Light is the basic element that makes up the human visual perception of dimensions. Diverting from meticulously structured spaces, Szelit Cheung fixates on the transformative power of light in his second solo exhibition at Rossi & Rossi. Titled 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸, the exhibition presents a new body of paintings on linen and wood, all depictions of spaces illuminated by a single light source. The perpetual ray of light often beams through a window, a skylight or an opening in a wall, halting our sense of time. The abstraction of structural features detaches Cheung’s works from symbolic or narrative representation – leaving viewers to decide what they see.

Upon the completion of the two-month artist-in-residence project, Rossi & Rossi will revert to a gallery space for the solo show of Szelit Cheung from July 3rd to 31st, 2021. Pursuing his expedition in the concept of void, Cheung amplifies the characteristics of our gallery space by portraying light and colour in an exquisite manner. His canvases have brought the gallery out of its ordinary presence, enabling it to undergo a metamorphosis from being an exhibition venue to becoming an exhibition’s theme. Titled Space, the show comprises a series of paintings that depict the semi-fictional interior based on the actual structures of the gallery. Space will mark itself as the final show at this gallery space which Rossi & Rossi has inhabited since 2013, and we look forward to presenting more exciting exhibitions at our future address.

We are honoured to invite Hong Kong contemporary artist Szelit Cheung, to be the artist of Highlight of the Month in January 2021, presenting his latest oil paintings - Shimmer.

The recent art creation of Szelit Cheung, is aware of different kinds of spaces, such as blank spaces or neglected corners, lead him to contemplate the fascinating imagination derived from space, and further think about the concept of "emptiness". For him, "emptiness" is not literally equal to emptiness or nothingness, but a transitional state between viewing "emptiness" and before generating any imagination and feeling. He often studies the relationship between space and the concept of emptiness, and meanwhile, he is also thinking about how space is remembered. We can understand more about how he considers another aspect of "emptiness" - the relationship between space and emptiness by appreciating his paintings.

The exhibition showcases Cheung’s ingenuity on the theme of “void”. In Zen Buddhism, it is believed that all things come from Śūnyatā (emptiness or voidness). For Cheung, “void” is not a concept, but something that can be understood through experience. His work explores the relationship between space, chiaroscuro, and hues through a minimal setting, reflecting on the interactions between one's self and environment.

位於某個遠方的田野
Substance, Delicate, Something in Between

a.m. space proudly presents “Szelit Cheung: Stand II”, a solo exhibition by Hong Kong artist Szelit Cheung. The concept of the works in the exhibition is originally created by the artist in order to depict the anxious experiences while people are being looked at by others. Cheung takes the nature of photography and the psychological reactions of the people in the photos as a metaphor that indicates the emotions in between “seeing” and “being seen”, and the tension within photography and painting.

The difference between individuals and others can be the trigger of discrimination. The feeling of anxiety grows under the pressure of hostile feeling and scrutiny. Surrounded by gazes from others, the mind that used to be spacious gradually retracts, body and pose become stiff and people usually feel too weak to resist the situation. People are used to revealing the best part of oneself in front of the camera. However, this sometimes makes us feel nervous and difficult to act normally. While being photographed, the awkward emotion of the situation is similar to that of being stared at by others or being under the pressure of other people’s points of view.

The reference photos of this series were chosen from magazines and Szelit Cheung’s family photos at the beginning. Then he started taking pictures of his friends during the process of the project. The artist selects the photos based on their potential to be transformed into paintings as well as the similarity of emotional feelings between the artist himself and the photos. This is an ongoing project in which Cheung continues to discover the dialogue between his personal experiences and creative practice.

Fotanian Open Studio 2014 will be started on 11th January and run through two consecutive weekends. This year, the A·lift will continue to present a special project in its homeplace. One of the exhibition will be “Here or not here” by promising artist CHEUNG Sze-lit, presenting the latest series of his oil paintings. Taking inspirations from still lifes and appealing news photos, the artist channels his sentiments brought by those images into paintings with his personal interpretaion. The exhibitions will be held on ft 804.

The A‧lift Gallery 'CHECKPOINT' is pleased to present the solo exhibition of CHEUNG Sze-lit on December 2012. He was born in Mainland China, then moved to Hong Kong when he was a child. He has obtained a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. Sze-lit is now a full-time painter. Pencil drawing and oil painting are his main practice. He tends to observe and think about the relationship between himself, the surrounding people and environment. In this exhibition, he refers to Roland Barthes's "La Chambre claire: Note sur la Photographie", in which he uses Roland's concept on photographing as a base to investigate the relationship between seeing and being seen, the figure and the beholder. Using portrait photography as a blueprint, he tries to depict the reaction and condition of the figure.

平靜的心與不確定的雲 – 張施烈作品展

天上的雲永遠不會停下來，除了被拍攝下來﹔攝影機雖然拍攝了雲最獨特的時刻，但這影像只會是雲或拍攝者的過去樣式。

張施烈企圖透過這曾經存在的雲的圖像，去反映其某時某刻的心中景況，年青的歲月，竟然選擇寧靜的感覺，在風雨欲來的香港環境下，尋找內心的平靜。

自由自在的雲有自己的行走規律，它不會想到其形態會被凝固下來，然後又有第二次被複製的事情，然而更加想像不到在這個再複製的圖像內，仍然有著運行的形態。

人的肉身因為滿載了生命力，身體永遠在搖晃﹔加上求生存的因素，造成了終日忙碌的生活，要靜下來，就必須要付出一點努力。可以想像施烈在創作時，無論心境或身體應該有很多停息的時候，而郁動的時段會是短暫的，因為組成雲的圖像正是零碎且輕淡的點的視覺元素，這浮游的圖像與雲當時的形態就因此重疊起來了。

雲變化萬千，我們不需要追求其最確實的形狀，在施烈而言，它造就了冥想的機會、和自我生命的反省，在存活和搖晃中，尋求多一點的生命意義。若論藝術需以人為本時，在施烈的創作的過程中，它發生了一點功效，同時在這一刻開始，浩瀚的雲與微小的人的互動遊戲正式開展了。

鄧凝姿博士撰寫