Schoeni Projects is pleased to co-present with THE SHOPHOUSE, ‘Door to Door’, a residency programme developed as a cultural exchange programme between artists based in Hong Kong and the UK. Over the summer of 2023, this dual residency involves an exchange of artistic ideas, creating dialogue between participating artists Szelit Cheung and Olga Grotova, and their audience.
'Door to Door' is a tripartite conversation between artists, audience and space. A door and a work of art are two things that may seem unrelated, but both symbolise an entryway to a building or a journey into the mind of an artist.
It involves Open Studio and Exhibition in Hong Kong and London respectively. Each artist occupied a studio space for four weeks at each location, where they researched their project visions and created unique works in response to their surroundings. The exchange of locations displaced the artists from their accustomed creative environments, forming a new intimate relationship between artists, audience and the gallery space. The Exhibition takes place after the Open Studio, acting as a celebration and showcase of the on-site works created by the artists.
Szelit Cheung’s works engage with the architectural compositions of MLSAR which is housed in an 1850s Victorian townhouse in London. With his delicate and meticulous observation of variations in light across structural compositions and space, he created the respective Door series and House series. Cheung's practice involves using contrast in colours and minimal forms to portray the fleeting moment of light and shadow within an ethereal space, exploring the transitional period of happenings in the parallel of presence and emptiness.
Szelit Cheung explained, ‘The residency is named 'Door To Door', and 'Door' is an interesting theme that is full of imagination. When standing in front of the door, you may choose to open it to exit or enter a new space, or even stay in the current state. At MLSAR, I was attracted to the light and atmosphere of the building. I often gaze at the light on the floor or on the walls to experience the atmosphere at different times. I try to express my interpretation in my work.’ At the same time, 'For this residency project, I spent about a year and a half developing a new technique for the ‘House’ series. If audiences look at the works from a distance, the works may appear to be woodcut prints, but upon careful examination, you will discover that they are not prints. They are oil paintings on paper. Inside the works, there are many details, some of which are traces left by tearing off the surface of the paper, and others are straight lines and gradients created by scraping away the surface colours and more.’
Courtesy of The Artist, Schoeni Projects and THE SHOPHOUSE.
Photos by Leon Kong