「父親去世後，很快地，所有事情都必須回歸日常。有一段很長的日子，看起來真的一切如常。但當我停下來創作時，獨處讓我整理紛亂思緒，好好思考我下的每一筆，這刻才發現我並沒有好好處理一些埋藏而久的情緒。」
藝術家 Hiu Ching 說，創作是孤獨的，但是透過創作，她能梳理思緒、回憶，最後得以釋懷。她在 THE SHOPHOUSE 的首個個人展覽《Yat Tung》，作品中經常出現飛鵝山，對她來說，見山不是山，它有著重要的意義。「展覽以『屋企附近』和『與父親的回憶』作為起點，藉此記錄父親患病和離去時期的思緒。父親患病時剛好遇上疫情，因身體不適、易感到疲倦，所以他只能到家的附近和飛鵝山的沿路走走，而這些場景便成為了我這次描畫的對象。」
推開 THE SHOPHOUSE 的大門，掛在牆上、倘大的作品《你總是在那裏》正是描畫在飛鵝山山腳仰望山頂的景象。Hiu Ching 說，這是她回家的必經之路上會看到的景色，想必也是父親每天也會看到的景色。「當我在天黑回家的路上仰望飛鵝山，總會看到山上亮著一盞燈，好像在等待我一樣，這讓我想起父親。」有一晚，她在工作室看見這幅畫的左下角多了一個光點，當她戴回眼鏡打算看清楚那是甚麽時，原來是一隻金色、有點像甲蟲的蟲子。「一向怕蟲的我不知怎麽辦，當我嘗試冷靜想辦法時，回頭已看不見蟲子，連地下及畫的背面都沒有發現牠的蹤影。後來想想，牠會是父親的化身嗎？是來看我和看我為他畫的畫嗎？我從來沒看過金色的蟲，這件事讓我對這幅畫的印象特別深刻。」
當 Hiu Ching 描繪飛鵝山沿路的畫面時，就像一次又一次獨自走過那段路，一如父親也曾獨遊飛鵝山，這讓她深深地感受到父親一直以來的孤獨。「但是，當我畫到一幅描繪與父親一起追逐日出景象的畫面時，一種釋放的感覺漸漸地湧上心頭，就如當時我們與父親走過長長的山路後，終於看到日出時的心情一樣。」或許，在 Hiu Ching 畫那山路的途中，與父親獨自踏上飛鵝山的時刻重疊了，雖然創作是孤獨的，但她以另一種方式與父親再次登山，父親的存在讓她不再感到她不是獨自一人。
「這展覽的名字也是從這時候才想到的 ——「日東」（Yat Tung），是我父親的名字，也是日出的意思。」
有些作品，你必須親身走近去觀看，就像 Hiu Ching 畫的黑夜，當中有許多層次和細節，觀眾必須靠近才能感受到被吸進靜謐黑夜中的感覺。「一開始時，我只想呈現非常寧靜的畫面，像全世界都暫停了的感覺，並沒有刻意以黑夜為主題。或許這份感覺在深夜時份特別明顯，所以我畫着畫着，畫面便愈來愈深色，成為了一個個深夜的場景。事實上，我繪畫的不一定是夜晚，只是我喜歡呈現『夜』的感覺。」有時候，夜晚讓人感到孤獨，但當你細味這份孤獨，它卻是帶著讓人安心的平靜氣氛。「我希望觀眾能在這份寧靜中找回一些隱藏已久的思緒，並讓它釋放出來。」
這次展覽的大部分作品都是描繪黑夜的情景和氛圍，但 Hiu Ching 卻沒有使用任何黑色的顏料，她透過混合紅、藍和綠色的堆疊來建構畫面上的「黑」。「畫布上很多深色部分與淺色部分，都是使用同一個顔色的，只是它們的厚薄程度不一，愈厚的地方就會愈『實』和『黑』。即使是同一顔色也能做出不同的虛與實、淺與深的層次，同時也能將畫面的色調保持統一。如果需要更深、更黑的層次，我會使用光油來 highlight 需要加强的地方，將該部分的「黑」推得更深，製造多一種層次。」
“After my father passed away, life quickly snapped back to its usual rhythm. For a long time, everything seemed normal. Yet, when I paused to create, solitude allowed me to untangle my chaotic thoughts and reflect on every stroke I made. It was then that I realized I hadn’t fully processed some long-buried emotions.”
Artist Wong Hiu Ching reflects on how creation can feel lonely, but through this process, she sorts through memories and ultimately finds peace. Her first solo exhibition, Yat Tung, at THE SHOPHOUSE, prominently features the iconic Kowloon Peak, which carries deep personal significance. “The exhibition begins with themes of ‘home’ and ‘memories of my father,’ capturing the emotions tied to his illness and passing. During his sickness, coinciding with the pandemic, he could only take short walks around our neighborhood and along Kowloon Peak. These scenes became the subjects of my work.”
As you walk into THE SHOPHOUSE, you’re greeted by a large piece titled You Are Always There, depicting the view from the foot of Kowloon Peak looking up at its summit. Hiu Ching explains that this was a sight she encountered on her way home, likely one her father saw daily. “When I looked up at Kowloon Peak on my way home at dusk, there was always a light shining on the mountain, as if waiting for me. It reminded me of my father.” One evening in her studio, she noticed a small light in the lower corner of the painting. Putting on her glasses to see better, she discovered it was a golden bug resembling a beetle. “I’ve always been afraid of bugs, and as I tried to calm myself, I turned back to find the bug had vanished, leaving no trace. Later, I wondered, could it have been my father’s spirit? Was it there to see me and the painting I created for him? I had never seen a golden bug before, and this encounter made a lasting impression.”
As Hiu Ching paints the scenes along Kowloon Peak, it feels like she’s retracing the solitary paths her father once walked. This experience deepens her understanding of his loneliness. “However, when I painted a scene of chasing the sunrise with my father, a feeling of release washed over me, reminiscent of that moment when we finally witnessed the sunrise after trekking that long mountain path together.” Perhaps during her journey of painting that mountain path, the moments they shared on Kowloon Peak overlapped. Although creation can often feel solitary, she finds a renewed connection with her father, reminding her that she is not alone.
“The title of the exhibition, Yat Tung, came to me during this reflective period—it’s both my father’s name and a nod to the sunrise.”
Some works invite viewers to step in closely. Hiu Ching’s depictions of night are rich with layers and details, drawing audiences into a tranquil darkness. “At first, I wanted to create a serene scene that captures a sense of the world pausing. I didn’t deliberately focus on the night theme. Perhaps this feeling is especially pronounced in the late hours, as my paintings grew darker, transforming into scenes of deep night. In truth, I’m not strictly painting night; I simply enjoy expressing the essence of ‘night.’” While nighttime often evokes solitude, that loneliness can also carry a comforting calm. “I hope viewers can rediscover some long-buried thoughts within this tranquility and allow them to surface.”
Most of the works in this exhibition depict nighttime scenes and atmospheres, yet Hiu Ching intentionally avoids using black paint. Instead, she constructs the illusion of ‘black’ through layers of mixed reds, blues, and greens. “Many of the dark and light areas on the canvas use the same color, varying only in thickness—the thicker the layer, the more ‘solid’ and ‘black’ it appears. Even with the same color, I create different depths and textures while maintaining a cohesive tone. If I need deeper, darker areas, I highlight those sections with gloss medium to enhance the depth of the ‘black’ and introduce another layer of complexity.”
Yat Tung by Bonny Wong Hiu Ching
Date: 25 JAN – 9 MAR 2025
Venue: THE SHOPHOUSE, 4 Second Lane, Tai Hang, Hong Kong
