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Hong Kong shows me there is something wrong with humanity, Joan Cornellà, Spanish comic strip artist, says

How can people in Hong Kong be so quiet and yet it’s so crowded, wonders artist ahead of new show of his darkly comic art, including pieces inspired by his recent visit to city such as one of a selfie taker in a cage home

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Comic strip artist Joan Cornellà’s Hong Kong exhibition runs from May 6 to May 21 at Space 27 in Quarry Bay. Photo: Nora Tam
Bernice Chanin Vancouver

Barcelona-based comic strip artist Joan Cornellà is feeling under the weather as he recovers from a cold. His assistants unwrap canvases that have been shipped to Hong Kong, while others are busy finishing off some paintings.

His upcoming exhibition “Joan Cornellà: A Hong Kong Themed Solo Exhibition” opens on May 6 at Gallery 27 in Quarry Bay, and the poster features the Kwong Sang Hong Two Girls from the cosmetics brand, wearing cheongsams and standing in front of modern skyscrapers. One is wearing a surgical mask and holding a selfie stick with a gun pointing at the two of them.

The poster for Cornellà’s new show is his take on the Kwong Sang Hong Two Girls from the cosmetics brand.
The poster for Cornellà’s new show is his take on the Kwong Sang Hong Two Girls from the cosmetics brand.
Such black humour has helped Cornellà garner a lot of fans in Hong Kong and around the world (more than 4 million on Facebook).
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“I can do this here, because I get a lot of feedback from Hong Kong. When I came last year it was so crowded, a lot more than I thought. Let’s see what happens now.”

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Asked to explain the popularity of his work, the 36-year-old artist has no answer. “I don’t know why they like my work,” he says.

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