This Hong Kong artist wants your pet’s fur to tell ‘touching stories’ in his exhibition at The Mills in Tsuen Wan

Kingsley Ng’s upcoming show ‘Listen to the Sound of the Earth Spinning’ features a solar system of giant fur balls. He has made one ‘planet’, but needs more fur

His exhibition at The Mills’ Centre for Heritage Arts and Textile spins together the human-animal bond and the city’s textile history

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Hong Kong artist Kingsley Ng’s upcoming exhibition, “Listen to the Sound of the Earth Spinning”, at Chat in The Mills, will feature giant “planets” made of fur – for which he’s asking pet owners to donate their pets’ combings. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 7:15am, 19 Apr 2024Updated: 12:34pm, 20 Apr 2024

Hong Kong artist and animal-lover Kingsley Ng Siu-king has long toyed with the idea of a project that explores the special bond between humans and their animal companions. It will soon become a reality.

In August, Ng’s solo exhibition, “Listen to the Sound of the Earth Spinning”, will be held at the Centre for Heritage Arts and Textile (Chat) at The Mills in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.

But he needs some help from the city’s furry friends to complete it.

Part of the immersive exhibition is a piece titled Globes, comprising fur balls arranged like a solar system. But to complete the piece he needs more fur, whether from cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs – you get the idea.

Ng holds a fur ball for his upcoming exhibition at The Mills. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

“Basically, I need fur to make more of these,” says Ng, holding up a large, perfectly formed fur ball. To give it some size context, it is about halfway between the size of a basketball and a baseball.

Ng meticulously hand-shaped the ball over the years using the soft grey fur from his own cat, Whisky, a Scottish Fold, the distinctive breed of domestic cat named for its unique folded ears.