Inspirable artworks

 This artwork can provide both visual and sense of wind.
Since the bamboo would move. It is not only an object. It can let the viewer have an imagination of deeper level. To let them think about the relationship of people and nature. It deliever a message that ' Respect the Natrue'

This is a sound installation with four transferred prints, four painting panels and four headphones, each panel in 25X25 CM.
The Upper side is the method of the people learning Chinese Painting. The lower side is painting of 'tree', 'stone',  'cloud', 'river' respectively. The one side of headphone provide sound of nature, the other side including some sound of or daily life in the city such as the sound of car etc. Koon want to current situation of cityzen in reading the Chinese painting. They are always cannot concentrade on reading the Chinese painting. To me, it remind me to put the thing aside and try to concentrate to do one thing then I can respect the artist. As I also hope my friend can respect me when they being with me.  

"Rework the Classic"

"Rework the Classic" 

Koon's approach to the Peony is profoundly philosophical.Eschewing the peony's beauty, he expreesses its serene seclusion,using the medium of the Chinese cbeongsam dress.Portraying a single white peony with a modish touch,Koon's brushwork is naturally restainted and full of archaic charm. The petals clearly reveal the light. By using ink saturated with water, he creates circular areas of light and shade which gives the viewer a feeling of poetic balance within a simple framework. The falling white peony appears to float on thr flowing water. It brings to mind the familiar saying'falling flowers have affection to give, whereas flowing water lacks feelings.

Koon has fused tradition Chinese painting methods with innovative artistic expression. He has peronifie his subject,using symbolic expressions to convey meaning-creating an original style to demonstrate his feelings.We are immediately stuck by the formulaic nature of the designed as his painted peonies on Chinese dresses express a sense of urbanity. On each work the flower is positioned in such a way that it is able to breath like a beautifully formed human figure. Each 'dress' is not printed but rather hand paint with ink or pigment and is a unique work of art. Beyond that, it is a depiction of the artist's emotion

-reference : ' Transpose Contemporary Ink Painting By Koon Wai Bong (2013) 

I asked Dr Koon like which one more. He said compared with the In the Mood Viridescence, he like the brushwork of Nacreous Peony since it is very detail and 3-Dimension. But he like the usage of color of In the Mood Viridescence more because the color on the 'dress' contain more levels. 

To me, I prefer In the Mood Viridescence , because I think when the woman wear this cbeongsam the visaul impact will be better, since the color usage is very excellent.

The style from the SuZhou and HangZhou schools of classical Chinese ink painting have established significant presence amongst artists here in Hong Kong, and to me these schools provide the more “pure” form of classical Chinese ink painting... less influence from Western techniques.  These are Dr Koon's main focus in terms of preservation, promotion and he hope to contribute to their evolution in whatever way he can.

Koon's Artwork

Comparison of Koon’s early works and recent works

Koon mainly use ink on his early artworks. There are no elements of color.

In the recent work, Koon started to add color element. Since he think the literati painting can also adapt color to express. But Koon’s work just use one single color--green in his painting. It just like use ink in the artwork by using just one single color. He thinks that color is not a essential element of an artwork. Sometimes color may sidetrack the audience to read the painting. Obviously, a colorful painting is eye-catching. It may draw the audience attention easily. But it can be the challenge to Koon to draw the painting in just one single color which can let the audience to feel the motif of his works. It can still shows the visual impact tough the usage of one single color. To me, I admire his artwork very much, because I can really feel the motif of his work. Even they are not colorful painting, I can still imagine them are colorful scene. Because the brushwork of his work is really detail. His technique on controlling the usage of color level is very nice.

Interview with Dr. Koon

I am really glad to have chance to conduct an interview with Dr. Koon 

In this interview, I leant lots of knowledge about contemporary art. It can really widen my horizon on the artworks.

Reason of concentrating on Chinese Painting

Dr. Koon is interested in drawing since a secondary school student.

Before entering the university, he concentrated on western painting. His technique on western painting is better. When he entered the university, he met the tutor who is good at Chinese Painting. Also, he thought he is not a western people, so he sensed there are cultural gap on western culture.

If he pick his western painting artwork to communicate with the worldwide artist, he may not perform better than the western artist. In deed, there are just very little Chinese artist can perform very outstanding in western painting.  Also, he love Chinese culture, and he want to keep the traditional Chinese and inherit the feature of Chinese Painting, so he started to concentrate on Chinese painting.

Chinese painting is also is creative and not such boring. It is variable.

So he tries to do something different with previous century artists.

He thinks inherit civilization not equal to cling it obstinately. He notices the variability of Chinese painting. He would like to use his own interpretation to express the Chinese art. Therefore, he can try more method to express his ideas. In addition he keeps and retains the core value of Chinese painting. He deems that there are both advantages of western and Chinese Art. He can draw the advantages of these two kinds of art and modify them in his artworks.

His ideas of contemporary artwork are coming from the western. There are no conflict of adapting some creative method on drawing the Chinese Painting. Because there are advantages of western express method of the artwork since there are no restriction on the express method. Therefore, it allows him to widen the compass and try more different types of method to express his spirit of artworks. So in his artwork he tries to keep the core value of Chinese Painting and create a new expressing method.

Koon’s view on contemporary art

Contemporary art contain large degree of freedom. Many different types of artworks can also be called “contemporary art” when it created at this century. The postmodern art is mainstream of contemporary art. Postmodern art is different with modern art. In postmodernism, the new and old things can also be used in creating artworks. In modernism, the artist need to create new things, it should be different with the previous artworks. Since the new things is not the best. Dr. Koon adapt postmodernism on his artwork, he combines both new thins and traditional things. Postmodernism provides him freedom to develop his artistic potential.

Profile of Dr.Koon

Dr.Koon is a Hong Kong based ink artist. Koon attained many art rewards such as ‘Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Award’ in 2009’ Also, he joined lots of exhibition such as the International Ink Painting Biennial of Shenzhen in 2010, Taipei International Modern Ink Painting Biennial in 2012. Indeed, he held TRANSpose as a solo show at The Museum of East Asian Art. His artworks are exhibited in museums,art fairs and galleries in not only Hong Kong, but also Taiwan, USA, UK etc. He is the Assistant Professor of Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University currently.

His works are all under the core concept named’ Reworking the classics’. 

Reworking the classics

This concept is deviating from the parochial view that emphasises pedantic knowledge and the techniques used in old parochial views to pedantise knowledge and techniques of the old masterpieces. He intends to transform the ancient aesthetics in a contemporary and new light.
Painting in polyptych is the most typical form in his oeuvre, though some are deliberately coalesced into different materials or modes of expression such as sound art, Chinese-styled apparel like female qipao (旗袍)and male changshan(長衫), and mechanical device such as machine. Executed in traditional manner, his brush often lends his landscape to a visual ambience that excludes a vision of reconciliation between the tranquility of nature and the self-possession of him.