The month of May has always been an exciting time for Hong Kong’s flourishing art scene. This year, pulling the strings of vibrancy will include a new- comer, Explosion and Absorption, an exhibition on media and contemporary art which features two of the most promising Japanese artists of our time, Nobumasa Ikemori (Nobu) and Eiki Mori. Listed by Art Basel 2014 as a concurrent exhibition, Explosion and Absorption will run from 13th to 31st May, at Cattle Depot Artist Village, a grade II historical building located to To Kwa Wan, Kowloon. building located in To Kwa Wan, Kowloon.

Educated in Japan and Spain, Nobu is winner of the 7th Horishima Art Prize (Japan) who has long impressed the international art arena with his large-scale drawings and constructed figures. He is also a creative live performer into dance and street happenings that inject the breath of art into the pulse of the general public. Nobu has chosen the title “S in” (“belief”) for this exhibition, which will show his latest black ink paintings depicting the vitality of the human figure, animals, spirits and nature, giving a dynamic interpretation of living and life.

Eiki Mori is an artist who has hosted over 20 exhibitions in major cities including Tokyo, Osaka, London, Taipei, Dusseldorf, Vienna, and San Giovanni Valdarno of Italy. His masterpieces include the reputed “Tokyo Boy Alone” and “Intimacy” which has earned him the Ihei Kimura Prize, Japan’s top award for photographic art. On this occasion, Eiki has chosen the title “Hong Kong Obscura” for this exhibition, in which he will specially produce a new series of photos purely about Hong Kong, capturing the city’s energy, including portraits of people, streets, life and soul.

A major highlight will fall on 17 May (Saturday) when Nobu conducts two live painting sessions entitled “Burn! Okonomix”, held at 11 am and 3 pm at Cattle Depot Artist Village. Inspired by “Okonomiyaki”, a traditional dish from his hometown Hiroshima, Nobu’s recipe will include authentic ingredients for okonomiyaki which he will artistically blend with black into onto a vast canvas plate. To use his own words, Nobu will “make people alive, smile with super taste new vitality painting”.

The 3-week programme will represent an important exchange between Hong Kong and Japan in contemporary art. It will kick off with an Opening Ceremony held on 16 May (Friday), 7 pm at Videotage, Cattle Deport Artist Village. Nobu and Mori will be present, amid leading figures of the local art community, players from business societies, as well as art lovers.

Explosion and Absorption is organized by Zen Foto Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Videotage, a Hong Kong-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting video and media art.

Live Performance: 17 May 2014 (Saturday) 11am to 3pm

Image: © Eiki Mori
Courtesy of the artist and Videotage