Art Projects Gallery is proud to introduce Hong Kong artist Jay Lau Ka Chun’s Solo Exhibition “Regarding the indifference of us”.

Artist Statement
A large sum of images depicting the past, present, and future of a place is made accessible through the internet: television media produced by interpreting local and or foreign cultures; propaganda produced by governments; news images produced by the media; personal photography or drawings uploaded onto social media networks… These images feature a place in various settings continuously, hence influencing and even molding how we understand a place, and our emotions attached to it. So, regarding the place one grows up and lives in, how do images affect one’s impression on said place?

“Regarding the indifference of us” showcases my works in recent years, which are some of my saved found images after processing. In which the images shown were selected from films, advertisements, and news, all illustrating Hong Kong in various eras, such as street views, night views, different generations of Star Ferry; the Lunar New Year Fireworks Display in recent years; all previous winners of Miss Hong Kong Pageant and how they won, etc.

When faced with images of the same place but with different contents, the bliss and anxiety once experienced in that place get overwhelming, overcome with too many emotions to handle, not knowing if being objective is the right thing to do, bias and reason are intertwined endlessly. Losing my breath standing too close, so I distance myself from crowds and save myself; straying too far only leads to feeling numb and cold, so I walk back in under shame, so on and so forth. When reviewing the images, their original purpose and the content they refer to start to deviate, what images mean to us changes with us, this might be one of the ways to address society as a spectated reality interpreted by images.

The images shown in “Regarding the indifference of us” are printed on different materials, such as heat insulation aluminum foil, wood, newspaper, and cement, using printmaking techniques. Through processing found images and printing them on various materials, the contexts of images marry those of materials to create new meanings, the same image on different surfaces; the same surface with different images printed on, they are all up for different interpretations, the real content of the works is made up of images, materials, and us.

Through images, we can see scenes we were not there to witness in person, or provoke memories of being there witnessing, or even look into the future and imagine what might go on out of reason. However, when said images are products of others, we are always standing on the other end of the shore, leaving a long river between us, gazing at the fireworks display which supposedly stands for prosperity and stability, despite having been there in person.

At last, maybe we have to ask, “Who are we? What is our relationship with them?”

“Regarding the indifference of us” exhibition runs from 18 Jun 2022 till 13 Jul 2022 at Art Projects Gallery.

About Jay Lau
Jay Lau (b. 1997) obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019 and is presently studying for his MFA there. He has taken up various part-time jobs, including as an art tutor, teaching assistant, technician, art mover, and other different types of temporary staff in the art field.

藝途畫廊榮幸呈獻香港年輕藝術家劉家俊個人展覽《隔岸觀煙與花》。

創作者自述

透過互聯網，我們能找到大量描繪某個地方過去、現在、未來的圖像: 來自本土或外來文化詮釋而成的影視作品、政府官方的政治宣傳、媒體的新聞照片、個人拍攝或繪製並上載於社交網絡上的貼文......他們的圖像不斷地給我們展示那個地方是這樣、那樣的，影響及塑造了我們對該地方的理解和情感。那麼，對於我們自身成長和生活的地方，圖像又如何影響我們對此地的觀感?

《隔岸觀煙與花》展示了本人將近年儲存的部份現成圖像經過處理後的作品。當中出現的圖像選取自電影、廣告及新聞，描繪了香港不同年代的景況，例如街景、夜景、天星小輪於不同時期的樣貌、近年維港兩岸的跨年煙花匯演和歷屆香港小姐冠軍的得獎情況等。

 面對這些指涉同一地方但不同內容的圖像，曾經的樂在其中或是提心吊膽隨之湧來，過多的情感佔據不知應否繼續保持的客觀，偏執與理性持續糾纏不清。站得太近喘不過氣來，唯有離群獨處善吾身；走得太遠又漸覺麻木與冷漠，愧疚之下再次步入其中，不斷重覆。在來回審視這些圖像的過程中，圖像的原生目的及指涉內容產生變化，圖像對我們的意義隨著我們而改變，這可能是應對圖像演釋現實的景觀社會的方法之一。

《隔岸觀煙與花》中作品的圖像以版畫技術印刷於不同物料上，包括保溫鋁紙、木板、報紙和水泥。透過將現成圖像加工處理並印刷於不同物料之上，圖像與物料的意義互相影響，同一圖像於不同物料之上、同一物料印上不同圖像都可產生不同的解讀空間，作品的內容由圖像、物料與我們踫撞而成。

透過圖像，我們可以看見不曾親眼目睹的景況，或可喚起親歷其景的回憶，甚至能預想到將來情理之外的發展。但面對他人製作的圖像， 我們始終站在彼岸，隔著一道長河遠觀那場像徵繁榮興旺、安定無憂的煙花匯演，即使我們曾經身處其中。

到最後，我們或許要問，我們是誰? 我們與他們又是怎樣的關係?

關於劉家俊

劉家俊1997年生於中國廣東，現居於香港。他於2019年在香港中文大學藝術系取文學學士畢業，現於同系修讀藝術碩士。劉氏曾經從事各種兼職工作，包括藝術導師、助教、技術員、藝術搬運工及於藝術領域中不同類型的臨時工作人員。