Description
Fung Chim is an astute observer of the Hong Kong urban landscape he resides in, especially the spatial interaction between the artificial architecture and the trees that decorate the urban spaces. His works highlight elements of beauty that exist within the familiar landscape that we might walk past every day but fail to notice. He chooses to forgo the depth from conventional western perspective. Instead of creating a space viewers can project themselves into, this foregrounds the pattern that is formed by the foliage of trees, sometimes contrasted with tiled walls, so that each element has equal presence and is not overlooked. In his works, every individual element is depicted in meticulous detail, each leave, flower petal, branch and tile are rendered with the same precision. In Orchidtree, the detail in the tiled wall in the background is such that you can see the cracks within the tiny square tiles, how sections of the wall have faded in colour, and even faint shadows in indentations where tiles have fallen off. Though no humans are depicted in his paintings, it is in such details of wear and tear that indicate the human history within the urban fabric. In his other paintings within this exhibition, Fung Chim focuses on the trees themselves and leaves the background white, letting the viewer admire the complexity and different characteristics of different trees. Sunshinetree, Common Red Stem, Indian Almond are all common trees that we see dotted amongst boulevards and green spaces within Hong Kong. It is something we might see walking past our neighbourhood every day and yet how many of us have bothered to notice their names and individual character? With his signature style, Fung Chim brings the beauty of the neglected everyday nature around us and we are inspired to look more closely for moments of beauty in the mundane.
