We are delighted to present 2+2 local emerging artists in this joint exhibition. It happened to be two friends sharing a working studio; four artists in two pairs, and two studios. Like the old saying goes, “making friends is easy but sharing a room is hard”. As we probably remember from the college days, getting along with the roommate is no easy. Once graduated, these roommates become the top choices to share a place with if we intent to leave parents’ apartment and be independent. It’s the same case for sharing studio rent if someone wishes to have a place to keep making art; especially with the expensive rental rate in Hong Kong. After graduation, CC Ling Pui Sze and Law Ka-nam Bosco have found a suitable working studio in Tsuen Wan, while Zhang Xiaoli and Cheng Tan Shan Sam have settled down into a studio in Kwai Hing.

Visually appearing like abstract works, CC Ling Pui Sze mainly focuses on collage of mix media. She obsessed in the process of deconstructing and recomposing. In her works, we can see organic forms continuously splitting and combining, like replicating the evolution of life. Most of her works are over one meter, and some are even longer than two meters. Her style seems like freely expressed ink painting, but it is not difficult to see rich details inside. Ling is inspired by the evolution of cells, and she enlarges pictures of various changing forms of splitting and combining. Though working in the same studio, Law Ka-nam Bosco has a very different approach. He works mostly within the half meter size range, pencil painting of geometric patterns with extreme details. Depicting patterns, because they do not forming into any recognizable thing, or sketch of some design. Law makes no advance plans for the overall painting while composing the works; instead, he paints from inside out gradually and spontaneously with imagination. Similarly, the creating process of Ling also involves making collages without drafting. This is akin to the cells which have been evolving for billions of years but still not knowing the final forms they are going to be.

Both Zhang Xiaoli and Cheng Tan Shan Sam are passionate with traditional Chinese ink painting. They wish not only to explore new possibilities in the mainstream contemporary art, but also to inherit the traditions. Both decide to adopt the styles and techniques of Chinese delineative painting (Gongbi Hua) painting, which requires years of practicing, but apply with ironic themes that reflect the distorted landscapes with human modernization. Using the Lego idea of interlocking bricks, Zhang replaced the rules of Chinese painting in structuring mountains, stones, flowers and trees, swapping the ink strokes into Lego blocks. The traditional concept of ink painting emphasizes the landscapes which live within the heart. Therefore, the appreciating of a landscape painting recalls a feeling like actually travelling through the mountains and rivers. Zhang merges the restructuring ability of Lego landscapes into the crowded metropolis life where one can only appreciate the scenery by building up the blocks in free time, and then dismantle them for storing in a limited space in reality. Cheng often blends consumer product images into the landscapes, implying that the urban dwellers live with contradictory attitudes towards nature, and are confused with artificiality and nature. Her works explore the insight of the paradoxical behavior of city residents. While endlessly extracting the natural resources, they crave the beauty of nature; intending to package the notion of nature’s vigour into a noble pursuit and living attitude. Perhaps, only the few pots of plants near the windows are the ruins of nature in the concrete forest built green-free.

Somehow influences may be exchanged between two people under the same roof for a while. People, who can’t get along with one another, won’t think of sharing a studio. It’s not only that their personalities complement each other, but there’s also some level of similarity on their artistic creativity. It’s an interesting natural phenomenon; maybe we can call it “as birds of a feather flock together”. It could be the results of working in the same studio, accompanying each other though each person is busy with own work, encouraging, communicating, criticizing, advising and developing together. The four artists come from different backgrounds with varied directions and methods of art making, searching for their own unique styles in this ever-changing stage of the contemporary art. They inherit the traditional culture while pursuing innovation, and marrying both in the process of their creations.