Opening Reception
15 November, 5pm to 7pm
Galerie du Monde, 11 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong
Artist Statement
Old Landscape: Lightning, Water and Rocks
The original meaning of "old landscape" is the landscape of the Earth before mankind came into existence, or even shortly after the birth of life.
It is said that life on Earth began in a "primordial soup" of water, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, minerals and electricity; water was the medium, the minerals were the materials, and the electricity was the catalyst - the Earth was once a kitchen, where life was created from a heated mixture of gases and elements electrified.
It's interesting to think of landscapes in scientific terms. The rocks are the minerals, the water is the mediator, and the electricity is the tree.
This assumption is at the core of my series of works, which is inspired by my love for Chinese landscape painting, but I also feel that its inherited format is inadequate for contemporary artistic expression, which unexpectedly pushes me to experiment with different mediums and concepts.
Today, when we talk about landscapes, we naturally have more perspectives than the ancients did, and the scientific perspective is one of the overlooked aspects. From the development of life science on earth to astrophysics, all kinds of phenomena that cannot be comprehended visually not only expand our horizons, but also make us think about our own position in nature and the universe, as well as the purpose of our lives.
By taking a cosmic view of the visible nature of mankind, and by incorporating the Chinese philosophy of Taoism and the discourse of landscape, a subtle relationship can be discerned.
Art is a tool for me to interact with the world, and returning to the primitive world and looking to the infinite universe is my way of resisting the unbearable reality.
Kurt Chan, 2023
