sophie’s gallery

“Good Day Piggy”, Kansai, Japan, Jan 2007

Carrie Chau - the black sheep collection

Carrie Chau, an illustration artist in Hong Kong, just finished her “Black Sheep Exhibition” at Hong Kong Times Square in the Causeway Bay.

Starting as an illustration artist, Carrie’s art work is full of decorative elements and details.  The characters in her art creation are somehow colourful, childlike and similar to the characters on stage or in a circus.  The characters maybe some metaphors to ourselves, i.e. there are always abnormal and yet pretty elements in ourselves.

In a radio programme just rolled out today, Carrie talked about art: “the teaching of art, i.e. the true, kind and beauty (”真善美” in Chinese) is important, since those are the senses of true, kind and beauty which could improve the world.”  This is the objective of Carrie’s art work, and this is the objection of her lovely characters.

Some photos from the Black Sheep Exhibition:

Carrie’s latest exhibition just ended in mid September 07, “the Black Sheep”, was very well received. 

There are some accessories and products from Carrie now being sold in various retail shops in Hong Kong.  And Carrie has opened her own shop in Central of Hong Kong, I do love visiting her shop and saying hello to her lovely characters.

If you like Carrie’s work, you may check her out at her blog: Carrie Chau’s Blog.

Some drawings from Carrie:

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Related posts:

• b. wing - a child lost in the city

relaxing sunday - love animals cartoon

this Sunday, i have discovered an interesting video to share with you. the song is pretty.

the happiness so presented in the cartoon, however, seems a bit unreal and absurb. 

sophie’s gallery

“me & my best fd!”, okinawa, japan, 2007.

(note: This lovely photo was taken in a nice restaurant, “Okinawa Monogatari”, Japan.  The restaurant serves traditional Okinawa cuisine and the environment is very comfortable.  A good choice when you visit Okinawa.)

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Okinawa Monogatari 　沖縄物語
2-7-24  Makishi, Naha, Okinawa (牧志、那覇、沖縄)
tel) 098-863-0651

Macau - the good old days

Last week, I talked about the new and grand hotels in Macau.   In fact, at the moment, I was missing the Macau in its good old days.

After the huge investments from the Las Vegas corporates and some local entertainment companies, the Macau has been changed drastically.  It just like a simple country girl suddenly changed into a Hollywood star.  Too gorgeous, too lousy, too commercial for its “old fan” like me.

When Macau was still a quiet small town, when it was still not yet developed, it was rather attractive and with lots of cultural elements.  The quiet small streets, the European style churches and buildings, the slow pace, are all my favourites.  I used to spend a short weekend there from time to time, to enjoy the good food, to walk around the small streets and churches to take many pictures, to sit on the bench along the sea to have some quiet time during the sunset. 

So I miss the good old Macau, let me share with you some of my impressions and memories of Macau.  You would be able to tell the great differences.

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Related post:

• Las Vegas of the East - Macau

relaxing sunday - crime time: electro-phobia

this sunday wish to share with you a short comic strip, to have some fun and laugh.  enjoy!

My New Blogging Life

nothing more to say, but it’s my everyday life now, ha ha!

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related post:

• Blogging as Branding
• From Casual to Serious Blogging - what makes the differences and what does it mean?

b. wing - a child lost in the city

“isolated, loneliness, wandering, self-reflections”

b. wing is a Hong Kong artist focusing her work in installation art and illustration. 

After her graduation from the Middlesex University in the UK, b.wing returned to Hong Kong and began as a fashion designer.  Soon she discovered a love of, and a special talent for, creating installation art and illustrations.  And she started her life as a full time artist in 2002.

b. wing’s talent was soon recognise by the artist circle and she held her first solo exhibition, “if you don’t want to be perfect, you’ve come to the right place” at Agnès b. Librairie Galerie in Hong Kong.  The same exhibition was then staged at Agnès b. Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan as well as Agnès b. Aoyama store in Tokyo, Japan. 

After some more exhibitions, b. wing published her first illustration book in 2006, taking the same name as her first solo exhibition: “if you dont want to be perfect, you’ve come to the right place”. 

May be you have to lose everything and you’ll then realise you still have yourself. - b. wing, 2006

The character “A” in this book comes from b. wing’s previous exhibitions.  A keeps changing his identity and appearance.  One day he’s a rock star, and the next day he’s a solitary superhero.  The star he’s holding all the time is his only companion.
　　
Day in and day out, he’s often consumed by his feelings of inadequacy, of not fitting in anywhere.  A is so sensible but has an almost strange sense of innocence and imagination.  He has someone he’s really in love with, “B”, though he never knows that ‘someone’ is actually himself ……

Apart from “A”, rabit is  a recurrent theme in b. wing’s work.  She once said: “I was asked once to give my 3 favourite animals in order of preference and description as well …”

“And I said:
01 an eagle: unaccompanied, superior, accurate
02 a jagar: cool, silent, dangonerous
03 a rabit: empty-headed, doing nothing, funny looking

The first one is what you think of yourself
The second is what others think of you
the third is what you really are.

You don’t have to tell me if it is true.”

b. wing’s art work always communicated with her audiences the immense passions and emotions.  Her characters are in simple form but with strong and “impure” colours which represents the confusing of the childlike nature in human beings in the complicated world.  The beauty of the combination of horror and innocent is created in her work.

Loneliness, isolation, remoteness and self-reflections are the main themes in b. wing’s creations.   Through the big round eyes of her characters, we could see our own horror, worry, insecure and lack of confidence.  A, may be a projection of b. wing herself, and also a projection of all of us.  A child lost in the city, may be a protrait of me and you.

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b. wing’s illustration books: 

   If you don’t want to be perfect, you’ve come to the right place, 2006   (want to buy this book?)

   We all need someone to kiss us goodbye, newly released, 2007
(want to buy this book?)

Club 97 - a classic icon

What Hong Kong is famous for?  Eating and shopping?  What else?

One should count to the night life in Hong Kong, and Lan Kwai Fong, is always the most glamorous and hippest place to go when you want to have a fever night out.

Not matter it is for tourists, or local party animals, the temptation of Lan Kwai Fong is just irresistible.  From time to time, I also like going to Lan Kwai Fong to have drinks and meet friends. 

There are tons of bar, club and disco lying side by side in Lan Kwai Fong.  No matter you are a techno lover, hip hop lover, house lover or live band lover, only if you like good music, drinks and friends, you should be able to find a place that suits your taste and mood here in Lan Kwai Fong.

For every Friday and Saturday, starting from 2300 until 0400 next morning, that comes the peak hours in Lan Kwai Fong.  Sexy girls and cool guys are walking around the streets, changing from shops to shops, like performing on cat walks.  “To see and to be seen”, should be the main purpose of every party animal.

Club 97 and la Dolce Vita 97, is a classic icon in the Lan Kwai Fong.  For Club 97, it has opened some 20 years ago, while la Dolce Vita 97 (just beside Club 97) was opened in 1994.  These two bars have survived through different period of time, even in the lowest tide.    Designed in the black and red, with stools around the bar counter, low sofas inside the bar and small table at the semi open space along the street, you could enjoy your night with your friends, listening to the music while watching all people come and go out there on the street.

When you are coming to Hong Kong, don’t forget to have a night out in the Lan Kwai Fong.  You would have an enjoyable night.

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Club 97 & la Dolce Vita 97

sophie’s gallery

Another lovely drawing done by my friend, very pretty and cute, just to share with you.

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related post: sophie’s gallery on 17 Aug 2007