In Touch with Hong Kong Artists: Pak Sheung-chuen
Video Viewing and appreciation
Background Knowledge
Let’s get to know more about Pak Sheung-chuen! It is in Cantonese with English subtitles.
Where does Pak get his inspiration?
According to Pak, what is the meaning of his artworks?
Idea: To create a sea view.
Method of expression: He collected a bottle of seawater from five spots in Victoria Harbour, ensuring each bottle had the same amount of water, and stood them on a shelf at home. The water in the five bottles created a straight line, forming a sea horizon.
Idea: Link unrelated things to represent connections between individuals, which can be intimate but distant at the same time.
Method of expression: Generating random numbers by linking familiar bus numbers.
Idea: Present the symbolic meanings of 1 July in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Method of expression: He took the yellow fabric which the marchers had stepped on in the 1 July democracy march in Hong Kong and cut them into strips. Then he tied the yellow strips together to symbolically encircle Tiananmen Square.
Idea: How long does it take to consume all the air in a room?
Method of expression: Pak blew air from his lungs into plastic bags and calculated the time required to fill the room with the plastic bags.
Idea: Create an image of a full moon to remember his family.
Method of expression: By turning the camera in a circle, Pak captured the image of a full moon.
Idea: Spread the gospel.
Method of expression: Pak sent people to visit strangers’ homes and stick black tape on the four corners of their televisions, so that the remaining visible screen became cross-shaped, representing the idea that “every light that passes through is a cross”.
Pak’s artworks are about the relationship between individuals and their environment. He is good at including words in his artworks. He emphasised that an idea comes before a visual presentation. That is why he does not set any limitations in terms of artistic expression.