artists who buck current art trends by painting in oils
In the age of multimedia and conceptual art, taking up brushes and easel is a radical step. We look at four up-and-coming artists who’ve returned to a traditional medium to express themselves
Painting wasn’t dead in 1839 when an artist called Paul Delaroche declared it had been swiftly dispatched by the new daguerreotype. Painting still isn’t dead in 2016 when conceptual art and mixed-media installations are de rigueur. Just look at Zeng Fanzhi and Luc Tuymans, two of the biggest names in today’s art world, who still find plenty left to say through figurative paintings.
But in Hong Kong, young artists who pin their career on an old-fashioned easel are, ironically, the radical ones. Local conceptual artists have won international accolades and are often picked to represent the city at the Venice Biennale.
Opportunity knocks for young Hong Kong artists, though they risk burnout too
By comparison, few painters have had the same level of success. There are exceptions such as Chow Chun-fai, whose oil and acrylic recreations of film scenes are widely collected, but Hong Kong simply isn’t known for artists working in this most traditional of media.
Yet, this summer sees no fewer than four young oil painters exhibiting. Who are they and why have they picked such an unfashionable career path?
Hilarie Hon Hang-lam