Art Projects Gallery is delighted to present “She Looks Blue”, a solo exhibition by Cold Ears Factory. Cold Ears Factory is a collaborative studio formed by Hong Kong artists Eastman Cheng and Joey Leung. Inspired by Chinese blue and white porcelain art that feature intricate floral patterns, this series of work creates a three-dimensional version of the “blue and white” motif, featuring fun and quirky sculptures that reflect nature, people and life, injected with the artists’ sense of humor and philosophical narratives.
Artist Statement - In traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain art, floral motifs in blue tones permanently glazed into ceramics wares portray a sense of everlasting elegance. However, imagine if a flower were to really turn blue, it must be feeling a little giddy, its legs or rather, stalk, may be turning a little soft, unable to stand upright. This playful thought inspired Cold Ears Factory to come up with their latest solo exhibition titled “She Looks Blue”.
Drawings inspiration from the forms and characteristics of various floral species and together with the artist duo’s fertile imaginations, Cold Ears Factory created a series of “blue and white” sculptures using a combination of medium that include fabrics in various hues of blue, handcrafted ceramics clay and other materials. In the exhibition, each sculpture is placed together against the particular flower species that had influenced the piece, revealing to the viewers the metaphorical connections that the artists had in mind and also allow the space for new meanings to be created in the viewers’ minds. Cold Ears Factory’s mixed media sculptures set the “blue and white” aesthetics in a refreshing new light, offering reinterpretations of the genre in a philosophical and contemporary context.
About Cold Ears Factory - “Cold Ears Factory” is Eastman Cheng and Joey Leung’s studio, established in October 2009. It is the “brand name” for their collaborative works. The exploration of new media for artistic expressions is important to Cold Ears Factory, and the artists try to use materials and medium that are outside of their usual individual practices.
About Artists
Eastman, CHENG Shuk-yee
Cheng Shuk Yee graduated with Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Bachelor of Arts from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. After 3 years of work as a product designer, Cheng began to like making “mountains and rivers” (a Chinese idiom for landscape). In 2008, she started the “Landscape Furniture” series, featuring useless furniture “copy” made by the artist to resemble a landscape familiar to all. Since then, her major exhibitions on “Landscape Furniture” had included “Swimming Pool” (2009) and “Gymnasium” (2010). Cheng believes “objects” are traces of human activity. Through meditating objects designed by others, the artist transforms them according to her feelings and experiences into a peculiar human landscape.
Joey Leung Ka-yin
Graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, BA (Fine Arts), 2000 ; MFA,2007 ), Leung Ka Yin combines traditional Chinese painting and popular culture in her paintings. She explores the use of contemporary writing equipments to present the flavor of Chinese art, trying to push the boundary of different media. It’s also an attempt to introspect the reception and interpretation of traditional images in the age of information abundance. Stories in her artworks depict her feeling and fantasy towards modern life. Joey has been creating the series of “Photo mirror” since 2012. The juxtaposition of photo and drawing constructs a dialogue to let “observation” and “imagination” reflect each other.
