The 13A New Street Art Gallery is proud to present “Who are you?”, the first solo exhibition of works by the renowned multi-talented artist Karl Ting, from 8 – 31 August 2024. The exhibition features over 15 of his artworks. Karl Ting is a well-known Hong Kong artist who has achieved great success not only in singing, film and television, but also in painting. In the past, he has twice participated in the renowned international art event “Affordable Art Fair” as an artist, showcasing his works and demonstrating his exceptional artistic prowess, which has garnered widespread acclaim. Now, Karl Ting is taking his artistic career to new heights by holding his first-ever solo art exhibition. Through his paintings, this highly acclaimed artist presents a side of himself that is rarely seen behind the camera, revealing the genuine sincerity of the human spirit and allowing the audience to glimpse into his inner world.
This exhibition is Karl Ting’s artistic journey of self-exploration and emotional expression. As a multi-talented all-round artist, each of his paintings exudes unique personal sentiments. He meticulously depicts his memories, sensations, and thoughts using paint, revealing the rarely seen inner world of a public figure. Through the use of rich colours, rugged brushstrokes, and bold lines, Karl creates a sense of the roughness of memories, conveying that memories are not always delicate and poignant, but rather imbued with sincerity and simplicity. One of the main themes of the exhibition is the exploration of the process of personal growth. From birth to adulthood, there is happiness, but also the “growing pains” of suffering. Along the way, one faces confusion, worries, and self-doubt. In our youthful curiosity and longing, we constantly experience, experiment, and feel. In each of these experiences, there is not only joy and happiness, but also hurt and pain, filled with the contradictions of life. Amidst the interweaving of joy and sorrow, gains and losses, Ting hopes that his works will evoke the audience’s curiosity and resonance with the depths of their own inner selves.
In his works, Karl Ting also addresses the struggles he is facing, which are the same real-life challenges that many young people are experiencing today. The sense of uncertainty stemming from the pressure of one’s family of origin and interpersonal relationships is something prevalent in Asian families, where the mode of communication is more implicit and less expressive of emotions. There is a social stigma against “wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve.” Particularly for men, they are instilled from a young age to be strong and not to show signs of weakness. As a
male artist, Ting has had fewer opportunities to verbally express his emotions, and so he turns to painting as a means of releasing, understanding, and reconnecting with his inner self. This exhibition is Karl Ting’s emotional catharsis, as well as an opportunity for him to reconcile with himself and become a stronger individual. He hopes that through this exhibition, the audience can also rediscover the long-hidden part of themselves and reconnect with that essential aspect of their being.
Karl Ting is skilled at using rough brushstrokes and lines to create a rugged feel in his paintings, but this does not diminish the refinement of the artworks. The transition between the rough brushstrokes and delicate colours, the balanced use of light and shadow, all reveal Karl Ting’s unique and versatile artistic style. The accumulation of brushstrokes, lines, and layers of paint add tension to the works. His creations are filled with a modern sensibility – concise, clear, and powerful – perfectly complementing the contemporary human self-exploration journey that his works discuss.
He is asking himself the question “who are you?”, which awakens the firm conviction deep within that the thing that can best convince oneself is love. Love allows people to have many beautiful relationships and intimate connections, and these beliefs about love are fully invested into his artworks. In the work <<Needle>>, the two tongues are pressed together intimately, but there is a needle in between, symbolising that in an intimate relationship, every word we say can be a dangerous and sharp weapon. Yet because of love, we will not be afraid of the danger and avoid communication.
In the work <<Pinky Promise>>, when we were young, we loved making a pinky promise with friends as an unbreakable pledge, but everyone knew this gesture had no real binding power. In the present, do you truly believe in it? This is the question Karl Ting leaves for the audience to ponder. He believes that nothing is eternal, and as long as there is a sincere will to keep a promise in the moment of the pinky promise, that is completely sufficient. He hopes that through his art, he can awaken the audience to a deeper understanding of the different forms of love, and the courage to transcend boundaries and embrace the different facets of oneself.
Open to public: 9 – 31 August 2024
Time: 12-7pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)
Venue: 13a New Street Art Gallery, G/F, 13a New Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
