Contemporary by Angela Li is proud to present Midnight Sun, solo exhibition of Hong Kong artist Tang Kwong San, curated by Jims Lam. Tang often deploys flash photography at night as part of his creative process. To him, exposing light on mundane objects that can be found along streets, such as trees and small creatures, is a means of isolating subject matter from the darkness. A flash takes only a split second, but recreating these subjects on canvas is a lengthy process. This allows Tang to retreat to his internal dialogue between gazing at night, which is intuitive, and his impulse to create harmonic scenery. Anentirely new body of works showcased in this exhibition is a series of figurative paintings that takes on the human form with collages woven together with urban trees and fashion garments, whilst the trunks metaphorically represent the human body. The notion of concealing an organic body in camouflage acts as the artist’s central motif. While Tang casts a sharp eye onto how nature’s resources can be reduced to consumer products, he visualizes how they slip into daily life and crystallizes into our desire for nature. The exhibition opening will be held on Thursday 15th September, 2022 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and will remain on view until 29 October, 2022. The artist and curator will be present at the opening.
“Surrounded by night, I flash light at the wood and seek its reflection. A tree illuminates and cuts through the darkness. It reminds me of my identity, which is related to my name “燊”(San) – vibrant, luxuriant, or simply wood on fire.” — Tang Kwong San
Tang Kwong San (b.1992) was born in China and moved to Hong Kong during his childhood. He graduated with a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) from RMIT University, Australia (joint degree with Hong Kong Art School) in 2019. Tang’s artistic practice pivots around combining photographs, drawings, objects and videos that trace intergenerational family memories and social history. Through the motions of reorganising and reinterpreting old belongings, family photo albums and a plethora of documents in various media, Tang accomplishes an anachronistic aesthetic way of presentation. In doing so, it is Tang’s attempt to divulge the subtle, intricate and complex connections between the emotions of loss and a sense of longing.
