Sarah Lai
“Radiance,” hosted by Mur Nomade gallery, sees a collaboration between Hong Kong artist Sarah Lai Cheuk-wah and Beijing-based French artist Sébastien Mahon. Evelyn Lok spoke to Sarah Lai about her experiences working on the project, her stories from France, and her latest fascination with light.
HK Magazine: Did this collaboration result in a new direction for your works?
Sarah Lai: I went to Provence, Marseille and Paris in November last year, and this series documents the things I saw and experienced while I was there. Visually, you could say my work was quite similar, but each time I exhibit, I try to see each set of works as its own separate entity, so the approach may be different as well.
HK: Were there any culture clashes when you worked with Sébastien Mahon?
SL: I met Sébastien half a year ago to chat about the theme of the exhibition. He’s actually based in Beijing, and so we kept in contact through email. Our partnership was quite smooth: our views were quite similar and there weren’t really any particular hiccups along the way. Even though I went to France and he works in Asia, It wasn’t like we had to make works based on reciprocal cultural exchange—it wasn’t like that at all.
Sarah Lai, "1059 AM," 2014, Oil on Canvas, 122x183cm
HK: You journeyed around France quite a bit: why ultimately choose to paint a water glass as your main subject?
SL: Yes I went to Provence, and I saw all the quaint villas and houses, and I went to Paris, where I could have painted the Eiffel Tower, or Marseille’s harbor, but I think those scenes would seem too much like postcards. Instead, choosing a cup—something incredibly plain and insignificant—I actually think was better to help me translate the scenery I saw, or the feelings I experienced while I was there, onto a canvas.
HK: What did you think of France? What experiences stuck with you?
SL: One thing that particularly resonated with me was visiting Cezanne’s studio. It was preserved completely as he would have kept it when he was still alive. For instance, his coat was hung up in its usual place, the easels and tools placed around, seemingly untouched. It made me feel as if this greatly revered man, who’s known from all these history books, definitely existed before. It’s these small insignificant things like a small coin bag, and keys left on the table, that brings it much closer to reality.