Exile to the Red Planet – A Solo Exhibition by Caleb Fung
2022.06.25 – 2022.07.31
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-6:00pm, Closed on Mondays (except Public Holiday)
Opening Reception:
2022.6.25, Saturday, 3:00pm
Lumenvisum | L2-02, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon
Artist Talk:
Postponed to:
2022.7.9, Saturday, 3:00pm
Lumenvisum | L2-02, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon
Guest speakers:
Caleb Samuel FUNG (New Light XIII artist)
LEE Wing-Ki (Curator, artist-researcher-curator)
SO Kwok-yin (Chief Executive of the Conservancy Association)
Artist Talk: https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/378464235717
Visitors registration: https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/368733009357
Lumenvisum presents the 13th New Light Young Artists Exhibition – Exile to the Red Planet, the first Solo Exhibition by Caleb FUNG. Fung uses images to record stonewall tree in Hong Kong. By using photography, Fung tries to rewrite the fate of a Banyan tree that would be removed. Fung’s work combines image technology, traditional and classical photography methods with his observation and imagination, putting his thought of fate and hope in his images.
Fung photographed different stonewall trees in Hong Kong. One of them is meaningful to him, because it is planted beside his home, and have grown together with Fung many years. However, the Banyan tree have been growing on a slope, costing an expensive maintenance fee every year. Although the tree was assessed as healthy, with the support of the majority of the residents, the Banyan tree would face its fate of being removed.
In the pass, Banyan tree were able to grow on the wall, and the roots could grow between the gaps of stone bricks. Fung used black and white images to photograph stonewall trees, highlighting their tenacious vitality.
Occasionally, there are reports of healthy trees being cut off due to various reasons, such as human safety or urban development. Fung uses photogrammetry and augmented reality technology to relocate a banyan tree in the exhibition space, capturing and presenting the entities that are not on site. They are visible, but intangible.
Perseverance, a Mars rover from NASA landed on Mars in 2020. Through the images and clips sent from Perseverance, Fung thought about the possibility of “transplanting” a Banyan tree to Mars. Fung applied turmeric powder in Anthotype, concocting a rust-red colour simulating the surface of Mars. Finally, the Banyan tree stands firm on another planet.
It is not only some scenes in movie. It is possible that the Earth is no longer suitable for human habitation one day, because of the overdevelopment of human society. Humans’ fantasy of migrating to Mars is same as the Banyan tree under Fung’s lens: pursuing hope in the unknown.
Curator Kalen LEE Wing Ki, described the exhibition as “an image-epic of the Chinese Banyan Tree in Hong Kong, also it is served as a reflection for HongKonger and our belief systems of today’s situations.” Through Exile to the Red Planet, he hopes the future of HongKonger can “stay strong with the old trees in solidarity and dignity.”