Alisan Fine Arts is pleased to present Chloe Ho's first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. Ho, a young, up and coming Eurasian artist belongs to a new generation of talented artists born in the 1980's. Although she was born in USA, she has spent most of her formative years in Hong Kong and considers it home. Having said that, she is aware of the arbitrariness of cultural biases and believes that good art transcends ethnicity and can be appreciated by anyone. The exhibition consists of around 25 recent works (dated 2010-2012), many were created especially for the show. Ranging from sketches on paper to oil on canvas, they are mostly portraits - some with faces and others that are of a group of headless people, forcing one to focus instead on their posture, clothing and body language. The title of the exhibition "Do You Know Me?" reinforces this idea. It asks the viewer to ascertain what they can from whatever visual information there is. As explained by Ho, "I believe the series has such universal appeal because it can speak to everyone, a gesture, a nuance, our posture and proximity and the way we look at each other is of endless fascination and is ultimately relatable."
Chloe Ho's works reflect a pictorial reasoning that is influenced by a fourth dimension. The fourth dimension is the artist's sensibility, method and execution that both reflects reality and intensifies it. No matter what the genre, the artist's purpose is to penetrate some essential truth. In terms of Chloe Ho's work she exhibits aesthetic truth, psychological insights, social consciousness and spiritual awareness that engage the viewer. From the simplest line drawings to the most complex paintings, she encapsulates her experience and visions in art.
The 25 paintings on display can be further divided into 3 different series: the "Do you know me?" oil paintings, the "Shakespeare Envisioned" drawings and the "Face" sketches. The oil paintings are drawn on narrow horizontal canvases providing a window into everyday life. Some depict 3 to 4 different headless people at cocktail parties dressed in trendy clothes while in stark contrast others depict a group of men in jeans or workers at the gas station. The format of the canvas and the cropping of the portraits provide a new visual effect of figurative painting which oozes the richness and contradictions of modern life. The "Shakespeare Envisioned" series consists of portraits inspired by Shakespeare characters. Working with charcoal on paper the strokes are bold and confident while the "Face" sketches use more fluid and refined strokes.
When asked if her works are more Chinese or more Western, Ho believes that her oil paintings are more traditionally Western in its medium and aesthetic, but her Chinese influence can be seen in her charcoal work and paper paintings which use strong and bold strokes. "I admire the elegant and simple colour palate of ink paintings along with the deftness and precision of the strokes," comments Ho. She was fortunate enough to have studied under both Western teachers and a Chinese professor, however, Ho believes in the universal appeal of art so does not wish to be labeled as either a Chinese or American artist but rather a global artist whose works can be admired by all.
About the artist
Chloe Ho was born in 1987 in California, USA, and has lived in Hong Kong since the age of 5. Her father is Chinese and mother is American. During her school in Hong Kong, she studied painting under Joanne Vanin (Italo-Canadian artist) and had Susanna Blunt (Canadian portrait artist) as a mentor. She finished her studies at Mills College in California in 2010, and studied under Liu Hung (born 1948 Changchun, Jilin Province, China, Chinese-American contemporary artist) and Moira Roth (born 1933, American art historian and critic).
Chloe Ho has participated in a group exhibition at the Kevin Milligan Gallery in Danville, California, USA in 2010, as well as a group show organized by Time Magazine for the handover in 1997 at the China Club, Hong Kong in which she was recognized for her age category. Her works are collected by private collectors in Washington DC, California, USA, and Hong Kong.
Artist available for interviews. Please contact Kathleen Mak at 2526 1091 to set up an appointment or if you need additional information or images.
