Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Exhibition Period: 15 - 20 October 2013

Presented by Leo Gallery, in association with Hong Kong Arts Centre and Public Art Hong Kong, the exhibition “Of Human Conditions” draws together seven celebrated artists from the USA, France, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and features a diverse selection of artworks including paintings, sculptures, installation and public arts. The Exhibition takes place from today  to 20 October 2013 at the HKAC’s Pao Galleries. The Exhibition’s Opening Ceremony successfully took place this evening. Officiating guests included Ms. Florence Hui Hiu-fai, SBS, JP, Under Secretary for Home Affairs, HKSAR Government; Dr. Lars Nittve, Executive Director, M+, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; Mr. Steven Lo, Managing Director, Global Market Manager, Hong Kong, Citi Private Bank; Mrs. Cissy Pao Watari, BBS, Honorary President, Hong Kong Arts Centre and Chairperson, Public Art Hong Kong; Ms. Winnie Chiu, Vice Chairperson, The FRIENDS of the Hong Kong Arts Centre ; Mr. Cang Xin, Curator; Mr. Leo Lee Zongqi, Director, Leo Gallery; Ms. Connie Lam, Executive Director, Hong Kong Arts Centre and some of the participating artists, Ms. Joy Brown (USA), Nathalie Decoster (France), Mr. Chen Wenling (Beijing), Mr. Wang Ning (Beijing) and Rosanna Li Wei-Han (Hong Kong).

Curated by renowned artist, Cang Xin, each artist represents various human figures in their own creative way to prompt us to reflect on ourselves and our relationships with others. Some works skillfully mirror corporeal realities, while others exaggerate the body to get an aspect of our culture and psychology.

Sculptures presented by American artist, Joy Brown, stand as public artworks at Hong Kong Arts Centre’s main entrance and the Western Garden (next to Grand Hyatt Hong Kong) with the collaboration of Public Art Hong Kong. The public can still enjoy them for a longer while after the exhibition.

Exhibition Details
Participating Artists:    Joy Brown (USA), Nathalie Decoster (France), Chen Wenling (Beijing), Wang Ning (Beijing), Zhang Ning (Shanghai), Sui Changjiang (Beijing) and Rosanna Li Weihan (Hong Kong)
Exhibition Period:    15 - 19/10/2013, 10am – 8pm, 20/10/2013, 10am – 6pm 
Venue:    4-5/F Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre (2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong)
Programme Enquiries: 2582 0200/hkac@hkac.org.hk
Websites: www.hkac.org.hk / www.publicart.org.hk / http://www.leogallery.com.cn/
Facebook：Hong Kong Arts Centre

About Participating Artists
Sculptress Joy Brown (USA) who spent her early childhood in Japan, is now living and working both in Connecticut and Shanghai. Her full body figures echo the Japanese pre-historic Haniwa figures. The Asian influence in Joy Brown’s work reflects her early life in Japan and the rigorous discipline of a four year traditional Japanese apprenticeship in ceramics. In over 40 years of work with clay, Joy’s forms have evolved from early vessels and animal shapes to these friendly human-like forms in clay and bronze.
Nathalie Decoster (France) is a sculptor living in France since 1985. Decoster had numerous installations in public space, public institutions, museums and corporate offices, in which includes her solo exhibitions in different countries, such as the one in Brazil Sculpture Museum MUBE in 2011 and on the Avenue of Champs Elysées at Paris in 2008.
Chen Wenling’s (Beijing) sculptures are larger than life in a different sense. Their forms are exaggerated to reflect subjective attitudes towards race and sex, reminiscent of the exaggeratedly “Chinese” faces in paintings by Yue Minjun and others of his contemporary. Chen Wen-ling was born in Quanzhou, Fujian of China in 1969. He graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China. He now works and lives in Beijing. His artworks have been collected by China Art Museum, National Gallery of Korea, Denver Art Museum and Arox Art Museum etc. In 2011, he was awarded the Most Popular Award in the International Sculpture Exhibition at Aarhus City of Denmark; in the same year, he won the Public Art Prize in the 7th of the Sculpture by the Sea at Perth, Australia.
Paintings by Wang Ning (Beijing) are just as powerful and emotive, with the body not just represented but wounded by the artist’s depiction. Scratches are cut across the surface of the works by an artist trying to intrude on his subjects’ privacy. In "No. 40" a pagoda-shaped spine emerging from a white pelvic bone on a red background suggests Wang’s subjects include not just personal but also national traumas.
Young artists Zhang Ning (Shanghai) and Sui Changjiang (Beijing) astound with their incredibly lifelike works. Both Zhang’s life-sized fiberglass sculpture of a melancholy Chinese youth, and the similarly uncertain subjects in Sui’s ink and watercolor works demonstrate the artists’ talent for verisimilitude.
Works by Rosanna Li Wei-Han (Hong Kong) are both humorous and soul searching at the same time. Her jolly doughy ceramic figures are rustic and robust, yet they’re also stuffed full of art historical references. Rosanna Li is a leading Ceramic artist from Hong Kong, and retired Assistant Professor at the School of Design of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Rosanna first studied Ceramics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic, and pursued her education in England. Her works have been exhibited extensively in Asia, Australia, Canada, the U.S.A and Europe.

About Leo Gallery
Leo Gallery is an elegant space located in the diplomatic quarter of Shanghai’s former French Concession. Situated within the calm oasis of Ferguson Lan’s lifestyle retreat, the gallery presents fine arts as a feature of one’s daily living. Because the artists are in the bloom of their career, each exhibit offers visitors a chance to experience unique contemporary perspectives. Website: http://www.leogallery.com.cn/

Annie Ho （Marketing & Development Director）  
Tel：2824 5306/ 9481 8706                        
Email：aho@hkac.org.hk