Michael Chow, the man behind Mr Chow restaurants across the world, will present his first ever solo exhibition in Hong Kong at Pearl Lam Galleries. Painting under his Chinese name Zhou Yinghua, the exhibition is titled Recipe for a Painter, and consists of large-scale mixed-media canvases. Each piece has been created with a wide variety of precious and household materials including gold leaf and silver, trash, acrylic paint, melted metal, and other found items.
Chow describes his work as linked to his cultural heritage and relationship with China. As a child Chow was forced to leave the country, and was sent for schooling in the UK when his parents preempted the Cultural Revolution. He explains, “I love China. Although it was taken away from me at a very young age, it has remained with me for my entire life. Everything I have done or accomplished has been an attempt to reconnect with my culture. My father was a great artist, albeit in a different medium, so it is particularly humbling and gratifying to return as an artist to the place my heart has always called home.”
Lava (2013)
Rite of Spring I (2013)
Recipe for a Painter opens on 13 January 2014 at Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong.
by Louise Lui