The works about time: The Court

A work of poetic ingenuity, it questions whether truth can withstand the test of time and fleeting memories, and even challenges the false sense of safety that permanence is guaranteed in digital duplication of images.

This image of the Court of Final Appeal was taken in 2019. The Court is responsible for upholding the independent judicial power guaranteed under the Hong Kong Basic Law. However, the resignation from several foreign judges and the new national security law has given rise to concerns about its ability to continue upholding judicial independence.

The artist published the image, re-download the file, then published it again the next day. He repeated this activity every day for a period of time. Every time the image was uploaded and downloaded it lost a bit of details due to compression. After several iterations, the loss of clarity became apparent and the image looks very different from when it first started.

This work defies easy categorisation. Is it digital photography? Or is it process art? And is this work ever finished? The audience is invited to think while also questioning how truth is represented and re-written in the future, when memory fades and one day today becomes history.

LEUNG Lok-hei Giraffe

Leaves of white champaca, Hong Kong coins, traditional Chinese characters - these are but some of Leung Lok Hei Giraffe’s visual dialogues and emotional projections towards the intimate yet ever-changing elements that weave one’s imaginaries towards the constitution of Hong Kong identity. With an exceptional experimentation on mixed media and conceptual expression, Leung renders his artistic language a sensitive and thought-provoking channel in the re-imagination of our daily, local encounter. Anchoring on a myriad of mediums and materials, together with his personal sensitivity towards the dynamics between the seen and the unseen, Giraffe’s works seek to engage the audience with an experience that redirect their attention to happenings one shall never be accustomed to.

In the past year, the artist continues his artistic experimentation with found objects and instantly reacts to the daily nonsense with his works. While rendering his works as a form of documentation, the artist also proactively engages the audience with an experience that probes a powerful reflection on the power dynamics between our daily encounter and biopolitics. For him, the recent social movement in Hong Kong was a collective spontaneous action where common people were connected by the same belief for democracy and freedom. As an artist, he regards his work as a mere reflection of what every one on the street can do.

Giraffe is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His work was featured in the Art Basel Hong Kong 2021 and an exhibition at the La Galerie Paris 1839. He has been featured in articles for New York Times, ARTnews and Hong Kong Free Press.

Based on our agreement with the artist, 20% of the pre-VAT price excluding frames will be donated to support the social movement. Donation will be split equally across Hong Kong Watch and Hong Kong Assistance and Resettlement Community