SILAS FONG

Category: Mixed media

  • SAD Kitchen – Oi! Guide: A Comfort Food Journey

    Solo Exhibition at Oi!, Hong Kong, 1 Sep 2023 – 7 Jan 2024

    In my recent project “SAD Kitchen: Oi! Guide – A Comfort Food Journey,” I utilized 3D printed objects, 3D scanning, animation, wall vinyl, printed matters and installation art to transform the Oi! Warehouse into a multi-sensory “kitchen.” This interactive space invites visitors to explore personal emotions and communal bonds through a site-specific game. Hidden psychological test questions were integrated into the 3D objects and animated features, encouraging self-reflection. Visitors received a personalized “Comfort Food Guide,” pointing them to local dishes in the North Point community. My art aims to use food—and digital media—as vehicles for social and cultural construction, connecting people, places, and stories.

  • SAD School of Artists Development, Department of Bread

    Solo Exhibition at Gallery Chosun, Seoul, 6 – 29 Nov 2024

    The SAD School of Artists Development, Department of Bread transforms bread-making into a satirical exploration of education and validation systems, critiquing the relentless pursuit of credentials in a society fixated on external measures of success. Through workshops like Flourglass, where flour and time slip away in futile races against the clock, and the Shape and Score Clinic, where dough is shaped but never allowed to rise, the project playfully exposes the absurdities of institutional pressures. Surreal photographs from the Stretch series, blending yoga poses with intertwined masses of dough, reflect the balancing act between external expectations and raw creativity. By focusing on process over results, the work challenges visitors to question how institutions shape value and meaning, offering a humorous yet reflective critique of a system where showing up often matters more than true learning or growth.

  • Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

    FUSE Artist Residency: Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
    Supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council
    at Videotage, Hong Kong
    2 Feb – 11 Mar 2018

    ‘Through slow-moving videos, images, and objects that are oft missed, Fong creates an encounter with the everyday in a controlled environment to allow the visitor to be with the urban in a different way. Many of the images are personal to Fong, and he brings in three textual perspectives (including this one) to obscure this narrative of his memories, opening them up to be shared. Bringing in media art theory into more traditional image-making practices, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening employs a light touch in a grand gesture toward a place where we can choose to be still.’

    – Excerpt from Hera Chan’s text, The Freedom To Be Still

    香港錄映太奇 FUSE 藝術家駐場: 雪夜林邊
    由香港藝術發展局資助
    2018年2月2日至3月11日

    透過在日常常被忽視的錄像、圖像及物件緩慢的移動，方氏在特定的環境內讓觀眾以日常以外的方式感受城市。作品中源用方氏私密的圖像，他引用了三個文本作為作品的切入點，混淆了對其回憶的敍述，開放予觀眾加以幻想。結合媒體藝術理論及傳統製圖方法，雪夜林邊 壯麗地輕描淡寫出選擇安穩的空間及狀態。

    – 節錄自陳思穎所寫的文章《面向安穩的自由》並由姚玠廷從英文原文翻譯

    Exhibition view

    At the entrance, visitor picks up one of the catalogues and misses out the two others which look seemingly identical. In fact, each catalogue contains a different text that guides the visitor to an alternative experience of the same exhibition.
    參觀者在展覽入口拿起其中一本場刊，錯過了貌似完全相同的另外兩本。 實際上 ， 每本場刊內有不同的文本，引導觀眾在同一個展覽裏經歷不同的體驗。

    Digital print on paper, A5, 32 pages, 3 in a set, 2018
    紙上數碼打印, A5, 32 頁, 3本1組, 2018

    Dye sublimation print on voile, 140 cm x 260 cm, 2 in a set, 2018
    透明紗上熱昇華印刷, 140 米 x 260 厘米, 2件1組, 2018

    Lambda prints, table, chairs, carpet, size variable, 2018
    能達相片, 檯, 櫈, 地氈, 可變尺寸, 2018


    Digital video projection on wall, HDV, colour, 20 minutes, 2018
    牆上數碼錄像投影, 高清, 彩色, 20分鐘, 2018

    Digital photo projection on screen, 2018
    屏幕上數碼相片投影, 2018
    Digital video on TV, HDV, colour, 16 minutes, 2018
    電視機中數碼錄像, 高清, 彩色, 16分鐘, 2018


    Digital printed vinyl on plexiglass, 30 cm x 20 cm, 2018
    亞加力膠片上數碼貼紙打印, 30 厘米 x 20 厘米, 2018

    Photo & rainbow film on stainless steel, motor, 40 cm x 40 cm, 2018
    不鏽鋼片, 相片, 彩虹膜, 摩打, 40 厘米 x 40 厘米, 2018

    Mixed media tucked in You Come Too, 21.1 cm x 14.5 cm x 1.8 cm, 2018
    《 你也來》 書中混合媒介, 21.1 厘米 x 14.5 厘米 x 1.8 厘米, 2018

    Visitor participates in the exhibition according to the instructions in the Exhibition Guide.
    觀眾根據展覽場刊中的導覽的指示參與展覽.

    Printed catalogues available, please contact via info@silasfong.com

  • There is No Time

    Solo Exhibition
    Hong-ti Art Center, Busan
    25 Nov 2016– 16 Dec 2016

    Artist Statement

    Time is always not enough, but it is only true when we have things to do. Artist residency is an experience of time travel. Once you step into another culture, far away from your own. Suddenly you realize that you have to learn from the very beginning, from the basic understanding of daily life. It recalls memories of childhood, of youth and of future. Nothing is necessary to be done. Just stay in the studio, which is very spacious compared to that I had in Hong Kong, allows a lot of solitary thought to fill up until your back feel painful with the chair. The spacetime is open. ‘Time is an illusion.’ – Albert Einstein

    After arriving Busan for a month, mostly I stay in the area nearby Hong-ti Art Center. It is an industrial area where things are made. There is not much traffic. In a foreign place, most fundamental elements become sentiments. The air, the light and shadows, the sea, the ambient sound, the fallen leaves and the sense of time seems dilated. To start from a personal perspective, I couldn’t help but reflect on my life in Hong Kong. I hope to describe the feeling of living here from Hong Kong.

    One touristic attraction in my studio is definitely the sunlight. Here I could see the same ‘light drawing’ on the wall and the floor from 8am to 3:30pm in my studio. Outside there are different trees and plants filling up the window scene. It is somehow rare in Hong Kong, at least in my neighbourhood. It might sound awkward to you, but the residential life in Hong Kong are mostly in a high-rise, far off the ground. Still, the windows are blocked by the other buildings so you hardly see ‘light drawing’ on the walls and shadows of trees in your flat.

    The sense of timelessness may not be a thing of Busan, but certainly for me in Hong-ti.

     

    Exhibition view
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  • Piccoloministr. 316

    Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio, Goethe-Institut Hongkong, Hong Kong
    11 May 2016– 31 May 2016

    Exhibition view

    Light from Window, Paint on Wall, 250 x 250 cm, painted by Hye Kyoung Kwon

    Afternoons

    Working Report for Museum Ludwig

    Photograph, digital print on wallpaper, 60cm x 60cm

    Attendance Report for Academy of Media Arts

    Passenger Report for Meinfernbus

    In the Room, Video projection and sound

    Exhibition Catalogue

     

  • Under the Linden

    2016- Installation
    Direct UV inkjet print on roller blind, inkjet print mounted on translucent black acrylic plates
    200 x 140 cm; 180 x 90 cm, 90 x 90 cm (2 pcs)

    The room I lived was on the first floor of a building in a small quiet street. It was surrounded by towering trees with not much traffic. In winter, snow covered the trees and the roofs of the houses. In summer, the flourishing leaves almost pushed their way into the window. Sunlight fell into my room, casting on my table a blue and greenish shadow, swayed gently with the wind.

    The room I live is on the sixth floor of a high rise in an estate made up of ten blocks. The view from the window stays the same throughout the year. Tall concrete penetrates the hazy sky. In the small slit of the harbour view, I can see ships passing by. Sunlight also comes into my room, but it looks quite different. It is just the reflection from a window of the building opposite.

    One day I walked around the streets alone. I looked at people’s faces, but few looked back at me. They weren’t even aware. They don’t look around now. They may well be living a second life in another space and time. At some point I walked pass a tree and realised there was a big sky high above the black mirror.

    Exhibited in
    POST PiXEL. Animamix Biennale 2015 – 16, Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, Hong Kong

     

    椴樹底下
    2016-     裝置
    捲簾上UV噴墨打印, 透光黑色亞加力膠片上噴墨打印
    200 x 140 厘米; 180 x 90 厘米, 90 x 90 厘米 (2 件)

    我住過的房間位於一條寂靜的小街上，就在樓房的第一層，被大樹包圍着，沒有太多車輛經過。冬天時屋頂和樹上都蓋着積雪；夏天時樹葉都快長到窗內。陽光射進房間裏，書桌上晃動着一叢藍綠色的影子。

    我住的房間位於十棟屋苑大廈其中一棟的六樓。窗外風景四季如一，石屎高聳入朦朧的半空，大廈之間的縫隙中還能看見海港上船隻駛過。儘管陽光也能走進我的房間，但看來頗為不同，因為這是對面大廈窗門反射過來的光線。

    有一天我在街上獨自游蕩，我凝望着路人的臉，但他們都沒有察覺，甚少有人回望，現在他們都不再四處看。或許他們可能在另一時空過着第二個人生。走過某棵樹下，發現黑色鏡子上還有一大片天空。

    展覽
    像素之後　動漫美學雙年展2015-16, 香港邵逸夫創意媒體中心

     

    Overview

    Reflection of the shadow from the roller blind, the ceiling and image of the table top

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  • Flat D

    Download PDF
    2015 Durational Installation
    Table, grey plastic tray, watch, attendant in formal wear, wooden door, soundproof walls and ceiling, laminate flooring, wall skirting, aluminum window with sanded glass, air-conditioner, wall paint, steel wall hanger, curtain, light bulb, kinetic light system
    300 cm x 220 cm x 250 cm, 10 minutes

    In front of a door, there is a person sitting on a chair. When you get close, this person greets you and asks if you want to enter. However, you are only allowed to enter individually, without your mobile phone, camera, electronic devices and books, etc. After you enter, the door would be locked, and it would only be unlock after 10 minutes. You would sign an agreement to confirm your decision at your own risk. Inquiries about what is behind the door would not be answered. Every visitor is only allowed to enter the door once for the whole exhibition period.

    There is overwhelming information all around that numbs our senses. We are constantly forced to fool our basic observation of our daily life surroundings. In urban city life like Hong Kong, it’s almost impossible to be alone. We are always occupied and distracted. With mobile communications, it gets even “better”. That actually hinders us to understand ourselves and our needs. It is believed by many and even proved that, indulge in boredom helps creativity. This work tries to offer a solitary meditative experience which is free from social pressure and provide guidance to inner exploration.

    Exhibited in
    《The 20th ifva Awards – Media Art Category Finalist Exhibition》
    Pao Galleries Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong, 2015
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    An attendant sits next to the entrance of Flat D to control the operation.

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    A grey tray is used for visitors to leave their belongings (mobile phone, camera, watch and etc.).

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    Visitors are obliged to read the agreement carefully before entering Flat D. A watch is used for the attendant to keep time.

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    The attendant locks the door after the visitor has entered Flat D.

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    Light from outside the window scatters on the wall and the floor. It changes slowly across the room.

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    Air conditioner creates an atmosphere with ambient mechanical sound, temperature and humidity.

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    Sometimes the room turns darker.

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    Instructional/Documentation Video

  • Afternoons

    Download PDF
    2015
    Digital Print on Neobond® Synthetic Fibre Papers
    A Series of 20 books of different number pages
    in A5 format in light-tight photo paper bags
    Wooden shelf, 88 cm x 50 cm x 32 cm

    Afternoon I
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    Flipping through the book.

    Afternoon II
    DSC_1245_600


    Flipping through the book.

    Exhibited in
    《after/image》Pure Art Foundation, Hong Kong, 2015
     DSC07424 DSC07434 DSC07436 DSC07426 DSC07431 DSC07432
    Photos taken by Ko Sin Tung

  • Art Map 藝術地圖

    2008 – Present
    Performance/ Business cards     Dimension variable

    Exhibited in
    《Anonymity – The Debut Solo Exhibition of Silas Fong》
    Artist Commune, Cattle Depot Artists Village, Hong Kong, 2008

    Since March 2008, I always attend art events and exhibitions’ opening. I have collected many business cards and witnessed numerous magnificent events in the Hong Kong art scene. I try to draw a map of ecology relating to art by selecting some events and their corresponding cards.

    Each panel represents an art event, contains the cards of the people I know and I meet. There is only one copy of the card collected from the owner when I first met. The others are all colour copies. The card owners are invited to sign on the panel at their corresponding cards when Art Map is being exhibited.

    2008 – 現在
    名片 尺寸不一

    展覽
    《不知名》方琛宇首個個人展覽，牛棚藝術村藝術公社, 2008

    我經常出席藝術活動和展覽開幕酒會，因為我喜歡收到很多不同的名片。
    自零八年三月，我收藏了數十多張名片，見証了多件香港藝壇盛事    。

    在其中我選了一些不同的代表活動，嘗試以名片繪出一幅和藝術有關的生態圖。

    每個展板代表一個藝術活動，展示着我己認識及初相識的人的名片。
    而在整件作品中，每款名片只有一張是從初相識的人手中得來，其餘的都是彩色複印。
    在<藝術地圖>被展出其間，出現在地圖上的名字的人都會被邀請出席，並在    展板上其名片的位置簽署。


    The overview of Art Map
    in ‘Anonymity – The Debut Solo Exhibition of Silas Fong’ at Artist Commune


    Janet CHAN was signing on her business card


    LEE Chun Fung was signing on her business card


    Details of Art Map
    Each map contains cards representing people that the author knew or just met in a particular event.

  • Diamond

    2008 Dictionary mounted on Copper
    6 cm x 2 cm x 8 cm

    Exhibited in
    《Bliss》Joint-University Multimedia Exhibition, AVA Gallery, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, 2007