【1a space Award 2023 Art Residency】Open Studio

1a space was honored to receive an invitation from the Hong Kong Art School, leading to the establishment of the 1a space Award. This accolade aims to recognize and celebrate exceptional fresh graduates who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in artistic development. By bestowing this recognition, it serves as a powerful encouragement for these exceptionally talented individuals to persistently embark on their journey of growth and advancement in the field of art.

This year, 1a space once again accepted the invitation to present the 1a space Award to five outstanding fresh graduates: Yim Suet Wing Michelle, Toi Yee Doris, Cheung Ying May Maria, So Yuk Cheung So, and Toby Wong, who all performed exceptionally in their graduation exhibition.

A diverse range of activities has been curated to commemorate their achievements, specifically tailored to support the graduates' future artistic development. In addition to facilitating opportunities for them to engage with established art professionals, 1a space has invited the graduates to take up residency at the 1a Gallery from 9 October to 23 November 2023, using gallery space as a studio, providing them with ample space to pursue their artistic endeavours.

Furthermore, the studio will open from 24 to 26 November 2023, offering the public a glimpse into the 5 emerging artists’ creative processes and initiating conversations!

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Participating artists include:

Yim Suet Wing Michelle

Yim Suet Wing, Michelle (b. 2000, Hong Kong) graduated in 2022 with Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) and Hong Kong Art School, majoring in Ceramics. The works of Yim revolve around the gaps and damaged parts from real life and the resulting associations. Based on different scenes, such as the sewage outlet on the wall, peeling concrete facade, and garden fence with gaps, Yim creates grotesque, colourful, toy-like fantasy objects by ceramic casting and grouting. Through these playful works, revealing the absurdity of everyday life.

Toi Yee Doris

Toi-Yee’s sculptural installation and performance practice explores liminality associated with transitions. Her methodology of material experimentation endows her to transform these inescapable physical, psyche or metaphorical spaces when inspecting the lost identities, forgotten histories and intimate narratives in marginalised communities. By juxtaposing intimate and erratic materiality as a subversive tool, she challenges issues such as personal politics, violence, transformation and desire. Toi-Yee also writes autoethnographic poems with collected fragments of psychological catharsis, addressing Friedrich Nietzsche’s chapter <The Three Metamorphosis>. Graduating from RMIT University, Hong Kong Art School and Central Saint Martins, Toi-Yee is currently based in Hong Kong.

Cheung Ying May Maria

Maria Ying-May Cheung is a Hong Kong-based artist who primarily engages with photography. Her artistic practice originates from her inquiries into the retention, preservation, and historical perspectives of everyday life, reflecting the erosion of time. In 2022, Maria obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from the RMIT University and the Hong Kong Art School; and received the Dean’s List Award and the 1a space Award. She completed her Higher Diploma of Fine Arts in 2020 at Hong Kong Art School and was granted the Outstanding Artwork Award and the Academic Performance Award. She was also awarded the Outstanding Performance Scholarship from the Hong Kong Education Bureau. Her photographs were exhibited at the Pao Galleries (2022, 2023), Yrellag Gallery (2022), Fine Art Asia (2021), and The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School (2020).

So Yuk Cheung So

So Yuk Cheung graduated from the Hong Kong Art School / RMIT University Bachelor of Arts(Fine Art) in 2023, majoring in sculpture. His works are mainly mixed-media sculptures. The experience of finding recycled materials in public spaces made him focus on the relationship between materials and space. By deconstructing the symbols of materials/objects, he creates new images of them

Toby Wong

Toby Wong was born and based in Hong Kong who engaged in digital retouching and image production for over twenty years. During that time, her interest in visual art, painting, and the beauty of natural forms emerged. She explored fine art further and developed knowledge of painting and other mediums. Her art reflects her interest in human sensibility and society’s situation. She is dedicated to exploring multi-art forms to convey feelings of whimsy with elements of surprises. Her distinctive personal style in delicate touches emanates mystery and poetry and expresses the contemporary’s spirit and atmosphere with a feminine perspective.