a.m. space proudly presents “Szelit Cheung: Stand II”, a solo exhibition by Hong Kong artist Szelit Cheung. The concept of the works in the exhibition is originally created by the artist in order to depict the anxious experiences while people are being looked at by others. Cheung takes the nature of photography and the psychological reactions of the people in the photos as a metaphor that indicates the emotions in between “seeing” and “being seen”, and the tension within photography and painting.

The difference between individuals and others can be the trigger of discrimination. The feeling of anxiety grows under the pressure of hostile feeling and scrutiny. Surrounded by gazes from others, the mind that used to be spacious gradually retracts, body and pose become stiff and people usually feel too weak to resist the situation. People are used to revealing the best part of oneself in front of the camera. However, this sometimes makes us feel nervous and difficult to act normally. While being photographed, the awkward emotion of the situation is similar to that of being stared at by others or being under the pressure of other people’s points of view.

The reference photos of this series were chosen from magazines and Szelit Cheung’s family photos at the beginning. Then he started taking pictures of his friends during the process of the project. The artist selects the photos based on their potential to be transformed into paintings as well as the similarity of emotional feelings between the artist himself and the photos. This is an ongoing project in which Chueng continues to discover the dialogue between his personal experiences and creative practice.