In the rapid development pace of Hong Kong, the villages and ruins hidden in the city are gradually forgotten by us, yet behind these wastelands actually carry a lot of precious local culture and history. Gallery Exit will soon bring French artist Daphné Mandel’s first solo exhibition “Between Ups and Downs”, showcasing the artist’s series of mixed media paper and video new works reflecting the past and present of Hong Kong, inspired by the artist’s recent exploration of hidden ruins in Hong Kong.
Having lived in Hong Kong for many years, Mandel, who was stranded in Hong Kong due to the pandemic, inadvertently allowed artists to delve deeper into the city, further exploring the less noticeable corners and crevices of the urban landscape. “Between Looking Up and Looking Down” is a fantastical journey that shuttles between the present and the past, where the artist juxtaposes the contradictions between ruins and urbanization in a surreal manner, attempting to preserve the disappearing cultural heritage of the city.
Despite the rapid development of the city, Hong Kong’s countryside still contains many ruins and deserted villages, bearing witness to a disappearing culture. In the 1950s and 1960s, as Hong Kong industrialized, most residents of these ancestral homes moved to the urban areas, leaving behind these enclosed spaces as a remnant of past traditions. Today, these sites have become rich ecological conservation areas, standing out from the surrounding vibrant natural vegetation.
The series “Chimerical Villages” transcends the quiet scenes themselves, intensifying the impossibility of the landscape, transforming contemporary Hong Kong into a surreal image. Another series, “Cabinet of Memories,” composed of mixed media paper and video works, showcases objects and artifacts discovered by the artist in abandoned sites. These contemporary treasure troves witness the traditional way of life in Hong Kong over the past decade, including stories and histories from specific sites such as schools, tenement buildings with shops on the ground floor, residences, and industrial structures, becoming precious historical testimonies.
Visitors are welcome to visit the exhibition, piecing together fragments of urban memories through the artists’ creations to recreate a complete puzzle of Hong Kong!
“Monica Leung: Between Heaven and Earth”
Date: April 30 to May 28, 2022
Time: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Location: Gallery Exit, 3/F, Block A, Wah Ha Factory Building, 25 Hing Wo Street, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Image source and learn more: Gallery Exit
