The Narrative of Hong Kong

Zheng Zicheng
Gu Yue
Ph.D in Fine Arts
Painting Theory and Practice
2022-04-29
Color
Portraiture
Mixed medium
The project is based on the real experiences of the family, who recalled how they migrated and settled in Hong Kong from their coastal hometown in Chaoshan from 1950 to 1980. These past events not only show the the micro history, but also shape the family of different generations of people's local identity and identity concept. Based on these narratives, my imagination and visual expression attempt to connect Hong Kong as a symbol and symbol with personal history, nostalgia and spiritual connection.
  • The Fire of Shape The work points to "identity". The flame is a symbol of shaping a certain spirit, which connects ancestral comfort with the sacrificial activities of chaoshan people, and also reminds people of the violence and anxiety in the streets of Hong Kong. Therefore, the flame symbol connects three scenes of Hong Kong street, Lion Rock spirit and Chaoshan worship. The subject carrying the flame is not only the ordinary people without concrete faces but also the lion Mountain as a spiritual symbol. Seemingly different subject identities form veins in the series of flames.
  • The Land of Endless The work points to "nostalgia". The realistic moon and the symbolized moon emerge on the gold foil background as a symbol of sacrifice and wealth, showing the melancholy of chaoshan people scattered in their own land at the lunar full moon.
  • Life Bread The work points to "arrival". It is based on the family's memories of their first bite of bread after they arrived in Hong Kong in 1970. The life bread is a cheap, locally produced bread that was used by the government in the 1970s as a relief item for refugees at the border.