Upclose with Wilson Shieh’s “Ladyland”
Ink master Wilson Shieh is exhibiting his latest – cartoonish drawings of famous buildings displaying feminine wiles. He talks to Pavan Shamdasani.
HK Magazine: What was the inspiration?
Wilson Shieh: The idea for the series came to me about two years ago, when I went for lunch at a sushi-go-round restaurant. I noticed that 90 perecnt of the customers were women and thought, where do men go for lunch? Cha chaan tengs? I came to the conclusion that women have changed Hong Kong with their economic power.
HK: Why use women to represent famous buildings?
WS: The buildings are all hard-edged and regularly shaped. I like to see the contrast between them and the women’s bodies. I always go shopping with my wife and to kill time, I have had to develop a keen interest in fashion. Not buying, but looking and judging. And so, I notice things like the glassy walls of Central skyscrapers exude a kind of transparent texture that can be very sensuous if dressed up on human bodies.
HK: And your ink techniques?
WS: Painting is one of the oldest art forms in China, but there’s no difference between pure Chinese or Western styles nowadays. I continue to use Chinese brushes, ink stones and painting silks because I’m old-fashioned. And I insist on the fine-line gongbi technique [a difficult technique to master – Ed].
HK: Your paintings have been called controversial, despite being very cartoon-like. Why do you think this is?
WS: It’s the sexual implications in my work and the idea of parading major buildings in beauty pageants – every developer would love to have their architecture stand out, as every woman loves to have their clothes stand out.
HK: So if you could steal any painting in the world...
WS: I’d steal back my 2003 pair of paintings “Victoria Pool and Victoria Bath” from the Hong Kong art collection at the Museum of Art. It’s a personal portrait of me and my wife.