Arrow Factory is very pleased to present a new work by Guangzhou-based video artist Cai Hui entitled Forgiveness. The 4-channel video installation is a collection of short clips that capture various city dwellers in heightened emotional states. From a distraught girl on the phone, to confessions of loneliness from a homeless man, to an ecstatic group engaged in a ritual of releasing live fish into the wild, Cai assembles these rich moments together to read as a process of forgiveness and letting go. In one scene, the song “Queen’s Road East” is sung at a roadside karaoke. The song refers to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong back to the mainland and speaks of awkwardness and difficulty in adjusting to change.
With a voyeur-like quality, Cai Hui’s vernacular filmic style breaks down the barrier between those behind and in front of the lens, revealing the close and intimate relationships he often has with his subjects. Rather than orchestrating the perfect shot, Cai works in documentary fashion, spending extended periods of time with people who are attempting to cope with their particular situations. Cai uses video as a tool to explore his own personal questions about the world and reveal deeper emotional states that lie behind mundane exteriors.
Cai Hui (b. 1983, Zhanjiang, Guangdong) received his M.A. from South China Normal University in 2010. His work has been shown at the Times Museum (Guangzhou), Organ Haus (Chongqing), Gaffa Gallery (Sydney), PARASITE (Hong Kong) with a solo exhibition held at Observation Society (Guangzhou) in 2014. He lives and works in Guangzhou.
