Potted history of Hong Kong and China, sketched on 10,000 envelopes, the focus of a Hong Kong art gallery show
Now showing at the Green Wave Art gallery in Yau Ma Tei, the many intricate works of Lok Ka-chung, drawn on envelopes, depict a sketched history of life in Hong Kong and China, much of which has been lost over the years
When Shisen Chen, curator of the Green Wave Art gallery, entered the Mong Kok flat of Lok Ka-chung, his jaw dropped. The walls of every room were lined with drawings by the 70-year-old self-taught artist, with countless more packed in boxes throughout the flat. There were more than 10,000 illustrations in all, drawn in painstaking detail on an unconventional medium: envelopes, the artist’s canvas of choice.
“I was blown away. Every room was full of envelopes. He told me his wife complained a lot about having little space,” says Chen, who spent the following four hours rummaging through the boxes, unable to tear himself away from the massive collection.
Hong Kong mini arts hub Cheung Chau is an island abuzz with creativity
Now the public can also see some of Chung’s work, with an exhibition at Green Wave Art that is divided into three instalments to allow as many drawings as possible to be shown.
Sitting in the Yau Ma Tei gallery, a youthful-looking Lok is immersed in a new work, this one featuring colourful dragons. The stamp in the envelope’s corner was released in 2007 to celebrate Chinese martial arts.