A niche group of upcoming young artists make their respective marks at Karin Weber Gallery

Zun Ei Phyu, Lost in Thought, 2019, papercut, 53x79cm

There’s nothing like a fresh eye in matters of art and aesthetics, which makes the work of a clutch of artists at Karin Weber Gallery’s exhibition Reflections on Paper all the more interesting. This selected group of 11 up-and-coming artists from Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and Myanmar mine their childhood memories, nostalgia, thoughts and emotions from the past, and mix historical commentaries with contemporary ones. Paper is the common medium that the assembled artists use to capture their diverse expressions, and the versatility and imaginativeness with which they use it to tell their individual stories. 

Carmen Ng, 3/365, 2019, watercolour on paper, wood and brass, 36 x 25 x 4cm  79 x 36 x 25cm

Hong Kong artist Bosco Law’s Focus Point invokes contemporary imagery as well as deeper philosophical overtones. Says Law: “From dots to images, drawing with a technical pen is like making connections on life’s long winding road,” he says. 

Notions of life’s arrivals and departures and the emotions they convey are predominant in 3/365 by Carmen Ng, which depicts the Tung Shing calendar and images of Ng’s room during the last three days she spent in it before moving out. She has drawn items in the room on the space normally left blank on each calendar day. “I emptied the furniture and contents, leaving behind a vacant room, which was very poignant and memorable for me,” explains the artist. 

Using only masking tape, Elvis Yip creates an illusion of a swimming pool in his work A Leaking Pool. The illusion lies not only in the subject matter, but also the medium. 

Meanwhile, Katy Lau’s paintings are mindscapes depicting her feelings and spiritual experiences during a visit to Venice last year. The day and night scenes convey the depth of her own emotions and awareness while she observed the sky and the sea. 

Kurt Chan explores the poetics of Chinese calligraphy characters. He uses special software to generate them, combining a stylus pen and modified brushstrokes in an unconventional way.

Beijing-based Yang Shewei’s delightful watercolour portraits of gatherings in Bikini Girl and Reading reflect leisure activities and pastimes while subtly posing deeper questions. 

From Myanmar, Zun Ei Phyu’s layered paper-cut creations focus on social themes and societal issues facing the Southeast Asian nation.

These are just a handful of the artists exhibiting in Reflections on Paper. All in all, it’s a catchy group show of talent whose names you may soon start hearing more often.

Eric Fok, 2047.49, 2020, ink on paper, 60 x 60cm

Yang Shewei, Gathering No. 1, 2020, Chinese ink on rice paper, 45 x 90cm

Images provided to China Daily

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