Rooted in Chinese art history since Warring States Period, Gongbi huaniao is a long-established genre which refers to the fine portraying of strange creatures and rare flowers. Due to the flaunting of wealth by the noble in ancient palace, the traditional Gongbi huaniao possesses a prime focus on the realistic representation of mythical and legendary organisms and plantations. It is therefore characterized by the oriental realism and indispensable details which requires high-level of concentration and skills of sketching, line-drawing and colouring. This skilled art is often paid as a tribute to the emperor. In lieu of depicting precious and auspicious creatures that are only found in the palace, Eunice Cheung extended the fine traditions to commonly seen animals and wildlife. In her 2012 debut solo exhibition, Eunice personificated various animals to perform human mundane, ranging from bathing to shopping, whereas in her latest series, birds are given more emotional roles, being either the fierce and aggressive predators or the victimized preys running in fear. The theme of The Bird Catchers sets on the hunting of birds due to predator's fascination for the beauties and freedom represented by these flying friends. The human hunting for birds and birds hunting for their own kinds are embodied as a metaphor for Eunice to criticize the selfish and unlimited desire and greed.

Royal painters like HuangQuan spent hours to study the appearance, the ratio of animals and the spirit of each species so as to present the vivid life of different creatures on the planet. Likewise, in aid with her meticulously drawn details and generous palette, Eunice Cheung dedicated her genuine observations of birds into her paintings. What differentiates her art practice from ancient royal painters is the seamless blend of surrealistic connotations into her seemingly poetic paintings. Similar to Magritte's Ready-Made Bouquet , the peaceful and calmed composition of Eunice's works is filled with an indistinct sense of uncertainty. In The Mother of Nature , the exquisite back portrait of the figure remains still yet also alienates audience by the unveiled, mystical face. The elegancy and the prominent aura of the lady are constituted by the delicate lace dress, the neatly tied hair and also the richly decorative hat. Each detail reinforces the fact that she is a classy fine lady who is out of reach. In the pairing work, Dreamer in Wonderland , facial expression of the lady is revealed but the distant and lonely gaze is as unwelcoming as its sister work. The stand-alone, cold and indifferent lady is contrasted by the warm-coloured, united tropical birds. The expressive contrast of the detached and the rejoiced casts a spot light on the main figure of this exhibition.

In spite of being the symbols of treasure and freedom, tons and millions of birds are hunted, kept, raised or killed for fashion just for the pleasure of human. The fliting and freedom of birds are sacrificed for the sense of ownership of mankind. The fluffy and fruity-coloured feathers are torn and re-arranged as ornaments for the decoration of hand-held fan and gigantic flamboyant hats. Amid the production of these fashionable items that last only for a season and for the feast of eyes, inhumane hunting activities continue to threaten the lives of birds. The major scrutiny here is not only to unveil the evilness of exploiting animals but the underlying irony of ownership. Human beings seem to have captured and caged birds, yet their most precious qualities, the freedom of flying in the blue sky, is never under arrest. Each feather on the hat is a piece of evidence of past flying in the breeze and fliting across shadows and sunshine. Yet the torn and glued feathers on hat are no longer part of the flying movement but a fossil-like history of the vanished freedom. Long for the free soul and body, human as hunters are sarcastically taking away freedom from other kinds. The ironic human decision, the uncontrolled behaviour driven by desire and the sacrifice of the Nature are what truly Eunice decides to address. Her profound and solemn concerns for the wildlife, the intricate observation towards humanity, together with the surrealistic beauty and fine techniques, compose one of shiniest gems in contemporary art.

Cindy Lim - Dec 2014