Five local artists stay true to their inner selves and bring personalized creations, showcasing contemporary romantic aspirations through diverse mediums!

Art Next Gallery brings the latest exhibition “You Haven’t Seen Us” to lead the audience to explore the vibrant and subtle romantic elements of modern life from the perspectives of five local artists: Alan Cheung, Hector Chan, Livy Leung, Winnie Hui, and Matthew So.

The exhibition, curated by Hiya Lee, combines various media to reveal the beauty beyond abstract emotions and objects. The artworks blend the artist’s interpretation and longing for contemporary romanticism, constructing emotionally intense spaces with visually impactful elements, prompting the audience to reflect on how to stay true to oneself and the world while falling in love.

Alan Zhang Jialun exhibited a total of 5 acrylic cloth works, one of which was embellished with oil powder color. Alan uses contemporary art as a creative medium to resolve the binary confrontation between abstraction and concreteness, redefining himself and examining his worldview. With delicate and rough brushstrokes, he depicts urban landscapes and natural scenery, blurring the boundary between reality and imagination. Alan’s works are like a visual diary, using vibrant contrasting colors to present the appearance of communities and residences in his eyes.

Hector Chen Wei-jie exhibited 5 different works in various mediums, including oil on canvas, acrylic, and pencil sketches. For him, painting is a response to the human desire to observe. Hector uses different forms and styles of painting to express the fluidity of moving images, capturing their speed and quantity. His works have the ability to make the flat images in front of the eyes jump out of the frame, evoking the subconscious thoughts and memories of the audience, bringing to mind a series of dynamic scenes.

Livy Liang Kaiya’s works exhibited in this exhibition are linen oil paintings, in which she presents her personal fantasy world through flat space. Through her works, the artist interprets what she sees and hears in the grassland, sketching out the blurred intersection between her mind and reality. She emphasizes the use of rough outlines, paired with vibrant colors, reflecting people’s ambiguous views of reality. For Livy, art is a form of expression and a way to indulge herself, reorganizing her perception of the surrounding things.

Winnie Hsu’s “Soul Painting” series consists of 4 acrylic canvas and oil paintings, all inspired by her religious beliefs. For her, art is the starting point for examining her personal identity, status, and character. The paintings in this series are like a thin veil, with gentle curves and faint brushstrokes, creating a subtly blurry and beautiful atmosphere. This ethereal feeling makes people pause and contemplate the meaning behind the works, triggering personal reflection and providing spiritual solace to the audience. Her works interpret the artist’s and the audience’s longing for redemption from nature, community, and family, brimming with poetic charm.

Matthew Su Junqian uses oil on canvas to depict various relationships and their ambiguous states. He deeply feels the inexpressible and is determined to present the human state of mind on the canvas through impactful visual elements. Colors and shapes in his works exude obvious tension, yet maintain a sense of harmony. He uses visual language to transform long-buried emotions and traumas into vibrant and glossy images, sparking a silent dialogue between the artwork and the audience.

Five artists each reveal the romantic elements of contemporary life in their own unique painting styles – the complex emotions and interpersonal relationships, the idolized goals of the masses, and the everyday trivialities that hold artistic poetry. These unintentional details carry the desires and aspirations of every individual. May we, the people of this generation, find not only the “romance” praised by society, but our own personal romanticism.

“You haven’t seen what we look like.”
Date: From now until December 23 (Tuesday to Saturday)
Time: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: New Art Wave Gallery, Room 201, 2nd Floor, Tung Chi Building, 86-90 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Image source and learn more: Art Next Gallery