In the coming November, SC Gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition of Tao Hoi Chuen, Jacky, “Ecstasy”, featuring the artist’s latest body of work and a curated selection of previous pieces. Using ‘screen’ as his central visual element, Tao delves into the dual metaphor between traditional pingfeng (folding screen) and modern display monitor. Through his materiality exploration with ink on paper and acrylic painting, he reconstructs the visual storytelling of the cityscape. The exhibition will open on 1st November and run till 13th December.

The show reflects the artist’s recent use of television screen and billboard as image carriers, creating a ‘painting within a painting’ through the division of composition. Tao further expands on the multi-spatial painting style where he starts by depicting pingfeng and display screen: the former is an ancient decorative furniture for separating space; the latter is an indispensable information interface of modern life, a window to the digital world. The two objects obtain both notions of ‘separation’ and ‘extension’ of space. Adapting these qualities, Tao integrates his travelling experiences with observations of streets, shops and people within his works. Through his conceptualization of ‘Screen’, Tao combines the fragmented urban landscapes of reality into a cohesive visual narrative, slowly and gradually constructing a worldview uniquely his own.

The exhibition also showcases Tao’s exploration of materials. In addition to paper-based works such as “A Voyage at Sea III” created with fine-line drawing technique, it features his new acrylic paintings. This medium, known for rendering high-saturated colors, is commonly used in Tao’s mural creations. The “Late-Night Convenience Store” series presented in the exhibition are all acrylic on canvas, where the artist uses the pigment’s intensity to enhance visual impact, capturing the vivid interplay of light and shadow between the midnight cityscape and the illuminated convenience store.