Exhibition Statement
The three artists in this joint exhibition – Waverly Wong, Toby Wong, and Maria Cheung – come from diverse backgrounds. It is hard to believe they studied together at the Hong Kong Art School and RMIT University School of Art, a fascinating twist of fate that can also serve as a source of inspiration. The ideas that sparked from their unexpected encounter developed into the central theme of this exhibition.
These three artists believe that once the “random thoughts mechanism” is activated, it is as if our senses, consciousness, and mind are freely wandering, giving rise to fragmented thoughts that are, in fact, “gifts to artists”. By closely observing these random thoughts, they can reflect on the present and transform them into deeply personal creations, a process of recognizing and integrating their authentic selves.
The trio maintain that creativity and inspiration are not born from emptiness, but rather from their unique experiences, stories, and understandings of the world. This aligns with the author’s own invaluable experience of “random thoughts” during high school bus rides from the New Territories to Hong Kong Island. During these journeys, the author’s mind would often wander, producing fragments of stories, various images, snippets of music, and even video game design ideas. It turns out that emptying one’s mind and focusing on visuals can stimulate the latent associative powers of the right brain, providing valuable resources for creation.
Waverly, Toby, and Maria’s exploration of the “random thoughts mechanism” in their creative process reminds the author of the psychological model proposed by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Jung believed that the developmental focus of a person’s first half of life is on the conscious self, but it is only in middle age that the individualized journey, as he called it, begins to pursue the “Self”. This journey is, in fact, a continuous “self-discovery” process, which is a conscious self-exploration.
Jung emphasized the vital role of the “unconscious” in this process. While random thoughts may seem chaotic, the unconscious, a collection of primal desires, is difficult to understand and control, yet serves as a source of creativity and vitality. Jung also proposed the concept of “archetypes” – universal, inherited notions, thinking patterns, or psychological images that exist in all human beings, reflecting the “collective unconscious” of humanity.
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From an early age, Waverly Wong had recurring dreams in which the people were initially unclear to her. However, when she met a “he” in high school, she realized that he had appeared in her dreams before. As she grew older, with more exposure and friendship, she believes that some of the people she encountered have appeared in her dreams, or perhaps in her past lives.
In this exhibition, Waverly presents a series of paintings “Karma” based on memories of a man she met before. Some of the memories come from recurring dreams, while others are images that suddenly flash through her mind. These memories are not from the present, so one might wonder if they are from her previous lives. Waverly’s grandfather passed away in 2017, and about two to three years later, the artist dreamed of him floating in mid-air, walking towards a glowing door, with ox-head and horse-face hell guards on each side. The artist presents this image as a three-dimensional sculpture “Ox-headed and Horse-faced Demons in Hades”. The artist, who is unfamiliar with Buddhism, woke up one morning with a clear image of a floating Buddha figure in her mind. She then created a three-dimensional work “The Vision” based on this image, and later reflected on its meaning.
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Toby Wong’s artworks present a realm that is both distant and intimate, thanks to her abstract tendencies and colour-focused approaches. Her canvases often feel like windows, offering a sense of remove from the viewer even as they invite deeper contemplation.
In recent works like “Secluded in the Blue” and “Faded Welki”, the subtle tension of the hazy blue hues, punctuated by hints of geometric shapes, suggests the presence of another, parallel space. Toby’s meticulous layering of paint, creating an atmospheric, misty quality, serves as a visual exploration of her own interior landscape. The dark horizontal bands in pieces like “To Simply Be, To Simply Stand, A Scene is Unfolding” evoke the impression of a horizon line, further drawing the viewer into her introspective realm.
Toby’s artistic process reflects her background in commercial image production, which has granted her an intimate understanding of colour, texture, and composition. Her paintings exhibit a meticulously balanced palette and brushwork yet maintain a sense of spiritual resonance within their simple forms. The geometric shapes, at times evoking the impression of doorways, invite the viewer to ponder the act of entering, exiting, arriving, or departing – a contemplation mirrored in the ambiguous, open-ended nature of Toby’s creative process.
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At first glance, Maria Cheung’s “Endless” photography series appears to be a straightforward documentary of nature. However, upon closer inspection, these images transcend their surface-level depiction, becoming a poignant metaphor for the imprints and disappearance of memory.
Maria’s high-definition photographs of tree bark reveal a weathered, textured surface akin to the wrinkles of a centenarian. These ancient, scarred exteriors carry the weight of time, each crack and groove a testament to the tree’s enduring life cycle. Drawing on a Chinese idiom that extols the decade-long growth of a tree and the century-long nurturing of a man, Maria’s work prompts viewers to contemplate the relentless passage of time and its impact on all living things.
Even as the trees appear strong and resolute, their vulnerability to the forces of nature – wind, rain, infestation – is also evident. This duality mirrors the human experience, where we seek to maintain our resilience in the face of life’s inevitable cycles of birth, aging, illness, and death. The fallen sawdust and discarded bark become symbols of these endings, while also signifying the beginnings of new growth.
Maria concludes her “Endless” series with the “Rebirth” photographs, featuring vibrant, smooth tree barks that radiate a sense of hopeful potential. This juxtaposition invites reflection on the eternal rhythms of life, where every ending carries the seeds of a new chapter. As the artist herself has expressed, these images represent a “new chapter I author in this world; beneath your guidance my colours unfurled” – a testament to the enduring power of creativity to find beauty and meaning amid the passage of time.
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Collectively, the artistic creations of Waverly, Toby, and Maria serve as powerful gateways into the mysterious realms of the “collective unconscious” and the search for the “Self”. Through their courageous exploration of the subconscious, these artists invite us to embark on our own journey of self-discovery, ultimately shaping a more complete understanding of the human experience.
Carl Cheng
Beyond Chaos, Only Creation — Exhibition at The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School
Exhibition Period: 16 Aug – 24 Sep 2024
Time: 11am – 8pm (Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays)
Venue: The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School (10/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong)
Artists: Maria Cheung | Toby Wong | Waverly Wong
Opening Reception
Date: 17 Aug 2024
Time: 3pm – 5pm
Artist Sharing and Guided Tour
Session 1
Date: 17 Aug 2024
Time: 3:30pm
Session 2
Date: 31 Aug 2024
Time: 3:30pm