Chow Chun Fai

executed in 2004

Private Collection, Asia

Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Finalists of 2004 Sovereign Art Annual Contemporary Asian Art Prize, 1-6 April, 2004

Significant Form: Paintings of Chow Chun-fai, Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong, pp.22-23, illustrated in colour

a spot of black stain at the lower right part of the painting, on the wall of the restaurant booth. Otherwise in good condition,
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Chow Chun Fai, graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is an exemplar among the younger generation of Hong Kong artists. Frequently using Hong Kong as a point of departure in his art, he depicts myriad segments of urban landscape that includes old taxis or street scenes, etc.  He excels at capturing the neglected details of daily life, transforming them and as a result, toys with a local's perception of his or her own hometown.  His highly acclaimed "Painting in Movie Series" is the pictorialization and perhaps also, the aestheticization, of a meticulously selected scene extracted from an iconic movie. Popular culture constitutes a major part of Hong Kong's capitalistic and consumerist disposition.  Hong Kong movies, in turn, feed much of its popular culture, which then contributes to the shaping of Hong Kong's image on the global stage. Hong Kong Café, Mong Kok (Lot 603) was painted in 2004 and depicts a quintessentially local dining joint situated in one of the most populated districts in the city.  The perspective is greatly expanded and the scene is presented in the form of a panorama.  Defying boundaries of time and space, the wide vantage point distorts the customary lack of space and inescapable congestion for which Hong Kong is so well-known. Undeniably familiar to a typical Hong Kong native, such a composition is squarely the magic of Chow.  Discovering a multitude of creative possibilities in the quotidian, he captures the neglected and extracts the mundane then finally, creates that crevice for a whole new interpretation.