TOGETHER / ALONE 春光乍洩
WING SHYA 夏永康
Wing Shya is a Master when it comes to capturing or amplifying particular human emotions and atmospheres. He pictures the tactile tension that exists between lovers: togetherness, intimacy or the hint of the erotic about to unfold. Or he frames the extreme opposite: the deep longing for love and connection, loneliness and isolation. Either way, there often is a sense of time being suspended. As if reality is slowing down and standing still in time. There is a strong sense of waiting. Something dramatic is about to happen.
This quality might stem from when he worked on film sets with Wong Kar Wai when he was only able to shoot seconds before or after scenes. The mood created in these moments, which Wing Shya managed to pin down so skillfully, became his signature style.
We have made a selection of prints from various projects spanning a career of over 20 years, ranging from stills of Wong Kar Wai movie sets, fashions commissions, photo shoots of celebrities and his own artistic adventures.
2020 has been a year of isolation and times of bonding. People have been separated from their loved ones or forced to be together. In this emotionally challenging year we believe most of us can relate the core human feelings he so expertly expresses in his work.
This exhibition opening is part of the Central West Hong Kong launch of which Blue Lotus Gallery is a Participating Partner.
要說到誰是捕捉或放大人物情感及氛圍的大師，夏永康絕對當之無愧。他以鏡頭描述出戀人之間存在的緊密觸覺：歸屬感、親密度或若隱若現的情色暗示；又或許捕捉了極端的對立：對愛情和聯繫的渴望、寂寥和孤立。無論如何，他的作品都予人一種時間停頓的感覺。有如現實在放緩腳步，甚至停滯不前，充斥著一種強烈的等待感。彷彿有些充滿戲劇性的事情快將發生。
這一切可能源於他為王家衛拍攝電影劇照，而當時他只能在每一幕場景的前後數秒鐘按下快門。在短暫的一剎時刻內所創造的情緒，由夏永康巧妙地捕獲，並成為他的標誌性風格。
我們從其超過20年的創作生涯，當中的各個系列裡挑選出精選的作品，包括王家衛電影的劇照、時裝攝影、名人肖像以及其自身的藝術探索。
2020年是孤立隔離的一年，但亦是連結的時代。人們無可奈何被迫與親友分開或強制在一起。在這充滿情感挑戰的一年，我們相信大多數人都能夠從夏永康作品所表達的核心情感互相呼應。
是次展覽開幕是 Central West Hong Kong 發布會的一部分，Blue Lotus Gallery 是其中合作夥伴。
About the artist
Born in Hong Kong 1964. Wing Shya’s work encompasses the realms of film, art and fashion. After graduating from Emily Carr Institute in Canada, Wing Shya returned to Hong Kong and founded the award-winning design studio, Shya-La-La Workshop. Shya, who is renowned in typography and an outstanding graphic designer, has won numerous design awards for contributing numerous designs to the Hong Kong music and pop culture industries.
In 1997, appointed by Film Director Wong Kar-Wai as still photographer and graphic designer; Shya began collaborating with WKW on films Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, Eros and 2046. By the year 2019, the collaboration has evolved into numerous projects as conceptions of both individuals, ranging from motion pictures to art videos catering to top-tier luxury brands like Saint Laurent, and more.
A now-recognized director, Shya began his venture in filmmaking by collaborating with musicians like Jacky Cheung and Vanessa Mae on music videos. In Spring 2010, Shya debuted his block-buster feature film, Hot Summer Days and continued to work on the sequel, Love in Space, which was released in Fall 2011. In 2010, invited by Rodarte; Shya conceived of a fashion-art film for their Maggie Cheung Collection, and in 2011, he was invited by YOOX to conceive of Lost Paradise, an art/fashion video for thecorner.com, China. Over the course of the 2010s, Shya continued to work on various videographic projects for commercial initiatives like Sacaii, MOTHER magazine, i-D magazine and musicians like Li Yuchun. In year 2020, Shya is expected to release a feature film produced by WKW.
Wing Shya made his return to fine art In March 2006. Invited by the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo; Shya was the first foreign photographer to exhibit at the museum with his inaugural show, Distraction/Attraction. In 2007, he was selected to exhibit in In Fashion 07, curated by Marion de Beaupré at Art Basel Miami, in which his works were first collected by an international calibre. In October the same year, he had a solo exhibition, Jealousy, at Xintiandi, Shanghai. Shya also took part in China Design Now in 2008, which was exhibited at V&A Museum. During the early 2010s, Shya exhibited with Louise Alexander Gallery of Italy and +81 Gallery both in Tokyo and New York. In November 2017, Shya showcased his well-received retrospective show at SCoP Shanghai, curated by Karen Smith, which the same show travelled to Xie Zilong Photography Museum in Changsha in the Spring of 2019. Curated again by Karen Smith, Shya exhibited his works in the year 2020 edition of Kyotographie.
關於藝術家：
於1964年香港出生的夏永康，其作品涵蓋電影、藝術及時尚。從加拿大的艾米莉卡學院（Emily Carr Institute）畢業回港後，他創立了屢獲殊榮的設計工作室Shya-La-La Workshop。其出色的字體及平面設計，使工作室贏得了眾多設計獎項的同時，也為香港音樂和流行文化界作出了貢獻。
於1997年，電影導演王家邀請夏永康成為其劇照師及平面設計師，合作的電影包括《春光乍洩》、《花樣年華》、《愛神》和《2046》。直至2019年，他們的合作模式演化成為兩位構思出來的不同項目，從電影到藝術視頻，如為殿堂級國際品牌聖羅蘭(Saint Laurent)等創作視頻的項目，都囊括在內。
現在被認識為導演的夏永康，早期透過與張學友及Vanessa Mae等音樂家和藝術家合作拍攝音樂視頻，開始了電影製作事業。於2010年初，他首套電影大片《全城熱戀熱辣辣》公映，同時再下一城拍攝於2011年底公映的續集《全球熱戀》。於2010年，時尚品牌Rodarte邀請了夏永康，為他們的《張曼玉》系列構思及拍攝一輯時尚藝術視頻。及後於2011年，夏永康為YOOX旗下在中國的thecorner.com創作了一輯以時尚為主題的藝術短片《失樂園》。這十年間，夏永康拍攝了各式各樣的商業片子，如 Sacai、MOTHER雜誌、i-D雜誌以及歌手李宇春的音樂視頻。截至2020年，一部由王家衛監製、夏永康導演的電影正在被熱切期待中，有待發布。
夏永康於2006年3月重返藝術界。應東京六本木的森美術館邀請，夏永康是首位於該館展出的外籍攝影師，展覽名為《分神 / 吸引》（“ Distraction / Attraction”）。在2007年，夏永康被挑選參展了於邁阿密巴塞爾藝術博覽會 (Art Basel Miami) 、由Marion de Beaupré策展的《In Fashion 07》展覽，其作品首次被國際攝影收藏家青睞。而同年10月，他在上海新天地舉辦了一個名為《妒忌》的個人攝影展。於2008年，夏永康也於英國V&A博物館舉辦的China Design Now展覽中參與展出。於2010年代初期，他分別於意大利的 Louise Alexander 畫廊和於東京及紐約的+81 畫廊展出他的作品。在2017年11月，夏永康參加由Karen Smith策劃、位於上海攝影藝術中心的回顧展，展出了一系列備受好評的作品。該回顧展亦於2019年春季巡迴到長沙的謝子龍影像藝術中心展出。2020年的 Kyotographie 京都國際寫真祭亦展出Karen Smith再次為夏永康策展的作品。
