Lau Hiu Tung: I am in Training, Don’t Kiss Me at Flowers Gallery
Greatly influenced by gym culture and personal experiences of physical training, this exhibition hasn’t got it too literally. There’re no weights or benches, you won’t stumble over dumbbells, but the repetitive brushstrokes remind of numerous sets of exercise. A mirror is a hint to a vanity gym shots and the brilliant irony of the cigarette butts in a trophy cup astray—small paradoxical rewards that some feel they deserve after the workout. The gym can connect you with your own body, can provide you strength and identity, but also sometimes can be a socially accepted way to transfer addiction, obsessive behaviour, or a way to justify some actions.
Don’t miss the eponymous self-portrait by Claude Cahun at the back alley’s ‘shrine’! Can’t think about an appropriate offering; expired gym membership cards maybe?
Exhibition period: 18 February—2 April
Gallery address: 49 Tung Street, Sheung Wan