+852
William FURNISS, Anat GIVON, Francesco LIETTI,
Polo BOURIEAU, Simon WAN, Vincent YU, ZENG Nian
25 January - 17 March 2019
La Galerie Paris 1839 is delighted to present the +852 exhibition showcasing art works from seven artists. The exhibition will be held from 25th January to 17th March 2019, with the opening night on 24th January 2019, at La Galerie Paris 1839, G/F 74 Hollywood Road Central.
The exhibition concept starts with 852, which stands for the Hong Kong country code. By dialing +852 it connects Hong Kong to or from another country that has become a local symbolic number of Hong Kong. +852 exhibition features seven artists from different countries with different artistic media such as painting, photography and sculpture art. It integrates a diversified presentation of different perspectives towards Hong Kong.
Central
Anat Givon, 2018, fine art print on Hahnemühle Metallic Baryta paper, 66.7 x 110 cm, 30 editions
In +852 exhibition, Francesco LIETTI’s paintings bring to us the essence of Hong Kong’s famous harbor skyline and through the striking colors, describing the city in an almost caricatured magnificence. By photography and digital editing, Anat GIVON attempted to convey a graphic and joyful interpretation of Hong Kong that looks like an endless expansion of construction around us. Polo BOURIEAU continues his usual practice on sculpture in this exhibition by presenting a contemplative reflection in a contemporary Hong Kong promenade by his mirror polished sculpture. The sculpture bounces back the light on its surface that the sculpture itself becomes part of the landscape that he invites us to learn more about our fundamental nature, purpose and essence. Simon WAN works with the use of multiple exposures, he overlies images of brands and advertisements with intersecting structures of lines in the photographs, presenting a distinctive urban style of Hong Kong under the impact of Capitalism. Vincent YU brings in a long time project that had embarked in 2003. He spent time recording the coastlines indifferent parts of Hong Kong throughout a long period of time. Yu has always been fond of capturing thing whose existence are under threat, he hopes that the work would serve as scattered evidence of what the city once was. For many years William FURNISS’s main subject has been Hong Kong that builds him a delicate observation towards the city. He seeks to record unique circumstances that describe an essential component of the place and tell the stories by this series of photographs. ZENG Nian presents in this project the people he first met in different places. He forms the large portrait by 50 individual images with different focal length and exposure, depicting a person through creative production.
“I hope that the work would serve as scattered evidence of what the city once was. It is my wish that our decedents in years to come would still have means to find out about the past. “ – Vincent YU, 2018.
Polo Bourieau
Born in 1968 in Nantes, France, Polo studied art at the Academie of Nantes before joining the French stonemasons guild Compagnons du Tour de France. By formation, inclination and ability, Polo focuses a great measure of his creative effort in re-kindling the natural relationship between sculpture and architecture through large site-specific commissions.
Collaborating directly with architects and developers, Polo create monumental sculptures for the new agora of the 21st century. He believes that the monumental presence in public space confronts and creates dialogue, and it ignites our curiosity to explore the space we’re living in; It interacts with the community and contributes to understanding our concept of individuality, before defining our collective memories.
Polo is fascinated by memories and identities; the way they’ve been built, the way they function and the place they occupy in the intent to regenerate the city. It is in this context that Polo aim to resolve the impossible equation that arises between international pop culture and local identities, and tries to find continuity between architectonic and urban fabric, with always an element of fun.
Francesco Lietti
Francesco was born in Lecco on the southern shore of Lake Como in Italy. He studied architecture in Milan and furthered his studies in Paris at the École des Beaux Arts, La Seine, and also at the Clerkenwell College of Printing in London. His works are featured in private collections worldwide. Lietti has been living in Hong Kong since early 2006 and his love of this vibrant, eclectic city is immediately apparent in his works, which derives from the mnemonic imagery of the artist, who lives in symbiosis with the themes of travel and discovery.
Lietti captures the colors and delights of other Asian destinations. The lush greens of Vietnam and Bali, the golden sunsets of Rajasthan, the deep blue seascapes of the Philippines, these are just some of the many places he has visited and experienced. The artist gives us rare glimpses, merging reality with a magical world.