Paper may seem plain at first, but with its incredible malleability, once manipulated or colored by an artist, it becomes a completely different piece of work. AN Gallery presents the first solo exhibition in Hong Kong by the emerging Chinese artist Huo Yun, titled “Paper Patterns,” where the artist uses “paper” as the main medium to create sculptures of various forms and deep meanings.
Huo Yun graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. He focuses on exploring the original attributes of everyday materials, hoping to reflect on today’s world that emphasizes efficiency in everything, express the desire to return to nature, and explore the essence of existence and life. Having lived and worked in Italy for many years, he absorbed and integrated different media to express artistic concepts, such as sculpture, mixed media on shelves, installations, etc. His creations coexist through the field of materials and language, deconstructing the relationship between the East and the West, reshaping the relationship between history and the contemporary.
This exhibition showcases 13 series of artworks by the artist from 2017 to 2022, with 12 pieces being mixed media works on paper and another set of 16 ink on paper works. Starting from the “paper” as the source, the artist, based on its inherent characteristics, stacks, crumples, and shapes different mixed materials on the canvas. Through an abstract approach, Ho Yun maximizes the artistic language of “paper,” connecting the essence of the material with the artist’s personal experiences.
As a new generation Chinese artist, Huo Yun’s artistic creation is nurtured under the huge cultural conflicts and tensions of contemporary society. During his studies in Italy, he was influenced by Arte Povera, like Jannis Kounellis, using materials as a boat, shuttling between the poles of existence and non-existence. He has come to Hong Kong for exchange studies, and has participated in group exhibitions and held solo exhibitions in Hong Kong, Italy, and mainland China. He expresses all current feelings, sparks of cultural integration, through the interweaving of lines or forms in space, creating a harmonious rhythm, showing struggle and introspection.
Flat sheets of paper are transformed into three-dimensional works, with the pure white color becoming full due to fluctuations and creases, pure and soft yet textured. Every tiny form transition allows one to experience the original light of the material. Through this unique language, Huo Yun integrates the work with the individual, gently resolving all dualities, introspection, reconciliation, returning to the essence, ultimately presenting a state of emptiness and tranquility without color.
“Paper Texture: Exhibition by Huo Yun”
Date: From now until November 30
Time: 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Location: New Art Wave Gallery, Room 201, 2/F, Tung Che Building, 86-90 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Image source and learn more: AN Gallery
