Artist Chow Chun-fai has a lot more than nothing to say in new show

At first glance, there is something familiar about  Chow Chun-fai’s latest solo exhibition. His long-running “Painting on Movies” series continues here, with more works capturing cinematic moments that speak to the artist’s preoccupation with local identities. There are two jaunty photomontages that are sly commentaries on the universal rhetoric of hero creation, a theme explored in Solitary Journey (2008) and other similarly meticulous applications of a macro camera lens.

Yet, there is a great difference between “I Have Nothing to Say”, which is held until September 12 at Hanart TZ Gallery, and his previous  show in the same space two years ago.

The bolshie idealism is gone, replaced by a cynical resignation that his supporters in the 2012 Legislative Council election will find distressing.

The exhibition title gives the first hint of the change from major to minor.

The 2013 show was called  “I Have Something to Say”. It took place after his election defeat but it included works that referred to the campaign and how he gave the establishment a run for their money in the sports, performing arts, culture and publication constituency. The conviction, the energy and the freshness from the campaign was still apparent despite his loss in the election.

Even then, Chow was losing faith in mainstream politics. He says “an invisible hand” was at work to make sure of a safe outcome for the establishment in 2012. The system of functional constituencies itself is also biased against anyone fighting for the rights of ordinary workers, he says.