A look at 黃國才 (Kacey Wong)s delicate works
Muse magazine, written by Sylvia Chan,
Photos by Andrew Tang
On a fine Sunday morning after days of continuous downpour, 黃國才 (Kacey Wong) was in his studio at Ap Lei Chau. The huge white door of the studio was ajar, and Wongs recent work 《流浪家居》 (Wandering Home), which is a little house on top of a tricycle, was parked in the middle of the studio. He was standing in front of it, deep in thought. Soft breezes wafted the occasional sound of ships horns to the studio. Shafts of light broke through the cloudy sky, and from the studios huge podium it was possible to see sunlight shimmering on the water of the 東博寮海峽 (East Lamma Channel). But Wong was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice the glittering little stars on the seas surface.
On one side of the studio, an iron working table stood against a line of windows overlooking the sea. Wong made the iron table when he took a welding course. On the table was a sketchbook made of waste paper. Wong usually jots down his ideas on the back of waste paper lying on his work table. He then binds these papers together into unique sketch books. There was a wire rack hanging on the wall of the studio. Tools like hammers, screwdrivers, saws and drills were positioned neatly on it. Next to the wire rack was a saw bed which Wong uses for cutting wood. Wood is one of Wongs favorite materials for his artwork. Wongs studio is predominantly yellow. The collapsible awning over the podium is yellow, and so are the chairs. Many of his works are also yellow. Wong said in jest that he likes yellow because his last name is 黃 (Wong, literally meaning yellow), and yellow denotes happiness.
At one stage during my visit, Wong went up to the attic, a snug little hideout no larger than 50 square feet in size and accessible via a wooden staircase. The space was lit up by buttery yellow light and natural light came in through the windows overlooking the podium. There is a grey sofa, several black chairs and a little yellow coffee table. Wong likes to chat with visitors in the attic. At times, he dozes off there. In the attic, Wong put a CD into the player and filled the studio with a classical tune. Then he went back down the wooden staircase and disappeared into the pantry hidden behind the movable wall panels. The smell of coffee filled the studio.Sporting a pair of glasses with thick black frames, Wong was dressed in a black T-shirt, black pants and a pair of brown shoes. At the age of 38, he is leading a life envied by many. He has shaped his life around three things he enjoys, art, war games and the romance with his wife, Margaret.
On the art front, Wong has held six solo exhibitions since 1999. In 2003, he received the Rising Artist Award and the Outstanding Arts Education Award both awarded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. He likes art for the boundless possibilities it holds. No matter how wild your idea is, you can make something out of it,he said. He enjoys making art because it allows him to enter a pure world with no distracting thoughts. Making art enables me to calm down and think about what is important in life, he added.
Wongs ideas come from his observations of life. To him, there is only one difference between artists and laymen: Ordinary people let an experience go by. They wouldnt make a work to capture a feeling. Artists convert what they have in their minds into objects. Wong loves sculptures because they are solid and can be touched. He feels that their three-dimensional quality makes the stories come alive. The work 《分間》 (Partition), now hanging on the wall of his studio, is one of the 10 sculptures in the series 10 Boxes: Everything Ive Ever Thought About, I Put Inside a Box that he made in 1998. Partition has two boxes connected by a central empty core resembling a lift core. A tiny man wearing a red coat is standing inside the upper box. He is holding a briefcase and a walking stick. A tiny lady wearing a yellow coat is standing inside the lower box with her hands in her pockets. The man and lady both face inwards, their backs to viewers. Wongs introduction to the sculpture reads: My father used to go to work everyday. Each day he took the elevator from our home then gradually descended down to the street, after a short while he took another elevator and ascended up to his other home, he did this everyday . . ..Partition is reminiscent of the Henri Matisses paining, The Conversation, in which he and his wife are quietly looking at each other, as if they have nothing to say.
John Batten, director of John Batten Gallery which organized the 10 Boxes exhibition for Wong in 2000, particularly likes his series of sculptures with the box theme. Wongs good at proportions, said Batten. This is shown in the works in the 10 Boxes exhibition. Among the 10 Boxes sculptures, 《一夜，一個人》 (A Night. Alone) is one of Battens favorites. It is a box, painted black on the inside and bearing a lid that has had many little holes punched in it. The box contains a ping pong ball which represents the moon. As light passes through the holes in the lid, luminous spots akin to stars are projected on to the dark surface inside the box. A tiny man is standing inside the box, and he can see the stars. Yet he is the only one who is able to enjoy the starry night because once the lid is open, all the stars vanish. Wong created the work to show the loneliness of a person who cannot find a close confidante with whom to share the splendor of his life. Its a very nice concept. Hes a very good thinking artist, Batten said.
李民偉 (Tim Li), chairman of Para/Site Art Space, has been friends with Wong for over 10 years. In 1997, Li and Wong worked together on two installations, The Revolving Gate to the Hell and My Mirror, which were exhibited in 《鬼遇》(Ghost Encounter) organized by Para/Site. Around that time, Li and Wong would met often and spend long hours discussing art.. Said Li: His works are delicate and into detail. Hes sensitive about human relationships, He added that the 10 Boxes series exhibits Wongs insights into peoples emotions. Wong is not satisfied with merely creating aesthetically pleasing artwork. What he really aspires to do is to come up with a good concept for every piece of work. I like works with different layers of meanings. An artwork may have a pretty facade, but under the facade could be something hideous, he said, adding that he thinks truth in his works is important. He explained what he terms a candid piece of work. You truthfully face your own problems. You make the work yourself. You reflect on your own emotions.
He believes an artist is like a detective, and said: The case you have to investigate is the self. Creating a work takes him on a journey of self-discovery. Recently, he created a piece called What They Say About You inspired by his idol, the late 曾灶財 (Tsang Tsou Choi), better known as 九龍皇帝 (The King of Kowloon). Wong made a stainless steel mirror in the shape of a speech bubble. On the mirror is the silhouette of Tsang, who was famous to some but notorious to others for his calligraphy graffiti. Wongs work symbolizes Tsangs nonchalant attitude towards people who criticized him and his perseverance in continuing with his art no matter what they said. You dont need to care about what people say about you. An artist creates his own world, Wong said, his face reflecting in the speech bubble shaped mirror now hanging in the studio.
In 2001, Wong made 遊離都市《樓樓起樓樓》工作坊 (Drift City [Building making Buildings Workshop]), an installation in the GOD Art Space. A long steel table was placed in the space and visitors were encouraged to use wooden blocks Wong had prepared to create their own ideal buildings. Drift City was exhibited again at the Hong Kong Art Biannual 2001 in the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This time, the steel table was situated in a rest area in the museum. While Batten loved the Drift City installation in the GOD Art Space, he thought placing it in the museums sitting area might have drawn too much attention to Wong in a biannual that belonged to all local artists.
Wong didnt always want to be an artist. As a child he had a much more magnificent dream – to be a warrior defending the world against monsters. Of course Wong soon discovered that the cartoon-like monsters he was envisaging didnt actually exist. Instead he followed a more realistic course and studied architecture at Cornell University in New York. He graduated in 1994 and worked as an architect for nearly six years, specializing in graphic design, interior design and architectural design. He worked in New York, Japan, and Hong Kong, and he also set up his own company. While most people would consider an architects life to be a comfortingly stable and middle-class existence, Wong was dissatisfied. To him, the job of architect was too monotonous. Since his youth he has always hated conformity. As a student, when he handed in his architectural thesis he broke the rule that said all these should be bound in black – the cover of his was blue.Tired of his job as an architect and looking for a way out, Wong one day listened to the self-help tapes of Anthony Robins, which asked listeners what they really wanted to become. Wong realized that being an artist was his first priority. I think it was at that moment that I decided to be an artist, he said.
Wong had a good income while he was an architect. Nevertheless, he decided to give up his job, and enrolled in the Master of Arts programme at the Chelsea School of Arts and Design in London, graduating in 1998. In the world there are many things that are worth doing. I dont want to waste my time in an office, Wong explained. He spoke of giving up architecture light-heartedly, as if making the decision had not been a struggle. In Istanbul: Memories and the City, Orhan Pamuk, who also studied architecture, appeared similarly unruffled when he made up his mind to give it up. I dont want to be an artist. I am going to be a writer, Pamuk said in the book, as if the decision was so natural as to require no further explanation. However, despite Wongs casual tone now, at the time giving up architecture was not so easy. I struggled until I almost had a nervous breakdown. There were so many things to think about. Like would I starve my future wife to death? he said.
陳育強 (Kurt Chan Yuk Keung), associate professor in the department of fine arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, has known Wong for more than 10 years. When he first met him Wong was still an architect, and he asked Chans advice on whether to study the Master of Arts programme. Chan was frank in his reply, telling Wong the programme would not contribute much to his career development. When he [Wong] said he was going to give up architecture, I was shocked, Chan said, adding that it was unusual for Hong Kong people to give up a profession representing a good social status. Some people opt for art because theres nothing else they can do. Kacey could have chosen to continue to be an architect. So he has a greater determination to do art [compared with some other artists], Chan said.
After finishing the masters programme, Wong began to teach sculpture and art appreciation at CUHK. Of his decision to opt for art not architecture, Wong now says: Art allows more freedom, but at the same time its a more difficult subject. Wong does still explore architecture in his work. The ongoing 《遊離都市》(Drift City) project that Wong started in 2000 is an attempt to explore the relationship between human and space. It is about the story of a not so significant and soon to be forgotten skyscraper, which drifts in space, between reality and utopia, endlessly searching for an ideal city. Wong started the project while he was working on his PHD thesis, which investigated the concept of home within a city. Terry Batt, associate professor of the school of art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Wongs PHD thesis supervisor, said the Drift City project explores the relationship between a modern building and a monument. Its influenced by Wongs architectural training, he said. He added that Wong is a well-motivated and mature artist. He exhibits his strong technical skills [acquired through architectural training] through his art practice, Batt said.
Li, who is also an architect, said Wongs architectural background was clear to see in his his early works such as the 10 Boxes series, which had a feeling of construction, but the Drift City project marked a departure. The works suggest much more than construction. They get more conceptual, Li said. In 2007, Wong created the sculpture《坐在漩渦之上》(Sitting on a Whirlpool), a wooden bench in the shape of a whirlpool. The bench is made of abandoned wood strips once treated as junk, which Wong recycled in order to explore the concept of useful versus useless.
Chan said there was a time when Wong tried to avoid the use of architectural language. He used malleable metals to make his works, allowing the construction of forms other than lines and faces. For example, the installation《己島魚》(Island Fish) that Wong made in 1996 was made of brass plate and wire. Chan feels Wong is now more comfortable about merging his architectural knowledge into his artworks. The sculptures show the use of architectural language. At the same time the romance of sculptures is preserved, he said. The 10 Boxes series exhibits the use of faces and lines, showing the concept of space and structural support. There are also stories attached to the objects, making them poetic. Chan said the Drift City project demonstrates even further Wongs intention to explore architecture as an artist.
In the Drift City project, Wong travels to different parts of the world, dresses in a skyscraper suit and plays the role of the skyscraper man, taking pictures at different scenic spots. The artist explains: I felt when I started the project that architecture had become a tool to show off. It had even become a bank note. The true meaning behind architecture was lost. He feels that, to many, architecture is just luxurious building blocks. Children especially love the skyscraper man, with his clumsy movements. But Wong recalls how children reacted to the character soon after the 9/11 attack. Seeing the skyscraper man, one child suddenly screamed, World Trade Centre! Another shouted, 9/11! And another yelled, Bin Laden! The children then began to hit the skyscraper mans back. I was terrified, Wong said, grinning as he talked about the children. Children will touch you and talk directly to you. Adults just have too many taboos, he said.
Hong Kong people, along with those from other big cities, are particularly nonchalant about the skyscraper man. He once went to 廟街 (Temple Street) and though the figure is quite eye-catching some people did not seem to even notice him. People in the city are apathetic, said Wong. Were all busy, and dont have a sense of identity. We’re all passers-by. There is a poem called Sing a Song of People by American writer Lois Lenski which has the lines: Sing of city people/You see but never know!. Lenskis words seem particularly pertinent to way the skyscraper man is ignored in the city. In the《想來想去》(Drifting Thoughts) exhibition held from March to April at the Goethe Institute, Wong recaptured the journey of the skyscraper man. The exhibition showed works that Wong made based on ideas he came up with during the trip, and a notebook Wong kept during the journey was also exhibited. The works are a bit raw. Wong purposely did not refine them, so that they resemble what were drawn in the sketch book. I tried to preserve the original concepts. Its like the works drawn in the sketch book were made into objects in an instant, Wong said.
Batten did not enjoy the Drifting Thoughts exhibition very much. He felt that though the works were beautifully made and presented, they did not demonstrate much content and had little impact. He said seeing pictures of the skyscraper man taken in different places has become boring to some people, though he felt the Drift City project serves to raise the profile of the artist. He [Wong] has an idea, and he runs with the idea. It becomes a bit tiring, he said, adding that Wong sometimes pushes a good idea a bit too far. It becomes a little bit silly, he said. It becomes disconnected to the main idea. Batten recalled that when he organized the 10 Boxes: Everything Ive Ever Thought About, I Put Inside a Box exhibition, Wong suggested setting up a place for visitors to use play dough at the exhibition venue. Batten thought the idea was great and it was implemented, but then Wong came up with anew thought. He [Wong] thought if we can do this we can also do that. But God, too much! Batten said. (He turned down Wongs idea, though he cannot recall what the idea was.)
Even though he drifts around as if rootless, the skyscraper man actually has a nationality. It was born in Hong Kong, Wong said with a proud smile. He too was born in Hong Kong and lived here until he went to the US with his family as a teen. During his 10 years in the US, he felt he was like a light bulb turned on every time he walked on the street. Migrating was a painful experience, Wong said, My experience in the US has taught me to be independent. In this world you have to help yourself.
As a teen living in a foreign country, Wong missed his home in Hong Kong. Even though Im back to Hong Kong now, I missed out on the experience of living in my home town as a teenage, he said sadly. The only thing that would enable me to retrieve that lost experience is a time machine. To Wong, a home gives one a sense of belonging. I chose Hong Kong as my base because I have a sense of belonging to Hong Kong. I can live in other places, but other places dont offer the sense of belonging I have here, he said. Wong likes to explore the concept of home in his works. My Wandering Homes, first exhibited in the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, is a work inspired by Hong Kongs crowded living conditions. It is a mobile home with minimal requirements for existence. You can sleep, eat, read and watch TV in the mobile home, whose backdoor serves as a sofa when open. A horn, with I love my bike printed on it, is attached to the handle bar of a tricycle on which the mobile home stands.
Wong took three years to make Wandering Homes, from conceiving the idea to constructing it. Is it possible to have a work that enables people to live freely in the city? Im trying to ask this question [through this work], he said. Wong thinks that to live freely is to live to be able to live in any place of your choice, just like nomads. To nomads, who enjoy a wandering life, it is the traveling that matters not the point of arrival. Wong originally made My Wandering Homes for himself, but after the mobile home was constructed, many felt it would make an ideal solution for the homeless. People were inspired and realized its possible to live like that. They have hopes under desperate conditions. I think we need such hopes, he said.
On the sunny morning I visited his studio, Wong was trying to further improve Wandering Homes ready for its exhibition at the Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in September. The mobile home is not perfect. Its deficiency forms part of its beauty, Wong said, smiling as he looked at his creation. Wong works hard as an artist but feels that in Hong Kongs money-centric society artists are under-appreciated. If you sit down and talk about art, people think that you’re abnormal, he said. I make my own work. I enjoy the process. An artist has to be independent and strive hard for what he believes.
Chan said Wong is active and knowledgeable, treasuring every chance to learn. Soon after they got to know each other Wong would take every opportunity to discuss with Chan, already a venerated artist, his new ideas about art. Li said Wongs works are poetic and touching because he is willing to expose his sincerest thoughts and feelings through his work. He feels Wongs serious attitude is important to Hong Kongs art scene. He has a strong motivation to create art, said Chan. Hes a good example of someone who makes his way [in Hong Kongs art circle]. Yet some interpret Wongs determination and self-confidence as arrogance, and refuse to talk about his works. In 2001, Wong was a member of Para/site. As always, he was very careful about his works which were beautifully finished. Yet this style was at odds with Para/site more spontaneous approach. Perhaps Wong was too resolute about his careful attitude, for he and Para/site did not work out and he left the group after less than two years. Chan understands why some artists think that Wong is arrogant. He isnt afraid of expressing his opinions. He doesnt hesitate to show his views. Hes very direct and seldom uses cliches, Chan said, adding that if Wongs development were hindered because of his so-called arrogance, then society should be blamed for its immaturity.
Despite the criticism, Wong remains a dream-catcher and a devotee to art. Some day, he said he would like to set up his own museum and cites the case of another artist who did just that – 朱銘 (Ju Ming), a renowned sculptor from Taiwan, who set up his own museum, 朱銘美術館 (Juming Museum), in Teipei in 1999. Batten said one major problem for Hong Kong artists is that there is no museum to show the works of local artists of this generation. Wong hopes that through his own museum, visitors to the city would realize that it is more than a financial center. As people come to Hong Kong, they would know that theres such an artist in Hong Kong making something interesting, Wong said.
In a city where artworks are not viewed as important, many of Wongs large installation works, instead of being kept have been used as landfill. One of such work includes《一個人在尖東海旁》 (Standing Next to the Harbour Front Alone). It was a metal sculpture in the shape of the Hong Kong skyline designed so visually impaired people could touch and feel it. Its a pity. Its such a pity. To me its a loss to Hong Kong, said Wong of abandonment of many works by Hong Kong installation artists. Old works are like lovers in the past. They keep a record of feelings, he said. Wong has reinforced his bonding with art through teaching. He considers teaching art to be just as important as creating art. For two years he taught sculpture and art appreciation at CUHK, and now he teaches in the school of design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He considers himself a born teacher, because he can keep saying something meaningful for a long time. Yet he conceded that it is not easy to teach art, as it is all about expressing and capturing an individuals emotions.
Wong puts his heart into teaching and spends lots of time sharing with his students his views on art. Hong Kong is a very practical society. They talk about basic needs but never self-actualization. I treasure my art students. They face so much pressure from society but still carry on [studying art], he said. Batt said Wong embraces his art practice and is able to communicate his ideas effectively. He has the enthusiasm to communicate to a broad audience of all levels, Batt said, adding that Wong has held various workshops with children. Starting in 2001, he has held《我的摩天大樓工作坊》 (Personal Skyscraper Workshops) at various primary schools during which pupils, make their own wearable architectural clothing with foam boards and paper. Wong hopes to encourage children to admire the architecture in their city through the workshops.
Batten said Wong works hard as a teacher, but like many Hong Kong teachers, likes to have disciples. Teachers in Hong Kong manipulate students and treat them like big followers. I think Kacey sometimes does that, he said. But though Batten thinks Wongs desire to have student followers is egotistical, he still recognizes Wongs talent and enthusiasm as a teacher. Wong has organized study trips abroad for students to places like Shenzhen and the Netherlands, in the hope of broadening their horizons. In Hong Kong there are not many teachers who do that, Batten said.
Wong is devoted to art, but art is not everything in his life. An artist does not live in clouds. They dont just make art in life. There are lots of things happening around, he said. You have to develop different interests. If artists just do art its a pity, he said. Wong finds different ways to appreciate life. He continues to learn new things, and strives for excellence in everything he does. He is a senior diver, having learned how to dive several years ago, and feels his experience underwater has changed his attitude. A little fish swims faster than you. You cant say you are the king of nature anymore, he said.
Wong also learned to drive a motorbike several years ago. The motorbike takes me to a different place, I have strong feelings about life as I smell the wind and the fragrance of flowers when riding it, he said. Both pastimes have also awoken in him an awareness how vulnerable life is. When he reads news about accidents involving divers or motorcyclists, he is reminded that its good to be living, and I have the motivation to make my works, he said. Chan said Wong has chosen a path that leads to a happy life. This is what I appreciate about him, he said, Hes good at creating an environment in which to enjoy life. Chan thinks that Wongs studio at Ap Lei Chau provides an ideal place to create artworks, and added: An artist makes good choices about his own life. His life is his greatest work.
Wong is fanatical about war games, which he plays every week. He is a commander who leads his teammates to fight in different battles. War game training has made him more self-disciplined and keener to take on challenges. He has learned of his own abilities better through cooperation with others. Since Wong started playing war games 14 years ago, he has died more than 2,000 times. He is trained to be tough. When your teammates are killed, you have to continue to survive, he said. He finds beauty in the games. Sometimes I die several times in a days games. When I come back to reality, I feel peaceful. I become humble and begin to appreciate life.
To Wong, war gaming is a form of art requiring perfection. Tactics like tossing sand into the eyes of the enemies are simply not good enough, he said. In a war game battle, everything is fast. You have to make decisions fast, he said, adding that sometimes a whole team can be killed in three minutes, and he has to think about how to kill the enemiy using a pretty form exhibiting 道義 (principles of morality). While he is open-minded as an artist, Wong is quite reserved when talking about his relationship with others. Still, he cannot help mentioning his wife from time to time and she has even appeared in his work.《只有您》(Only You) was created while Wong and his future wife were engaged in England in 1998. The work is a box whose lid has been painted with a Hawaiian scene. On the lid are two holes through which people can look into the box and see a man in wedding suit and a lady in wedding dress. Viewed through the holes the couple appears to be kissing, but it is an optical illusion. Open the box, and you discover a wall standing between the couple, they can never actually see each other.
I was thinking about the meaning of marriage at that time, explained Wong. Marriage is like a mirage. It looks good to people from the outside, but in reality theres a wall between the couple. You spend your lifetime trying to scale the wall, to get to the other side, to know the other person that you love. Wong has also been exploring the meaning of home, and feels that for a place to be a home it must contain someone you love. If a person is alone hes actually very lonely, Wong said, adding that his wife Margaret is the important someone in his home. Batten also praised Margaret: You meet Margaret. Shes a very normal person, and obviously shes very open-minded. She doesnt mind Wongs wild ideas, he said.
Asked about Wongs significance on Hong Kongs art scene, Batten said it was difficult to assess the popularity of artists based on sales since Hong Kong has so few art collectors buying artwork. He said that very few on the local arts scene are as organized and efficient as Wong, making it unfair to evaluate his significance. We can only compare him with himself, Batten said. Chan agrees that artists abilities cannot be measured by the number of works they sell. He said Wongs significance can be realized via his participation in the Hong Kong art circle. He [Wong] cant be regarded as a master yet because he doesnt have enough works, he said. But hes certainly among the good artists in Hong Kong and cares about his work.
Back in his studio, facing the blue sky and the gleaming sea, Wong contentedly gazed at Wandering Home. Perhaps he was dreaming of how the mobile home could take him and his work to different places. Carl Jung once said life had always seemed to him like a plant that lives on its rhizome (a root-like subterranean stem), and that true life is hidden in the rhizome. While the part that appears above the ground withers away, the rhizome remains. Wong must have his rhizome in Hong Kong.
