Hong Kong artist Ho Siu-kee uses sculpture to examine the human body's reaction to unfamiliar sensory experiences. The 36-year-old talks to Crystyl Mo about his 'perception, conception and pre-conception'
'I think I was the silent kind of child, the child who always stays alone. I liked drawing and I always had crazy ideas. I was always daydreaming.
When I took the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations, I got quite good results - in art subjects only! So I tried to further my education in this area. First I studied design at a local institution [the First Institute of Art and Design]. But I soon realised my real interest is in fine art.
I decided to apply to Chinese University's Fine Arts department and I finished a four-year degree there in 1989.
My studies included drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics - I got a taste of everything. After I graduated, I became a teaching assistant in the same department at Chinese University.
It was at that time that I began to make sculpture more seriously under the influence of sculptor Cheung Yee, who was then head of the department. He has been famous since the 60s in Hong Kong as a first-generation sculptor in the modern artform. I had the opportunity to study under him and be his assistant for almost three years. From Cheung Yee, I learned a great deal about three-dimensional art, especially woodcarving. After that I went to the United States for my Master's degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan from 1993-95.