KWM artcenter is pleased to present the premiere of Andrew Luk’s Hermetic Diode first performed in 2019. The artist has specially edited this version to be shown across KWM artcenter media platforms. Hermetic Diode is a collaborative effort between Sudhee Liao and Andrew Luk, exploring notions regarding the performed space using a large sheet of plastic, pipes and industrial fans. The piece plays with elements of proximity and intimacy between performers and audience. It also explores and takes inspiration from life in the dense metropolis of Hong Kong and sci-fi films including the work of film director Ridley Scott.

 

About the Artist

ANDREW LUK
b.1988, Hong Kong–based

As a multimedia artist, Andrew Luk mines the ever–changing representation and perception of violence in his practice. Inspired by post-structuralism and the practice of Paul Virilio, Luk investigates how civilisation regards itself in relation to nature, by examining the work of our civilisation as well as studying naturally occurring systems of entropy, anti-entropy, and preservation.

His exploration of the subject is exemplified in the Horizon Scan series, in which Luk uses homemade napalm to torch and char materials such as canvas, wood, and copper. The burned remains are then carefully collaged together, submerged in resin and polished for several days. When installed, the piece is lit from within, illuminating an unfamiliar landscape that exists outside of the wall it rests upon. As minutes pass, the layers appear to shift and slide as the lights change, revealing nuances and subtleties in the mutable patterns; this is a direct reference to Luk’s view of time, which he manipulates by reconfiguring fictional and factual material histories and composing arrangements that blurring the lines between the manmade and the naturally occurring. Additionally, the violent nature of the material and actions used to create the series reflect upon the real-world landscapes we all live amongst, which, despite their beauty, are often formed by stories of conflict.

His work has been exhibited internationally including in Appropriate Responses for Featherless Bipeds with Broad Flat Nails, chi K11 art museum, Shanghai, China (2018); A Tree Fell in the Forest, and No One’s There, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China (2018); Practice, de Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong (2017); “,” , Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong (2017); At Wits’ End, Kula Bazaar ACC, Gwangju, Korea (2016); The Imaginary Order, Gallery Exit, Hong Kong (2016); The Magnet Palace, Clockenflap, Hong Kong (2015); Change Seed : Contemporary art from HK & Beyond, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA, USA (2015); ART MONEY, XXX Gallery, Hong Kong (2015); No Fixed Abode, Videotage, Hong Kong (2015); Cavity Lab, April 30th, 100 Condor st. East Boston (2011); Springboard 2, The Adams Gallery, Suffolk University Law School, Boston MA, USA (2010).

Andrew Luk currently lives and works in Hong Kong.

 

KWM artcenter

The KWM artcenter opened on 20th October 2016. It is located on the second floor of the WFC centre CBD in Beijing. The art center is supported by the law firm King & Wood Mallesons. The KWM artcenter presents and promotes artists both domestically and overseas as well as building up its own collection. In particular, it acts as a rare art institution at the heart of the economic central area in Beijing. It provides high-quality art educational activities and courses aimed to cultivate art lovers and collectors. It serves to improve the international influence of Chinese Art and become a powerful communicator of Chinese Contemporary Art.