Map Finder - Phillip Hui Solo Exhibition

What exactly are we looking for?  Where is the place we can really stop?  Do we live in a real or a simulated world?

These questions often pop up in my mind.  Every day, the pace of life is the same; I’m doing the same things, and it should feel so normal and taken for granted, but it makes me feel emptiness and anxiety.  It’s hard to explain in words – I can only express these feelings through my art.

In my pictures, most of the characters are placed where they don’t normally belong – the works are full of variables, artificial arrangements, or environments that cannot be seen clearly.  They’re just like real life, which seems familiar but strange.  The environment is often full of uncertainties, and we have to try hard to fit in, adapt or find a way to survive.  One of my favourite natural elements is Water, and it always appears in my art.  It’s so unpredictable, which can bring life and soothe our mind, but at the same time it may have hidden dangers.  Life has always been exploring and looking for different opportunities and possibilities.  The encounter cannot be controlled, but it could be the driving force of life.

My art is inspired by Western classical art, which I studied in the UK, and it’s also infused with elements of Eastern art.  I try to create pictures with stories and dramatic effects, leading the viewers into a fictional world.  I hope they can immerse themselves in and experience the world I see, and I also create a space for people to think about the purpose of what we are seeking.

The Artist: HUI Kim-ho, Phillip

Phillip Hui was born in Hong Kong in 1981.  He gained a Diploma of Art from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design London in 2007, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in 2011. 

Phillip uses oil painting and sketching as his main media, and takes art elements from classical Eastern and Western art.  His art features allegorical ideas and fictional scenes that express human nature and various kinds of real-life encounters  Phillip also explores the relationship and co-existence between people and the environment.