Art Next and Novalis Art Design jointly present ‘In Dialogue with Nature,’ a duo exhibition of Hong Kong painter Fung Chim and Italian photographer Costanza Gastaldi. Here, Fung Chim spotlights the often overlooked nature that we seeevery day within the city, while Costanza Gastaldi takes the viewer on ajourney deep into the forest full of mystery.

Fung Chim is an astute observer of the Hong Kong urban landscape he resides in, especially the spatial interaction between the artificial architecture and the trees that decorate the urban spaces. His works highlight elements of beauty that exist within the familiar landscape that we might walk past every day but fail to notice. He chooses to forgo the depth from conventional western perspective. Instead of creating a space viewers can project themselves into, Fung Chim foregrounds the pattern that is formed by the foliage of trees, sometimes contrasted with tiled walls, so that each element has equal presence and is not overlooked. In his works, every individual element is depicted in meticulous detail, each leave, flower petal, branch and tile are rendered with the same precision. In Orchid Tree, the detail in the tiled wall in the background is such that you can see the cracks within the tiny square tiles, how sections of the wall have faded in colour, and even faint shadows in indentations where tiles have fallen off. Though no humans are depicted in his paintings, it is in such details of wear and tear that indicate the human history within the urban fabric. Despite the  In his other paintings within this exhibition, Fung Chim focuses on the trees themselves and leaves the background white, letting the viewer admire the complexity and different characteristics of different trees. Sunshinetree, CommonRed Stem, Indian Almond are all common trees that we see dotted amongst boulevards and green spaces within Hong Kong. It is something we might see walking past our neighbourhood every day and yet how many of us have bothered to notice their names and individual character? With his signature style, Fung Chim brings the beauty of the neglected everyday nature around us and we are inspired to look more closely for moments of beauty in the mundane.

Costanza Gastaldi’s series Sylvan Reliquary takes the viewer into a lush verdant scenery meeting halfway between the fantasized landscapes and the one journeyed in. In such a quest for the existential, the wandering of the artist puts forward on one hand the archetype of creation and death and on another, melancholia. Through her work, the viewer can freely lose themselves in the mysterious forest that she presents: ‘The light falls. The Silent Forest is full of emotions... Protected by the darkness, the ‘tree-bodies’ take cramped positions. Halfway between the craft of suffering and positions of love, they mingle, intertwine, overlap to finally unite as if in an aid to resistance. In this marvellous intrigue, in this abandonment, emerges the will to mix, this pursuit for exchange, that keeps persisting despite the reality of finitude.’ Costanza Gastaldi explores “our own sentimental geography”. Between darkness and light, she sculpts with prowess the landscapes of the mind’s spirit. Daydreams and reality converse and highlight the complexities of our emotions. The viewer is sucked into the depth by the deep darkness in each frame and finds themselves bewitch ed by the natural world teeming with details. The smoky nuances entice us and transform the artworks into true objects of desire. It is in a vast grayscale field of the noble black that the most significant elements in her craft materialize. Her work not only pushes us into self-reflection but also opens vast trails of exploration around broad subjects on aesthetics, politics and metaphysics linked to the relationship that man has with nature.

Opening reception: 19 Oct 2023, 6 - 9 pm

Gallery address: G/F, 197 Hollywood Road