Eye-popping art

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Compiled by Joyee Chan
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Young Post Junior Reporters marvelled at innovative works of art at the HKCEC

Compiled by Joyee Chan |
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Last Saturday, Hong Kong International Art Fair's marketing director Sashim Parmanand showed a dozen Young Post junior reporters around the spectacular annual art event, which is in its fourth year. More than 250 galleries from 38 countries showcased their best pieces at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Asian artworks were also on display in the new Asia One section.

Here, seven reporters explain which artworks caught their attention.

Tong Hok-lee

It was fun walking around and admiring the fabulous artworks on display. The international art fair showcased lots of stunning masterpieces. It was nice to have a briefing before the tour and to have a professional guide lead us during our visit. All the pieces on show clearly reflected the dedication of the artists.

Sophie Cheung

My favourite piece was one by British artist Damien Hirst. He has been known to work with butterflies and I was happy to see one of his famous pieces involving an intricate design. In it, multicoloured, realistic butterflies were stacked on top of one another in a diamond-shaped frame. Our guide explained that Hirst's work revolves around the themes of life, death and life after death. His work defies a single interpretation.

Karen Cheung Ka-lun

If I had to pick a favourite, it would be the photography prints Things To Do by Turkish artist Selcuk Artut. Its seven photos, arranged like days of the week from Monday to Sunday, showed a woman covered in blood as she went about such daily chores as watering flowers. It was as if she couldn't see the bright red stains, or else simply didn't care. Her to-do list always featured the call to "Be Happy". It was a haunting piece of work that made me aware how used we have become to violence.

Fong Hui-yi

One work that caught my eye was Colored Maos (1979) by Andy Warhol. Warhol is a key figure in modern pop art and is famous for his silk screening techniques on canvas that allow for the mass-production of images. This particular artwork is the largest canvas produced by Warhol and takes up plenty of wall space.

The postmodern masterpiece features Mao's portrait in various colours and is very eye-catching. The artwork is also jaw-dropping for another reason: its price tag. Warhol's piece, now on display by the Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, sells for a staggering US$50 million.

Charmain Li

My pick is Liu Zhuoquan's World of Thousands installation. I was impressed by its sheer size and the combined impact of thousands of hand-painted glass bottles lined up on wooden shelves. The Beijing artist used glass, acrylic, oil and mineral pigment to "draw inside the bottle".

Liu transforms bottles of all shapes and sizes into an exquisite collection of miniature worlds containing body parts, everyday tools and various animals. His diverse combinations exude a slightly eerie atmosphere, causing viewers to reflect whether our lives are merely a collection of random items and memories.

Nola Yip

The Red Lantern Banquet by Douglas Young is a huge upside-down red lantern. As you enter this lantern, you discover that its inner wall is full of pictures of Hong Kong food culture. Scenes from Chinese restaurants are enhanced by the sound effects of people dining. It is a creative and original piece.

My other pick is Bibliotea by Vivi Yip- another innovative artwork. The pages of a book have been turned into a teabag so that as you drink tea, you can read a book at the same time. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to sample the tea!

Alexandra Ambrocio

Waiting for Godot, on display at the Red Gate Gallery, was definitely my favourite. This piece from Beijing is an interactive video where, as in the famous play of the same name, a well-dressed character waits onscreen. He is unaware that viewers can watch his every move. When I called a provided number, the character actually answered but suddenly hung up. But then I received a message from him, as does every person who dials the number. My message said: "See you in a bit." It was slightly unsettling yet illuminating.

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