Wilson Shieh (Shieh Ka Ho)

painted in 2009

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

Hong Kong, Osage Soho, 2009

Overall in very good condition. Framed with acrylic: 93 by 93 cm.
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Often employing painting as subtle history lesson, whilst injecting a dash of political consciousness, Wilson Shieh is recognized as a one of Hong Kong’s unique contemporary voices. As Henry Au Yueng writes, “In the post-colonial era, when people confuse politics with ethnics, pop culture with high culture and identity with insecurity, Shieh sets out to contrast and exploit this chaos through the figures, symbols and metaphors in his paintings.”¹

As one of Shieh’s most provocative series, aimed at Hong Kong celebrity, Chow Yun Fat’s Fitting Room is the first of the Fitting Room series that portrays the costumes of Chow Yun Fat—one of Hong Kong’s most famous icons and action hero—in various films. The meticulously labelled and illustrated collage is the collective manual for Chow’s acting career, whereupon Shieh has created individual canvases of each costume laid out as for paper dolls.

¹ Henry Au-yeung, Wilson Shieh: the Liaison Officer, Wilson Shieh: An Alternative Antiquity, Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong, October 2002.