CHAT with Artist: Celebrate Nature with Art!

Jeong EunKyung is an artist, arts educator, arts administrator, and community activist based in the United States. Throughout her career, Jeong has received many honors including a solo show at the Oklahoma Governor’s Gallery in the Oklahoma State Capitol, a Best of Show award at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, the Artistic Merit Award from the International Fiber Art Biennale in China, and a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award. Jeong’s research interests are community arts, public arts, and collaborative arts. Jeong believes in utilizing her education and professional experience to serve the local and global communities to protect people’s rights to receive cultural and arts education regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, or citizenship status. Jeong is now a professor at the Department of Art, Communication and Theatre at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Elizabeth Briel’s prints, paintings and installations begin with materials imbued with meaning – papers made of military uniforms or trees devastated by a typhoon, paints extracted from bone and lead – and frequently incorporate architectural elements. She received a BFA in Painting from the University of Minnesota and has been awarded fellowships and residencies from China Exploration and Research Society (Shangri-La), Universiti Sains Malaysia (Penang) and Grabart (Barcelona). Briel has lived, worked and travelled in Hong Kong since 2006, where she runs EBriel Studio in Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC).

Makie Chang is an indigo artist born and based in Hong Kong. She studied Textile and Fashion Design in Hong Kong Polytechnic University and her original indigo art was selected as a finalist in YDC (Young Fashion Designers’ Contest) in 2017. Chang believes in natural, organic creation of art and appreciates imperfections by embracing Wabi Sabi aesthetics.

With her personal brand Makie Mori blending indigo with minimal design, she hopes to bring the art of natural indigo into people’s life and inspires others towards sustainability. Chang hosts regular workshops for all ages and her products are available at M+ , PMQ, JCCAC, and shops around Lamma Island and Peng Chau.

Born and based in Hong Kong, Hao Lap Yan Benjamin considers himself as an interdisciplinary artist who splits his time between urban and rural settings in Hong Kong. Hao received his BFA from RMIT and Hong Kong Art school in 2011 and gained his MFA in interdisciplinary art at the University of Hartford in 2018. His practice examines the relationship among human being, nature and society. Through diverse medium and approaches, his artworks aim to prompt reflection and reimagination to bring diverse perspective on our established understanding of the world. His practices range from paper-based works to installation, site-specific creation and social engaged practice; creating environmental and ecology art. His works and projects have been exhibited and taken place in gallery spaces, communities and outdoor areas of Hong Kong, China, Macedonia, Iceland and U.S.A.

Mudwork is a Hong Kong-based art studio founded by artist Chung Wai Ian and Ng Ka Chun. Interested in exploring everyday objects and cultures being neglected or forgotten, they create sculptural works related to play, local trees and nature aiming to explore their alternative and contemporary meanings.

Their recent community and public art projects have been included in the Public Art Collections presented by the Art Promotion Office, Hi! Hill – Community Art Project and the ArtOxygen artist-in-residence program in Mumbai, India.

Eugenia Law

Eugenia Law is Associate Curator of Learning and Community at CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile). She graduated with first class honours from the Department of Chinese, Translations and Linguistics at City University of Hong Kong (2011) and a Master of Social Sciences in Media, Culture and Creative Cities at the University of Hong Kong (2015).

With experience in programme development at the National Geographic Channels and university research, she was the Gallery Manager of Hong Kong non-profit making contemporary art organization 1a space in 2016-20 and curated contemporary art and educational community events include Kowloon City Art Festival @West Kowloon (2019) at Art Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Visual Art Critic Nurturing Programme (2017-19) and Emerging Talents in Contemporary Art (2020).

She was a Fung Scholar and a recipient of the Local Arts Administration Scholarships 2017 for her PGDip in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester (UK). Served as lecturer at tertiary colleges, Law’s practices focus on the possibilities of public engagement in contemporary art and creative industry.