In recent years, we have been able to see the works of young meticulous ink painting artist Jacky Tao at various art exhibitions or expos. Using ink as a medium, he portrays everyday life and urban landscapes with precise and delicate meticulous brushwork, bringing a new perspective to local meticulous ink painting creations.
After making an appearance at Art Basel last month, Jacky recently presented his solo exhibition “Placement” at this year’s CUHK Master of Fine Arts Graduation Exhibition, allowing the audience to revisit his important creations from the past two years.
The exhibition is named “Placement,” and the artist hopes to showcase the “present” and “detachment” in modern life through the artwork. Over the past two years, under the influence of the epidemic, our connection with the outside world has shifted significantly to online platforms, blurring the boundaries between real life and the spiritual world. In these uncertain days, Jacky records people’s current life experiences in a meticulous and realistic way, combining the artist’s personal imagination to piece together objects from different scenes, weaving together surreal urban landscapes.
The extended time spent at home has naturally turned indoor doors, windows, TVs, beds, and curtains into materials for Jacky to construct a composite space. Through the juxtaposition of space, Jacky expands the freedom of space expression, breaking the constraints of a poor spiritual life.
In the works on display, we can see horse racing programs on TV, city couples snuggling in their sleep, the kitchen of a nostalgic ice house, a quiet parking lot, takeout food during home isolation, and the Chung Ming Kwan at CUHK that has been with him for six years under the night sky. These fragments floating between reality and the world of imagination are gently preserved by him in blurred images and soft hues, painting a poetic daily life.
Visitors are welcome to visit the exhibition and appreciate how artists use a blend of reality and fantasy in their images to create a new aesthetic mood, allowing us to discover another perspective on viewing the everyday.
Date: From now until June 26 (Closed on Thursdays)
Time: 10 am to 5 pm (Monday to Saturday); 1 pm to 5 pm (Sunday)
Location: Room 312, Sincere House, New Asia College, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Image source and learn more: Jacky Tao
