For the second consecutive year 10 Chancery Lane Gallery will provide a platform to Hong Kong favourite, pioneering conceptual artist, Frog King (aka Kwok Mang-Ho) for his new, solo exhibition of mixed media, performance art, large and small scale canvases, screen work and a large in-situ installation. From Tuesday 1 December, engage and experience the latest works of Hong Kong’s award-winning creative mastermind.
10 Chancery Lane Gallery’s Director Katie De Tilly will curate work produced by Frog King in the last year and a half, making his current cultural products accessible to the general public for the first time. One of Hong Kong’s most iconic and dynamic artists, Frog King’s non-conventional works quite literally jumps off the canvas: highly interactive in nature, the larger than life personality will perform a new performance work which will be painted along Chancery Lane’s former prison wall on Tuesday 1 December between 6.30-8.30pm.
Breaking boundaries since the 1960s, Kwok is China’s first performance artist (having undertaken his legendary Plastic Bag performance project at the Great Wall in 1979), participating in more than 3,000 art events internationally and receiving numerous international awards and honors. The vibrant and prolific Frog King has long been considered ahead of his time. Now is the time for recognition and celebration of the gregarious artist that represented Hong Kong at the 54th Venice Biennale.
Described by Ai Wei Wei as “an original artist who has developed his own unique form and language”, Frog King’s works are part of his conceptual utopia that incorporates his philosophy of action and free spirit happenings – what the artist himself refers to as “Hark Bun Lum.” His works are either highly experimental and spontaneous creations or quiet meditative moments. Visitors to the gallery can explore Frog King’s life and fascinating work process through an explorative photo-documentary of his life by photographer Margaux Helleu, which Katie has incorporated into the exhibition.
Advocate of Chinese Contemporary art and talented home-grown artists, Gallery Director Katie de Tilly has been driving the contemporary arts’ culture in Hong Kong through her support of the region’s best and emerging artists. With her minimalist approach, Katie has condensed and translated a year’s worth of work into an exhibition which reveals more about the man behind the signature Froggy persona. “Every Hong Konger should own a Frog King: his small works are little gems. He paints an array of imagery that mixes graffiti and ink art into one. He burns the paper and sometimes creates odd shapes. His ability to express himself takes turns in all directions. I feel these small works possess a more contemplative side to Frog King that few people know,” says Katie de Tilly, Director of 10 Chancery Lane Gallery.
Frog King admits his series of small paintings are particularly introspective, “When I paint these small works, I am totally free. I usually do them at night while I watch TV and get inspiration or when I am in restaurants. I paint whatever comes to my head. The brush leads me into any dimension. I call them Frog Fun Life painting.”
Supporters of Frog King and 10 Chancery Lane Gallery are invited to attend the exclusive preview of Frog King’s recent works on Tuesday1 December between 6.30-8.30pm.
About Frog King
Kwok Mang Ho, often dubbed as the most eccentric and unconventional Hong Kong artist, has devoted the past 40 years to pursuing his art and extending his artistic worldview to his companions and the public.
Kwok has produced numerous performances, sculptures, paintings and installations in over 3,000 art events all over the world since 1967. He has won several awards, including the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Emeritus Fellowship in 1998. He started the “Frog King Kwok Museum” project in 2001.
Kwok is talented in transforming any space into an installation almost intuitive and his artwork covers a wide creative range, including painting, sculpture, environmental installations and video installations, to happenings and performances. While often labelled as a contemporary arts fanatic, Kwok has a strong foundation in traditional arts, specializing in Chinese ink painting and calligraphy.
Undoubtedly, since the early 70s Kwok has been the pioneer of unconventional arts in Hong Kong. While most other artists were working in the realist tradition in Hong Kong, he was focusing installation, performance and other forms of art that were unheard of in the 70s and 80s.
From plastic bags, steel, burnt plastic pipes and found objects, to fire and rotten eggs – almost anything becomes his raw materials for sculptures or installations. In his installation process, Kwok goes beyond the established space, spinning and weaving his materials throughout, as spontaneously as a spider spinning a web, forging a connection between Kwok and the audience and between the audience themselves.
About Margaux Helleu
Margaux is a French/Dutch photographer who is currently living, studying and working in Hong Kong. From an early age, Margaux used photography as a way of seeing and remembering moments of everyday life that are often taken for granted or are lost in our memory. Inspired by early memories of Hong Kong as a child, Margaux has returned to capture these early memories and the unique vibe of the city.
