Latest news with #AdrianWong
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How mosaics capture moments of Hong Kong history
Many years ago, artist Adrian Wong Ho-yin was astonished to discover a lazy trick used by many Hong Kong contractors. He was walking down an alley in Tsim Sha Tsui, not far from Chungking Mansions , when he noticed a wall clad in mosaic tiles bulging from water damage. He looked more closely and realised that there were at least six or seven types of tiles layered atop each other. 'It felt like I was standing in the present and looking through a wormhole into the past,' he says. He soon discovered that layering tiles in this way is a common short cut used when renovating old shops, flats or building facades to save on cost and time. His observations turned into a fascination for Hong Kong's ubiquitous mosaic tiles. Designs, he noticed, were often mismatched or seemingly random. Tiling Error V: Shuriken (2024) by Adrian Wong, part of 'Oi! Spotlight: With Love from Hong Kong'. Photo: courtesy Oil Street Art Space 'I got really interested in mistakes made by craftsmen and contractors,' he says. 'I found a lot of beauty in this accidental collision of patterns and colours.' Wong's attraction to tiles shapes his artistic output. His show, 'With Love from Hong Kong', running until August 31 at the Oil Street Art Space in North Point, recreates vintage Hong Kong interiors, including 1960s-style mosaic tile patterns framed like paintings on the wall. Each pattern is slightly off kilter, like so many of the mosaic tiles you see in the stairwells of old tenement buildings, on the facades of mid-century tong lau or in old cha chaan teng such as the renowned Mido Cafe in Yau Ma Tei. 'Laziness plus a couple of generations becomes charm,' quips Wong. That charm seems to be especially strong these days. Hong Kong has been riding a wave of nostalgia for anything that harks back to its golden days as a booming Asian Tiger economy with a cultural reach that could be felt around the world. There is renewed interest in historic shops , and even new businesses are using vintage objects and throwback design elements to create a sense of yesteryear. Mosaic tiles, such as those used in Kowloon Cafe, in Sydney , Australia, are often key to creating a truly nostalgic Hong Kong space. Adrian Wong's With Love from Hong Kong, installation view, at the Oil Street Art Space in North Point. Photo: courtesy Oil Street Art Space
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How mosaics capture moments of Hong Kong history
Many years ago, artist Adrian Wong Ho-yin was astonished to discover a lazy trick used by many Hong Kong contractors. He was walking down an alley in Tsim Sha Tsui, not far from Chungking Mansions , when he noticed a wall clad in mosaic tiles bulging from water damage. He looked more closely and realised that there were at least six or seven types of tiles layered atop each other. 'It felt like I was standing in the present and looking through a wormhole into the past,' he says. He soon discovered that layering tiles in this way is a common short cut used when renovating old shops, flats or building facades to save on cost and time. His observations turned into a fascination for Hong Kong's ubiquitous mosaic tiles. Designs, he noticed, were often mismatched or seemingly random. Tiling Error V: Shuriken (2024) by Adrian Wong, part of 'Oi! Spotlight: With Love from Hong Kong'. Photo: courtesy Oil Street Art Space 'I got really interested in mistakes made by craftsmen and contractors,' he says. 'I found a lot of beauty in this accidental collision of patterns and colours.' Wong's attraction to tiles shapes his artistic output. His show, 'With Love from Hong Kong', running until August 31 at the Oil Street Art Space in North Point, recreates vintage Hong Kong interiors, including 1960s-style mosaic tile patterns framed like paintings on the wall. Each pattern is slightly off kilter, like so many of the mosaic tiles you see in the stairwells of old tenement buildings, on the facades of mid-century tong lau or in old cha chaan teng such as the renowned Mido Cafe in Yau Ma Tei. 'Laziness plus a couple of generations becomes charm,' quips Wong. That charm seems to be especially strong these days. Hong Kong has been riding a wave of nostalgia for anything that harks back to its golden days as a booming Asian Tiger economy with a cultural reach that could be felt around the world. There is renewed interest in historic shops , and even new businesses are using vintage objects and throwback design elements to create a sense of yesteryear. Mosaic tiles, such as those used in Kowloon Cafe, in Sydney , Australia, are often key to creating a truly nostalgic Hong Kong space. Adrian Wong's With Love from Hong Kong, installation view, at the Oil Street Art Space in North Point. Photo: courtesy Oil Street Art Space
South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
This week in PostMag: the art of tiles, getting lost in translation, and a marathon star
This week's main feature is a lesson in how almost every quotidian – might I say, boring – detail actually holds a fascinating story. You've been to many a cha chaan teng, but how often have you given any thought to the mismatched tiles plastering the walls? For artist Adrian Wong Ho-yin, Hong Kong's off-kilter tiles became the inspiration for his current show at Oil Street Art Space in North Point. He describes how these ceramic pieces evoked the feeling of 'looking through a wormhole into the past' to Christopher DeWolf, who then dives headfirst into the design element's history. 'Tiles, really?' you might still be saying. I promise it's a good one. One detail from the story I found intriguing is how builders often layer new tiles on top of old to save time and money, creating the 'wormhole into the past' Wong mentions. I also loved his line, 'Laziness plus a couple of generations becomes charm.' Truly, so much of Hong Kong's undeniable charm is in the remnants of the past, all plain to see if you just look. Equally layered is the art of translation. Karen Cheung finds there's a new generation of eager literary translators tackling the monumental quest of Chinese-to-English translation, particularly for works by Hong Kong authors. I've dabbled in translation from Mandarin to English, with nothing so ambitious as fiction or poetry, and it's no joke. It's a terribly hard task that one young translator notes is especially difficult because Chinese and English are further apart in so many ways, grammatically or otherwise, than other languages might be. I'm impressed by their tenacity, determination and passion. Ultra-marathoner Sunmaya Budha brings those same qualities to the trail. The Nepalese native speaks to Bibek Bhandari about her unlikely journey from the mountainous countryside to running (and winning) international races around the world. As someone who deeply despises running, it's inspirational to say the least. Let me know if you feel moved to lace up your trainers after reading it. Writer and photographer Daniel Allen heads to the American West where he learns about the rewilding of Yellowstone National Park, a programme that has led to a flourishing of the park's animal population. It sounds majestic to behold, though as ever, take care and respect nature – I did also read this week that a bison gored a tourist who got too close there.
South China Morning Post
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, March 7-9, such as guided meditation
With early March bringing a chilly touch and the promise of a rainy weekend to Hong Kong, it may be tempting to throw your plans out of the window and stay at home. Advertisement However, the city offers a mix of cosy and engaging activities this weekend to draw you outside – head to a gallery for a thought-provoking art exhibition, celebrate International Women's Day with empowering cocktail creations, or watch a science fiction film from an Oscar-winning director. Though the skies may be grey, we hope our suggestions for a fulfilling weekend provide a silver lining. 1. Adrian Wong X Doris Wong: The Trivial Sublime Two artists take the meaning of life and the act of caring for yourself and others as starting points for their joint exhibition at SC Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang, on Hong Kong Island. Doris Wong Wai-yin , an art historian and multimedia artist, is showing work created through 'Pastel Nagomi Art' – a type of healing art that forces slow, focused creation to relax and de-stress. Her works make references to art history and explore themes of motherhood and nurture. Meanwhile, Adrian Wong combines his deadpan humour with the stress of juggling multiple roles as father, professor and artist in his works, which are inspired by his interactions with his children. Advertisement Adrian Wong X Doris Wong: The Trivial Sublime, SC Gallery, 1902, Sungib Industrial Centre, 53 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Tuesday-Saturday, 11.30am-6.30pm. Until April 5.
