Art for Awareness - Protecting Hong Kong's Waters
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We are excited to have launched our Grate Art Project in Hong Kong on the streets of the Southern Disctrict in Hong Kong in 2016. This program brings some new positive benefits to the city, using the community’s help. Grate Art revolves around ocean and water protection, but does so by creating a message on our streets, which can be visible to all who walk by, to remember not to dump into drains. This will help to develop local art/design by commissioning local artists (as well as two from China), and will also add some interesting color to our streets. The art features bi-lingual messages that go along with the image in order to remind people not to dump or litter in our drains. Read Press Release Here (English)/(Chinese) We hope that your district, or city (anywhere in the world) can also replicate some of this program, and maybe be a "sister city" with our Grate Art program in Hong Kong.
Congratulations, and thanks, to Simon Holliday and Shu Pu, for his amazing Clean Cross Swim from Hong Kong to Macau on May 24th, 2014, setting a record on the 35km crossing across the Pearl River Delta, with a time of 10hrs, 20min and 30 secs. Simon raised over HK$235,000 for the Grate Art project, and ocean protection. Special thanks to all of the team who made this possible, as well as supporters Cotai Water Jet, Lifeproof, Escapade Sports and Fogo Samba.
You can help by donating to this project, as the more funds we have available, the more plaques we can install near the drains in the South Side of Hong Kong Island, and then hopefully expand to other districts. See information below for donation options.
Objective: To bring awareness to ocean protection by giving a colorful, artistic reminder, along our city streets, and in locations where they do not expect there is an impact. Hong Kong is surrounded by water, and its drainage systems can be a big positive influence if dangerous runoff and waste is decreased.
Program: Commission eight artists (six local and two from China) to create eight (8) different logos/signs that remind people not to dump in the drains. These will have a bi-lingual message, and will be eye-catching yet subtle due to their relatively small size on the sidewalk near the drain.
Benefits: Grate Art supports the art community, brings color to the streets, and builds awareness and education about water/ocean stewardship. This in turn, benefits our local communities, environment and tourism, while also giving impetus for new education programs to be created around the designs and locations of their placement. Broad benefits include improved water quality and reduced public waste reduction.
Grate Art for your walls – for any single donation of over HK$10,000, the donor will be able to receive a framed set of the eight completed plaques, as art, for use in their home or office.
Donation Information:
By Check to: “Ocean Recovery Alliance Ltd.”, 20F, Central Tower, 28 Queen’s, Central, HK. By Bank Transfer – HSBC – Ocean Recovery Alliance, Acct #: 848-048286-838. Via PayPal on our website – www.oceanrecov.org and click on the Donate button at the top. All donations are tax deductible.
Donations can also be made via our Just Giving webpage.
ARTISTS
Graphic Airlines
The characters created by design duo Graphic Airlines champion the "aesthetics of ugly". Tat & Vi joined force in 2002 and have since become stalwarts of Hong Kong's burgeoning street art scene. Apart from publishing and exhibiting their work since 2006, the pair produces their own design products. You are able to board their site at www.graphicairlines.com.
Graphic Airlines’ work have been exhibited all over the world, including Paris, New York, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Taipei. They have participated many local exhibitions, and helped in the making of HK artist HOCC’s music video “humor”. They have also collaborated with Agnes b, Sport B., Adidas, Nike , Puma, Lomography, Moleskine, Dr. Martin, GOD, and Swatch.
關於 Graphic Airlines:
Graphic Airlines的兩位成員Tat 和 Vi 是土生土長的香港人。 他們在2002年組成，自始活躍地推廣街頭藝術。他們以不太可愛的人物來表現「醜陋美」。喜愛不同媒體的創作，無論是街頭藝術，繪畫，立體，平面設計，動畫也好，無分界限哪裏也可以是他們的畫板。由04年開始創作兩額飽滿的肥臉角色"阿肥"，線條圓潤、兩額飽滿是他的標記。"阿肥"代表城市人慾望無止境澎漲, 麻木追求數字增長，忽視心靈的滿足。
Graphic Airlines曾參與本地與世界各地的展覽，如巴黎，紐約，柏林，東京，上海，台北等。 近期展覽包括《香港 . 再現》當代藝術展覽於少勵畫廊。他們亦一直與不同的單位合作, 如: Agnes b, Sport b, Adidas, Nike, Puma, Nokia等。
歡迎登上www.graphicairlines.com 感受創作的旅程!
William Tong
William Tong is a local artist and illustrator. The love for nature and long for freedom help him develop his Temphouse series and Amazing Fish-Fusion series. Excel in drawing skill, the Temphouse series has successfully depicted the scenery of Hong Kong. Coupled with the artist’s imagination, this series is native but self-expressive: intended creation becomes random fragments of life that receive a great resonance from audience. Although a fishing lover, the desire to protect the ocean life has make William decide to pen to fish; thus it comes the environmental series Amazing Fish-Fusion, which successfully represents how ocean life being affected by environmental pollution through delicate and strong lines.
Three pieces from this series received the Award of Excellence in the Greater China Award for Best Creative Illustration. In addition to 2-dimensional works, William has also transformed the meticulous technique and skills to his 3-dimensional works which are as stunning as his drawing. He is a multi-disciplinary artist and his works have been acquired by private local and overseas collectors. His work can be found at: www.temphouse.hk.
關於唐偉霖:
本土藝術家及插畫師。熱愛大自然及自由成為創作源泉而製作了《霖屋》及《異魚-融合》系列。以香港為背景，出色的繪畫技巧，再加上藝術家的一些想像，《霖屋》系列展現了一些天馬行空的場景，很地道卻又自我。雖然喜歡釣魚，卻因為不希望破壞海洋生態環境，而改用筆來釣。參考釣魚愛好者喜歡「魚拓」作為記錄戰利品的方法，而創作了以環保為題材的《異魚-融合》系列則，利用細膩及強烈的線條把被受環境污染所影響的魚一條一條活生生地展示在觀眾眼前。其中三幅作品，更獲第一屆中華區最佳創作插畫獎的優秀獎。除了二維的平面創作，亦有三維立體雕塑，作品栩栩如生，是一位多元發展的藝術家。作品亦為本土及海外藏家私人收藏。作品请登陆www.temphouse.hk 。
Tang Nan Nan
Tang Nan Nan is a Mainland Chinese artist. He is a lecturer at Jimei University Art Institute in Xiamen, China; meanwhile, completing his PHD at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China. His recent work focusing on “Modern Day Nostalgia” includes film series “Nameless Beach”, which later inspired the creation of “Floating Dreams” and “Falling” exhibited at 2012 Shanghai Biennale. In 2013, this series were further explored to include watercolor series “Forgotten Sea” and film installation “Floating Dream – India”. His nostalgia of the sea has been an important inspiration of his recent work.
Tang Nan Nan was nominated for the Best Film Design of One Minute International Exhibition in Amsterdam. His oil, watercolor, photography, film and art installations have been exhibited in galleries both at home and abroad. His portfolio can be viewed at www.tangnannan.com.
關於湯南南：
中國大陸藝術家。現為中國美術學院跨媒體藝術學院博士，集美大學美術學院教師。工作生活於杭州、廈門。近年開始現代鄉愁的主題文化研究，創作拍攝《無名海灘》，从中发展出了《流觴》《填海》等作品，並入選2012年上海雙年展。2013年，開始創作裝置《故園》，影像《印度漂流》，水墨《遺忘之海》，《剩山水》；以及和故鄉海洋有關的系列錄像作品。
湯南南曾憑藉作品《氣球》獲荷蘭阿姆斯特丹“國際一分鐘影像藝術節”最佳攝影，並參加法國ALTKIRCH 現代美術館舉辦的中國當代影像展。多年來他的油畫，水墨，影像和裝置創作已在中國及海外的眾多美術館，畫廊和藝術節展出。觀賞完整作品集請登陸www.tangnannan.com。
遗忘之海24号 Oblivious Ocean NO.24-纸本水墨 Ink on Paper- 142x432cm-2013
Douglas Young – Founder, GOD
Douglas Young was born in Hong Kong in 1965 and trained as an Architect in Sheffield University and the Architectural Association in the United Kingdom. He co-founded the Hong Kong-based lifestyle brand, Goods of Desire or G.O.D., and has been the creative force behind it ever since. Since 1996, G.O.D. has grown into an established, multi-faceted lifestyle brand selling home furnishings, fashion and premium gifts with a distinct Hong Kong flair.
Douglas’ work is deeply rooted in his native city of Hong Kong. Many of his inspirations come from everyday scenes that are disappearing at a rate that is real, yet too slow to be felt on a daily basis. This gradual erosion of native culture is happening not just to Hong Kong, but threatens Asia as it modernizes. Douglas’ work often touches upon sensitive social issues that are considered taboo; this has resulted in much public outcry and on one occasion, an arrest by the police.
Through his work, Douglas hopes in inspire future generations of designers to seek inspiration from Hong Kong and foster pride in the community. In 2009, Time Magazine published a feature of the G.O.D. Street Culture Museum and referred to Young as ‘one of Hong Kong’s foremost designers’.
Man Chi Loy (Armechan)
Born in 1973 in Hong Kong, Chi Loy graduated with a degree in Art Studio (UC Davis) in 1997. In 1998 he moved back to Hong Kong, and has worked here since then. His art statement is: “I am looking for decent people in cramped environment as well as the future of me.” He always thinks of how living space affects people’s lives and mind. The idea comes from his experience of living in vast environment in the U.S. and cramped space in Hong Kong.
我的名字是文智來(阿米青),生於1973年香港 。 1998年加州大學畢業,主修藝術。我的藝術主題圍繞著生活空間對人的生活及心靈的影响。這是我在局促的香港和廣闊的美國生活得出來的想法 。
liina Klauss
liina is a land-artist from Germany, based in Hong Kong since 2007. Using lost objects found in nature as a starting point for her works, shhe creates delicate mosaics to large scale installations within the natural environment. Assumed cultural conventions get distorted in her environmental installations, as the viewer is confronted with value within the worthless, beauty within the ugly, innocence within ignorance. She is particularly interested in the borderline between culture and nature and the intersection of the two. The full scale of liina's work can only be experienced when directly participating in the making of an installation. "What you touch touches you” she says. Through her works liina seeks to touch an inner landscape, one that resonates with all senses and leaves us bare and pure in the present moment. Awareness and healing within and without are the deepest aspects of her work.
Motivating big groups of diverse people, exposing them to natural elements and experiencing creativity, community and nature together is thus as much part of the art work as the final installation itself. "Let's bring it back to your community, back to the individual, all the way back to your own two hands. This makes it tangible. This makes it solvable. The situation is out of hands and is in our hands both at the same time" liina says. Her practical art education focuses on phenomenological relationship between art/culture/community and nature/environment utilizing art as a bridge to create awareness and inspire activism.
liina has realized several environmental art and community projects in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Portugal. She had her first solo exhibition in Hong Kong in 2013. At present liina works as an independent artist in residence at various schools and universities in Hong Kong facilitating art-awareness-activism projects which include tracing-waste workshops and curating-the-beach outings.`
Chen Yua Xian - 陳 花現
閩南人，1988年出生于福建廈門。
曾就職于國家電網做農網電錶抄錶員，先前 的作品主要以線描插畫為主，內容多是廈門 的市井記憶。近年因為專注閩南民間信仰的搜集與整理, 所以作品內容雖多為道釋仙怪，但有人間趣 味，創作手法亦以水墨為研習，兼作書法。近年作品多出現於 北京 CIGE，澳門 ART MO 等藝術品博覽會。
