Hong Kong Students Prize 2022

“On holidays, my brother aimlessly journeys through the day, lying on my bed and often just looking at his phone. He does not know his goals; he does not know his direction. Through this painting, I wish to express the confusion of teenagers who lack purpose and direction.”  

“The multiple faces in the painting represent the multiple personalities that reside within a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder. For some, lives and jobs are affected due to their inability to remember certain things. This is represented by the scattering of squares across the different faces. Through this piece, I hope to let people better understand what Dissociative Identity Disorder is and how it affects society, as well as to implore everyone to not discriminate against them, and instead to help them on their journey to recovery.”  

“This digital art piece is an experiment with the integration of math and art, creating bizarre and almost painting-like effects with pixel-sorting computer algorithms that I wrote, partially sorting the image pixels according to their luminosity and its Laplacian. The thousands of bright individual pixels above the digital 3D rendering, a fictional skyline of Hong Kong, represent the vast amount of data uploaded to the Cloud every second in the new Information Age.” 

“This self-portrait depicts me standing in front of a mirror inside a tiny toilet. I was trying to get ready for school. The toilet was the most familiar yet scary place while I was suffering from depression. I always vomited, sobbed, and hid in it. Every night, a soaked pillow and the shiny moon are my company. Not being able to sleep made me feel irritable and extremely tired. Apart from making me unable to do even the little things in daily life, it also made me feel hopeless and desperate.”  

“Depression is a common mental disease. Patients may feel grief, or lose interest in the things around them. These symptoms can last for a long time.   

The main theme of my work is the cause of depression. I have chosen watercolour as the medium. The three men in the centre of the painting shrink and sit inside broken cardboard boxes, surrounded by glass bottles in different sizes, representing people who choose to escape and self-enclose when facing problems, causing depression.  

No matter what, patients of depression should face their conditions, and seek medical support as soon as possible. Through the artwork, I want to help the public understand the causes of depression in a more detailed way and find a method of curing – helping patients escape the control of depression.”  

“In Chinese culture, the dragon represents good luck, strength, health, and the male element Yang. The dragon is unique because it is the only mythical creature of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac.”  

“Goldfish are generated for ornamental use; they are bred to be a colour that is desirable to humans. In the past, having goldfish was a luxury entertainment only the noble could afford. Yet, my pet goldfish has lost its vision under traditional beauty standards: some have lost eyes and have abnormal swimming positions. What is the standard of beauty and perfection? Is my goldfish defective? Why should I follow the standard?” 

“Perfection is not defined, only we can define perfection. Everything in the world may have flaws or imperfections, but they are still beautiful, as accomplishments could only be attained by both their shine and shadow. So maybe as long as we choose to admire them and we’re content with them, they’re all perfect. Similarly, we should treat ourselves the same way.”  

“The work indicates my origins: my family lineage, bloodline, ancestry, and statues from ancient times – since I live in a small village with a long history, Sha Tau Kok. The knot in my work links a hundred families, representing the harmony and close relationships between different ethnic groups.  

By collecting and stitching old clothes into my artwork, I connect memories, stories, and history with various pieces of cloth. This expresses close relationships and echoes collective memories of the villagers in the Sha Tau Kok Village.  

The work is the ensign of our village, highlighting our spirits and values that we treasure.”  

“I recalled some important dates where I spent time with my grandmother and matched them with the twelve Chinese solar terms. This piece of work has become a calendar that only belongs to my grandmother and me.”  

“My painting explores human interactions and connections in the context of Hong Kong’s local communities. During the pandemic, I visited a local wet market and was interested in the notion of tangible disconnections and intangible connections within neighbourhoods; and how the wet markets are central to this.  

In the diptych, the two market vendors are literally separated by the disconnected canvases. Their masked faces and contrasting environments also show a physical disconnection. Despite that, through the men’s similar posture and direct gaze, there is a suggested deep rooted link between the two. The work conveys the bond of a community that is not tied down by physical boundaries and unexpected obstacles.”  

“MVPs, an acronym for ‘most valuable players’, describes the inner worlds of my family. Each photo frame is decorated to mimic a different video game player selection page, where each of my family members are showcased. Similar to default game characters, each family member has special features, strengths, and weaknesses, which can be told through their inner worlds. The frames are decorated by pop-up collages of images I have drawn digitally, stickers, and papier-mâché game consoles.”  

“Someone said setting goals can motivate one to push to their limit! Finding a comfortable place to live is one of the most difficult games to win. 

To leave a boy to stare at a group of constructions, like a fish-eye lens, pressing together an environment of apartments and allowing people to consider what the boy thinks.”  

“It is selfish of human beings to destroy the ocean ecosystem. There is no doubt we will reap what we have sown.”  

“The title of my work is called “Struggle” – depicting a myriad of hands of the elderly competing daily for cardboard boxes in order to make end meet. The picture tries to capture the poor quality of life amongst the elderly population in Hong Kong. With the newspaper cuttings pasted into the painting, I’m trying to depict the elderly’s harsh living conditions, and their lack of basic necessities and ability to work. Through this work, I hope to promote better public awareness of the aging population and the consequential problems that come with it.”