In Greek mythology, the golden apple is a fruit of discord: a seemingly mundane fruit was enough to spark the Trojan war, which ultimately subverted and destroyed the Greek civilisation. Life is like playing chess; a blunder can obliterate the future without mercy. Perhaps everything is part of God’s plan and  there is  some destiny we cannot change, but how much is it influenced by our actions? Is life, after all, always in an invariable state of unknown?

Lau Hong Lam’s first solo exhibition took its title from the French phrase “Je ne sais quoi”, which literally means “I don’t know what”. It is an expression often used to capture appealing but elusive qualities—something evident in his prints as they unravelled one obscure secret after another. The second chapter of this exhibition series is subtitled “KALLISTI”, meaning “to the most beautiful”— the same word that was inscribed on the golden apple. The fruit eventually was not given to the most beautiful goddess; instead, it marked the catastrophic end of an entire civilisation.

Venue address: Diana Cheung Experimental Gallery, 3/F Hong Kong Arts Centre