Like a guiding star - Eddie Kang
22 February – 20 April 2024
Lucie Chang Fine Arts is delighted to announce the opening of Korean artist Eddie Kang’s (b.1980) exhibition, “Like a Guiding Star.” Kang expresses his life journey in a bright, warm, and optimistic manner, and this exhibition will present new body of works that have never been exhibited in Hong Kong.
Kang’s works have been exhibited at different museums and art galleries, including 54th Venice Biennale, Gwangju Design Biennale 2019 (Gwangju), Sea World Culture and Arts Center (Shenzhen), Luohu Art Museum (Shenzhen), MOCA Shanghai (Shanghai), Today Art Museum (Beijing), Times Square (Hong Kong), Paradise Zip (Seoul), Gana Art (Seoul/LA), Sandra Gering Inc. (New York), Unsealed Contemporary (Tokyo), and Metaphysical Art Gallery (Taipei).
As for his public collections and collaborations, Kang’s works exist in different institutions and brands, such as Asia Society Hong Kong, the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art (Gyeongju), Kolon, and Amore. He also collaborates with NBA Korea, MCM, Tribeca Film Festival, LG, etc.
Kang’s artworks are well-known and collected by celebrities across the world. Famous artists such as Jay Chou, JJ Lin, BTS member j-hope, famous Korean actors Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Yo-won, and Yuri from Girls’ Generation also acquired Kang’s artworks.
Kang observes that people nowadays easily get lost and miss something precious in urban life; something might have forgotten but not wholly lost, such as treasured memories from the past. Kang uses art to bring peacefulness to people from the competition-oriented contemporary society and the highly individualistic urban society. Kang tries to comfort modern people who are feeling tired and at times, lost.
In this exhibition, the audience could find Yeti, a character that Kang created to commemorate his relative, Yeti is considered as a guiding, comforting figure to support their loved ones. For Kang, Yeti is like a guardian who always protects and stays close to him.
This exhibition consists of three main series of Kang’s artworks: 1) Upside down; 2) Draw your own map; 3) It will be alright, and the audience could also find some other Kang’s artworks in this exhibition. “Upside down” is related to Kang’s own life experience and the outbreak of COVID. The scattered phrases and images indicate the hardships and suffering he had been through, but hope, still, embedded in his works. “Draw your own map” shows how Kang is trying to communicate with himself and rebuild connections with places through maps. Kang will also present works related to the map of Hong Kong in this exhibition. “It will be alright” depicts a sense of love that is not merely physical but transcends it.
Kang’s works deliver a healing experience, allowing us to understand our inner selves and learn how to live in such a stressful society.
韓國藝術家姜錫鉉(生於1980年)個展「守護者般的星辰」將在Lucie Chang Fine Arts開幕。姜錫鉉以一種明亮、溫柔和樂觀的方式來分享他的人生旅程,而本次展覽將會呈現各種他未曾在香港展出過的作品。
姜錫鉉的作品曾在許多博物館和畫廊展出,包括第54屆威尼斯雙年展、2019年光州設計雙年展(光州)、海上世界文化藝術中心(深圳)、羅湖美術館(深圳)、上海當代藝術館(上海)、今日美術館(北京)、時代廣場(香港)、Paradise Zip(首爾)、Gana Art(首爾/ 洛杉磯)、Sandra Gering Inc. (紐約)、Unsealed Contemporary(東京)與形而上畫廊(台北)。
他的作品被許多機構作為公共收藏,如亞洲協會香港中心、宇洋美術館(慶州)、Kolon FnC (時裝文化)、Amore(美妝)、Panda Express(快餐)及Alley Way等。他也擁有很多與知名品牌合作的經驗,例如韓國NBA、MCM、翠貝卡電影節、LG等。
姜錫鉉的藝術品被世界各地的名人所熟知和收藏,例如周杰倫、林俊傑、防彈少年團j-hope、韓國著名演員全智賢、李枖原、少女時代Yuri等著名藝人也收藏了姜先生的作品。
姜錫鉉感悟現代人在都市生活的迷失,這種迷失讓人錯過或淡忘生命裡珍貴的東西,例如從前的回憶。姜錫鉉透過藝術傳遞幸福感,用藝術來療癒在競爭激烈、高度個人主義的社會中掙扎的人們,從而給疲憊與甚至迷惘的人們帶來安慰。
觀眾可以在本次展覽中看到姜錫鉉所創造的人物「雪人」Yeti。Yeti源於姜錫鉉對於已逝親人的思念,因而創作出 Yeti這個角色,作為繼續支持、陪伴和安慰親人的象徵。對他而言,Yeti是一個永遠保護他、陪伴他的救世主。
本次展覽主要由三個系列的作品組成:1) Upside down; 2) Draw your own map; 3) It will be alright。此外,觀眾還可以在展覽中找到姜錫鉉其他的作品。Upside down與姜錫鉉自己的生活經歷以及新冠疫情的爆發有關,散落在周圍的詞語和圖像代表著他經歷所過的困難和痛苦,但他的作品仍透露出希望。Draw your own map是以地圖作為創作方式與自己對話的系列,並著重在創作過程中重建自己與一些地方的連結,而姜錫鉉這次還會帶來跟香港地圖有關的作品。It will be alright則描述了一種超脫肉體和物質意義的愛。
姜錫鉉的作品為我們帶來療癒的感覺,讓我們更加了解自己的內在,並懂得如何在充滿壓力的社會中生活。