Tsang Kin-Wah

Tsang Kin-Wah (Traditional Chinese: 曾建華) is a visual artist based in Hong Kong. His earlier work, particularly his "wallpaper art", was known for its combination of beautiful illustration and painting, and for its use of profane or obscene words. More recently, he has explored topics related to politics and religion via large-form, multi-media installations that combine music, video and light projections.

Early life and education

Tsang was born in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China, and moved to Hong Kong as a young child. His family's home burned down and they moved between various slum areas. He now works in a studio in Fotan, near where he grew up in the Shatin district.^[1] He studied art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Camberwell College of Arts in London on a Chevening Scholarship.^[2]

Wallpaper Art

Close-up of a piece of wallpaper art by Tsang Kin-Wah

His wallpaper art creates large-scale wallpaper installations that evoke the floral designs of William Morris in a style that has become known as word-art installation.^[3] It combines foul language with floral patterns (the text is arranged to form flowers and plants), highlighting the organic force intertwining nature and human; the surface being the text and the attached emotions as shouts to be discovered by the visitor.^[4]

Multimedia installations

Kin-Wah Tsang's most recent work explores topics in philosophy, religion, and popular culture through immersive multimedia installations. One of the first such installations was "Ecce Homo Trilogy”. The installation's idea is centered upon "Ecce Homo", a phrase that was both used by Pontius Pilate at the last judgment and as the title of a book by Nietzsche. By placing these two references together, Tsang questions the impartialness of judgment.^[5]

The next major installation was "The Infinite Nothing,” a phrase also coming from Nietzsche. The installation consists of separate video installations that represent transformative journeys through stages in life.^[6] Following up on this work, his latest work "Nothing" continues to explore the idea of existence.^[7] It is the first commissioned exhibit of the $3 billion West Kowloon Cultural District.^[1]

Prizes and commissions

• In 2005, at the age of 29, Tsang won the US $25,000 Sovereign Art Foundation Prize.^[8]
• In 2012, he was the first Hong Kong artist chosen to create a large installation for the new Hong Kong gallery of Pearl Lam.^[9]
• In 2014, he was chosen to represent Hong Kong at the 2015 Venice Biennale. ^[10][11]
• In 2016, the Hong Kong government chose him again, to create the first solo show for the West Kowloon Cultural District.^[12]
• In 2016, Tsang is part of a major group show of Chinese artists at the Guggenheim museum in New York. ^[13] For example, see In The End Is The Word at the Guggenheim Museum.

Museum and other collections

• A3 Collection, Kadist Art Foundation, USA^[14]
• Burger Collection, Zurich, Switzerland^[15]
• Camberwell College of Arts, the London Institute, London^[16]
• CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands^[17]
• Deutsche Bank Collection, Hong Kong^[18]
• DSL Collection, Paris
• Guggenheim Museum, New York^[19]
• Mori Art Museum, Tokyo^[20]
• Museum of Design Zurich, Switzerland^[21]
• Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong^[22]
• Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong^[23]
• M+ Pavillion, Hong Kong^[24]
• New Asia College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong^[25]
• Sovereign Art Foundation, Hong Kong^[26][27]
• The Sigg Collection, Switzerland^[28]
• Thomas Shao Collection, Shanghai
• William Lim's Living Collection, Hong Kong^[29]

References

1. Lau, Joyce (2016-09-07). "Tsang Kin-wah Channels His Outrage in a New Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
2. "Interior: Tsang Kin-wah | Asia Art Archive". www.aaa.org.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
3. Isabella Tam (January 26, 2016). "Tsang Kin-wah And The Organic Necessity Of Art". The Culture Trip. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
4. TSANG Kin-wah. "TSANG Kin-wah 2003 works". Retrieved December 3, 2016.
5. "TSANG Kin-Wah's Ecce Homo Trilogy". www.tsangkinwah.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
6. "Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing: Collateral Event of the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia". Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
7. Authority, West Kowloon Cultural District. "Tsang Kin-Wah: Nothing | 9 Sep to 6 Nov, 2016 | M+ Pavilion". www.westkowloon.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
8. "Tsang Kin Wah Named Recipient Of The 2005 Sovereign Asian Art Prize - Sovereign Art Foundation". Sovereign Art Foundation. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
9. "First Local Artist at Pearl Lam Galleries: Tsang Kin-wah". Hong Kong Tatler. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
10. "Tsang Kin-Wah To Represent Hong Kong at Venice Biennale 2015 | Artinfo". Artinfo. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
11. "Tsang Kin-Wah: THE INFINITE NOTHING | Venice Biennale 2015". Venice Biennale 2015. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
12. Lau, Joyce (2016-09-07). "Tsang Kin-wah Channels His Outrage in a New Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
13. "Tales of Our Time". Guggenheim. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
14. "A3 | Kadist". www.kadist.org. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
15. "Burger Collection - Artist". www.burgercollection.org. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
16. "Tsang Kin-Wah – Camberwell College of Arts Blog". blogs.arts.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
17. "Coda Jaarverslag 2008" (PDF). Coda Apeldoorn. 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
18. "Urban Utopia: Deutsche Bank Collection Hong Kong Claudia SCHICKTANZ | Asia Art Archive". www.aaa.org.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
19. "Tsang Kin Wah". Guggenheim Collection Online. Guggenheim Museum. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
20. "About the exhibition | MAM PROJECT 015:Tsang Kin-Wah | MORI ART MUSEUM". www.mori.art.museum. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
21. "Schrift-Bilder". Schrift-Bilder: Zeitgenössische Plakate aus China (via Internet Archive Wayback Machine). Museum Für Gestaltung. 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
22. "MEGartSTORE". Hong Kong Heritage Museum. June 4, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
23. "Embark! Beyond the Horizon" (PDF). Hong Kong Museum of Art. May 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
24. Authority, West Kowloon Cultural District. "Tsang Kin-Wah: Nothing | 9 Sep to 6 Nov, 2016 | M+ Pavilion". www.westkowloon.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
25. College, New Asia. "New Asia College > Home". www.na.cuhk.edu.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
26. "I LOVE YOU | Tsang Kin Wah - Sovereign Art Foundation". Sovereign Art Foundation. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
27. "Asian Art Prize Finalists - Sovereign Art Foundation". Sovereign Art Foundation. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
28. Authority, West Kowloon Cultural District. "M+ Sigg Collection Exhibition | 23 Feb to 5 Apr, 2016 | ArtisTree". www.westkowloon.hk. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
29. "Next Destination: Hong Kong Exhibition of William Lim's Living Collection | Sotheby's". www.sothebys.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.