Artist Interview – Tang Ying Mui, Grace

The Sixth Day ~ Fabrik Gallery @ Art One

Exhibition Till Nov. 30

fabrik-gallery.com
Fabrik is pleased to present The sixth day by Tang Ying Mui, Grace.

Human figures, found objects and her rigorous and spare approach to existential questions of the fragile human condition, environmental experience, memory and the internal and external boundaries built around people are the recurring themes in her art. Known for her use of ordinary materials for construction, she seeks to infuse the undervalued and overlooked, drawing equally from her stance on the consequences of genetic engineering and capitalistic greed. Her self-conscious view in the world invites viewers to share in unexpected moments of transcendence and a visceral immersion of time and memory.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the artist’s sculptural work that comprise nearly as many plastic wrapped wire forming two human figures with their mouths that extend like indeterminate biomorphic forms on the floor and fruits that hang from the ceiling as if suspended in air offering the viewer multiple vantages. Arranged in the gallery referencing a scene from the book of Genesis, “The sixth day” questions man’s ongoing exploitation of land and resources and his relationship to nature in a mass production age. On the left wall, the artist shows a visual representation of the material she uses entitled “The journey of dot, line and surface.” Using a thin copper line as her medium, the artist has created 3D sculptures on the canvas rather than a conventional two dimensional representation suggesting a slight allusion to Cézanne’s still life. This extends to right side of the gallery in which an assembly of personal objects called “Reconstructing memory” relating to her journey from England to Hong Kong. It includes a soft bunny nighty-holder, the toolbox where she puts tubes of paint for her sculptures and installations, a knapsack to hold her daily things and books, and an old fashioned electric fan. Although these objects are full of personal history, their whiteness and lightness mimic the conditions of our memory, which fades when time goes by. When they are transformed visually, combined with the memory aroused by these objects, the process of making these these works become a reinforcing act of her beliefs.

Tang graduated with a BA Honors, majoring in fine arts from Goldsmiths College and a MSC from the University of Westminster, United Kingdom. Tang lived in London for more than ten years and is currently working as an artist in Hong Kong.

She is currently working on a project called “A call from a prehistoric time”. She uses the four basic elements in living: clothing, food, shelter and mobility, to explore the contemporary living and structures in society in our modern age.

Tang had her first solo exhibition in 2011, titled “Recycle Destinies”. She has also joined numerous group exhibitions, including “Pusan World Open Art Festival” and “The 7th Gongju International Art Festival 2010” in South Korea ; “Macau Direct Flight Destinations Trade and Cultural Expo” in Macau; “The Thirteen Stories of Portable Art” in Shanghai and “WINDOW PROJECT” in Canada. Her works also have been exhibitied in various spaces in Hong Kong, including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Art Centre, JCCAC and Cattle Depot Artist Village.