Journey to the Unknown 2024 Mixed media 121.9 x 121.9 x 28 cm
Laughing Cloud Head 2024 Mixed media 121.9 x 121.9 x 28 cm
Journey to the Unknown and Laughing Cloud Head are a pair of installation works full of humor, inspired by the gift-wrapped Yuzi (pomelo) in plastic film with red ribbons and decorated with auspicious stickers, which are gifts commonly exchanged during the Lunar New Year. The golden Yuzi has a symbolic meaning in Chinese etiquette — sending gold and best wishes. Journey to the Unknown and Laughing Cloud Head explode these familiar forms into unfamiliar proportions. Both multimedia paintings explore a recurring theme of re-contextualising domestic and banal objects, blending Western and Eastern, old and new influences, with many interesting visual fragments drawn from Gary’s trips to Hong Kong over the years.