Substance

Rensis Ho
HK Artists

04 Jan - 16 Jan 2023

Yrellag Gallery is pleased to present Rensis Ho X HK Artists- Substance. This exhibition is a continuation of the series "Substance" exhibited by photographer Rensis Ho at JCCAC (Shek Kip Mei Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre) in last year October. This time, eight "Environmental Portraits" created in collaboration with JCCAC artists will be exhibited, each revealing a unique story and dialogue between the photographer and the artists. The exhibition will run from 4 January to 16 January. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on 7 January from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The artist will be present at the opening.

"Stepping into JCCAC reminds me of the good times at Oil Street in the late 1990s, " reminisces Rensis, who visited the Shek Kip Mei Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC) one day and became drawn to its ex-factory building art village vibes. Fully transformed from a cottage industry centre to the revitalized hub of arts and culture that it is today, the industrial building managed to retain much of the architectural design of its former self. Rensis, recalling his 90s studio days at the Oil Street art village, immediately got inspired to create a dialogue with the artists there through his favourite craft: portrait and still life photography. Thus "Substance" was born.

 "Be it a person or an object, what matters to me is not about showing off its beautiful side, but about capturing a sincere moment and communicating its inherent, intangible qualities," explains Rensis. Since the middle of last year, Rensis has made multiple trips back to the art village to work on a series of environmental portraits with 22 artists residing there. The artists were in turn invited to re-create a piece of work using the portraits. 

 "I truly hope that through this exhibition, more people will get to know this place and recognise the efforts these artists are making in this small corner of our city," says Rensis. 

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Yrellag Gallery欣然呈獻 Rensis Ho X HK Artists - Substance，本次展覽是攝影師何耀燊去年十月在JCCAC（石硤尾賽馬會創意藝術中心）展出的《Substance》攝影系列的延續，今次將會展出8幅與常駐JCCAC的藝術家們跨界二次創作的「環境肖像」攝影作品，每件作品揭示了攝影師與藝術家之間不同的故事與對話。本展將於2023年1月7日下午6時至晚上8時舉行開幕酒會，展期由2023年1月4日至2023年1月16日。藝術家將會出席開幕禮。

「踏進JCCAC令我想起90年代尾在油街藝術村的美好時光。」本地著名攝影師何耀燊 (Rensis Ho)去年某天到石硤尾賽馬會創意藝術中心(簡稱JCCAC)探訪朋友，被這幢由工廠大廈活化而成的藝術村吸引。這幢建築除保留了昔日工廈的建築設計，從「山寨廠」的家庭式手工業演變成本地藝術家的大本營，更見證了香港從輕工業轉型至創意文化產業的過程。何耀燊回想到九十年在油街藝術村開設工作室，埋首攝影工作的日子，隨即想到以最擅長的人像與靜物攝影與藝術家交流，促成了展覽 「Substance」。

「不論是人物或物件，我關心的不是如何展示美麗的一面,而是呈現內在的無形特質，捕捉真摯的一刻。」自去年中開始，Rensis 走訪藝術村各個單位，最終為22位藝術家拍攝 「環境肖像」(Environmental Potrait)，更邀請被拍攝的藝術家利用相片進行二次創作。

「希望透過這次展覽讓更多人認識這個地方，同時也是向這班默默耕耘的藝術工作者致意。在香港不同角落，還有不少人為香港的藝術文化而努力。」