Talent can get you so far but, without hard work and persistence, aspiring artists face an uphill struggle to gain recognition, as Kum Chi-keung will attest.
The installation artist, who is now represented by the Amelia Johnson Contemporary art gallery, has had to negotiate a long and arduous path to get to where he is. Kum has exhibited in Hong Kong and on the international stage, and gained an honourable mention in the Hong Kong Arts Centre's 30th anniversary awards last year.
He had to be patient. Unable to support himself fully as an artist, he worked full-time as a graphic designer for more than 10 years, while working as an artist part time. It was only last year that he became a full-time artist.
Kum now encourages galleries to give aspiring artists the opportunity to participate in art exhibitions and fairs.
Given his experience, he advised art graduates to 'not give up easily, be persistent, work hard and grasp every opportunity presented' because nothing would be presented to them on a silver platter.
He has no formal art education and only attended art courses provided by night schools at the beginning of his career. Starting with Chinese painting in the 1980s, he tried installation art in 1991 and slowly developed his own icons and characteristics in his works.
His art was soon recognised locally and internationally. His most memorable exhibition was at the 11th Biennale of Sydney, Australia's largest international festival of contemporary art in 1998. He was one of the five artists from the mainland and Hong Kong to participate in the art festival with the theme 'Everyday'. Kum showcased his exhibit, Den, as part of 100 international artists and their art pieces. He took part in ART HK08 and hopes ART HK09 will be as successful as last year's fair. 'ART HK08 was a great success and hopefully the swine flu won't affect this year's fair,' Kum said. He will be entering four exhibits this year.