After AMA took us through an “Inferno” at chi art space in Hong Kong last month, K11 Art Foundation continues with its second project of “As Far As Near,” showcasing young local art collective Dirty Paper’s “Everything’s Alright.” The show runs through September 8 at chi art space.Curated by Vivian Poon, the Research and Programme Coordinator at Asia Art Archive, the exhibition comprises six groups of artworks, totaling 40 pieces, including paintings, installations, and sculptures. This is K11 Art Foundation’s second exhibition of a four-show series that aims to act as an incubator for emerging Hong Kong artists and curators, in collaboration with the Sovereign Art Foundation.BLOUIN ARTINFO spoke with the two masterminds behind Dirty Paper — Hong Kong-based artists Chan Wai Lap and Yau Kwok Keung — to discuss the origins of the art collective, and what it’s really like to live in a fast-paced city like Hong Kong.How did you two come together to form an art collective? What’s the meaning behind the name “Dirty Paper”?We met when we were at University, studying graphic design at Hong Kong Design Institute. Since we graduated in 2010, we started working together as Dirty Paper. We work primarily with recycled paper, pencil, and color pencil in our work. Collaboratively, we both handle different parts and finish the drawings together. As we work with pencil a lot, the paper becomes “dirty” and filled with our ideas. That’s the meaning behind our name.The exhibition reflects on the absurdity of living in Hong Kong. What would you consider absurd about living in this city?The living pattern in Hong Kong is extremely quick. Things keep happening and changing all the time, and we can't even handle that much without respite.Could you give us a few examples of how the artworks address the frequently overlooked absurdities that are part of Hong Kong life?The intention of doing the exhibition was to face the troubles that we face in certain moments. We don’t depict any absurdities directly; we aim to present them in a passive and subtle way. For example, “Friends Accepted” is an installation about friendship and human relations against Facebook. “Landscape of the pool” and “I wish I was swimming” are two series about escaping something, based around the act of swimming.What are your worst and/or best memories of living in Hong Kong? How do you apply these to your work?Most of the artworks from our early practice were related to our past experiences from our time at school. We don't think these are some of our worst or best memories of living here, but they are part of the most central memories of us growing up. These experiences became our inspiration and topics in our earliest works.What are your other main influences?Most of our influences come from our personal experiences and daily observations. All of these come from our life; therefore we would say “living” is our main influence.The show is titled “Everything’s Alright.” Is this a reference to anything in particular?The exhibition title can be a question as well as an answer, which is a process of examining our personal experiences. It is not a reference to anything in particular, but it should refer to anything that we think we struggle with in everyday life.How does this exhibition respond to the “As Far As Near” project?The subjects that we mention in our works are very personal, and the audience may not relate to them very much. But as viewers will walk through the show, the artworks of the exhibition may reflect their own experiences. In this way, viewers can gain further insights from the show. Do you have any future plans or works in the pipeline?We have experimented with different media in this exhibition, and it is exciting to play with different art forms beside drawing on paper. So we would like to explore new possibilities and formats to present our ideas. Besides, we will have an experimental space in our new studio, and we look forward to what will happen there.“Everything’s Alright” runs through September 8 at chi art space in Hong Kong.
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