“Through Boredom Into Fascination” takes inspiration from American photographer, Diane Arbus, who would never choose a subject for what it means to her or what she thinks about it. She believes these things begin to unfold if we just plain choose a subject and do it enough. This echoes Pak Sui Chi’s ceramic learning experience in which understanding of porcelain as a material, or “subject” in Arbus’s term, can only be achieved through repetitive work that seems boring. To her, it is also way to understand and perceive life itself.

The exhibition challenges the age-old assumptions related to the creation of art. It sparks a confrontation between the long-held belief that art is an intellectual activity, driven by conscious thought and deliberate action, and the contrasting perspective that art blossoms out of monotony, like a meditative practice, where the constant drum of repetition slowly peels back layers of understanding. It calls into question the very nature of art-making, opening up new dimensions of understanding and perception.

Venue address: The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School, 10/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai