‘You.’ is a continuation of Lee Kit’s solo presentation ‘You (you).’ at the 55th Venice Biennale. Taking an expansive approach in reconfiguring previously explored themes and forms, this exhibition fuses aspects of the personal, the social and the political within Lee’s continuous interest in the realm of the everyday.

As opposed to the more private, abstract nature of the Venice exhibition, ‘You.’ moves outwardly into the wider social surroundings. Drawing from the extremes of the emotional spectrum and fragmented memories of a person, a stranger, a city or a disappeared street corner, Lee translates these often indescribable feelings and elements into forms of visual dialogues, reflecting on our relationships with the constructed world around us.

While Lee’s work shifts across a diverse range of media, his approach of engaging a space as a figurative canvas reveals his core training as a painter. For ‘You.’, the heritage site of the Cattle Depot Artist Village, which echoes the architectural details of the Hong Kong Pavilion in Venice, is transformed by a series of large-scale spatial interventions to provide frameworks in juxtaposing new commissions with installations from ‘You (you).’. Developed together with designer Sara Wong, the interventions also represent a natural progression of Lee’s ongoing contemplation of the spatial dynamics between the private and the public spheres.

‘You.’ employs the same seemingly relaxed aesthetic of Lee’s recent sparse-yet-intimate installations, which focus on contrasts between different materials, textures and colours to convey a particular tone. With a meticulous precision that recalls a painter’s sensitivity towards composition, various commonplace objects are positioned alongside moving images, sounds, lighting, found images and paintings as emotive triggers, suggesting traces of ambiguous narratives. The exhibition also introduces the latest development of Lee’s ever-evolving practice, for which volume and scale have become integral elements in illustrating a more heavily charged response to that which surrounds us.

The free public programme of ‘You.’ comprises a series of screenings, conversations and special guided tours, inviting the public to explore Lee Kit’s remarkable artistic vision with other artists, critics and curators:

* ‘Mis-Guided’ Tours

See and understand the works of Lee Kit through the eyes of his friends, peers and students. These specially invited guests have all played important roles at different stages of Lee’s artistic career. The tours offer a rare opportunity to hear their alternative and unique readings of the exhibition, and, in a wider context, what it possibly means to be part of the new generation of Hong Kong artists.

This exhibition is co-curated by Lars Nittve and Yung Ma as part of the Mobile M+ series, and co-presented by M+, West Kowloon Cultural District and Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Held during the 55th Venice Biennale from June to November 2013, ‘You (you).’ received critical acclaim internationally and Lee Kit was selected as ‘one of the five artists to watch’ at the biennale. To find out more about ‘You (you).’, please visit www.venicebiennale.hk.

Exhibition information:

Date:
6 March – 13 April 2014, Tuesday to Sunday

Time:
11am – 7pm

Venue:
Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Enquiries:
2200 0204 / m+@wkcda.hk

More on: http://www.westkowloon.hk/en/whats-on/current-forthcoming/you-lee-kit