Famous by Proxy: Ernest Chang’s Provocative Art
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Why We Recommend it
Provocative Hong Kong artist merges together popular Japanese manga characters and figures from high art classics in his lates show “Famous By Proxy” .
Description
After his part stirring, part thought-provoking solo show “Tear and Consume” in November 2018, in which guests were—as the title suggests—invited to tear up and interact physically with his works, Chang new exhibition foregrounds the conflict between manga and Western classical art.
The compositions in his works allude to the classical iconography of important European paintings since the Renaissance. At the same time, these works are populated by instantly recognisable characters lifted from contemporary mass culture originating from the U.S. and Japan.
Through juxtaposing the art-historical significance of famous paintings with the global popularity of cartoon and anime figures Chang attempts to fuse the Western artistic tradition with our contemporary visual culture and elevate the truth, beauty, and wisdom that he sees in both. The exhibition showcases 14 acrylic silkscreen canvases, some with more than 12 layers of colour which are shown publicly for the first time.
Please note that after the initial pop-up in Ethos (Kennedy Town) from 27 September to 2 October 2019, all works will be moved to The Stallery in Wanchai for exhibition from 4 October to 27 October 2019.
