Hong Kong Moments: Reflections on My first Solo Art Exhibition
- Richard M Crosbie
- 6 days ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
There and back again!
It's been a dream come true and a significant milestone achieved. After a year of planning, My first Solo Art Exhibition that was initially scheduled to run for 60 days, with intervention by the hands of fate — lasted a remarkable 95 days instead. Throughout this time, I welcomed countless visitors, engaged in numerous conversations, and garnered extensive press coverage and hosted ‘Two’ parties!
Thus, My first Solo Art Exhibition has come to a close and I’m both basking in the afterglow and standing in bewilderment as I look at the huge amount of boxes now taking up space in my apartment!
Reflecting on the event as a whole, from my initial conversations with the gallery owners in May 2024 to the final waves goodbye as we loaded the GoGo van for the return journey home10 days ago, this has been one of the most significant and challenging endeavours of my life so far, and one that I am supremely proud of.
Since embarking on this “COVID career change,” I have dreamed of holding a solo exhibition at a gallery in Hong Kong. This goal has lingered in the back of my mind, driving me to continually pursue it. However, after numerous cold calls to galleries yielded no results, I began to resign myself to the possibility that my best achievement might be participating in group shows with just a few of my artworks on display.
But, as luck would have it, something incredible happened: I was approached by the management team of a gallery named KC100 Artspace and invited to exhibit my work—with no fees involved! Although the terms stipulated that it would be a nonprofit venture, the sheer size, quality, and stunning facilities of the exhibition space made this an opportunity for brand-building exposure that I simply could not refuse.
The only drawback was the location: Kwai Chung, a former industrial area on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, situated just two stops from the end of the 'red' MTR line. I must admit I had never visited this site before, which made me aware that one of my biggest challenges would be attracting visitors to the exhibition despite it only being a 26 minute ride from the city centre.
The Preparation and Build-Up
I must admit, I really enjoyed the excitement of the planning and preparation stages. The designer in me relished creating wall plans and floor layouts, even though I had to rely on PowerPoint and Photoshop, the only two computer programs that I am still willing to subscribe to after ‘changing my career’ to traditional hand crafted art.
Despite having over 22 meters of wall space, I quickly realized I needed to refine and curate my art collection to select pieces that would create a cohesive narrative. After working pretty much non-stop for the past 4 years, I did not suffer from a lack of artwork but rather I had a difficult task of selecting from my 'babies' what I should show and what would remain unseen.
Additionally, I decided to include some of my location-based sketches alongside my more polished studio works (created at my dining table). I wanted to take advantage of the venue's video screen facilities, so I prepared videos of myself flipping through my sketchbooks and sharing excerpts from previous interviews with online magazines. With this plan in place, it was just a question of buying enough frames and mounting up all my original artworks. A seriously labour intensive process since I was aiming to show 60+ artworks.
Marketing Materials
It took me some time to decide which artwork to use as the main promotional image for the exhibition. Initially, I considered featuring a moody or artistic photo of myself being all earnest. However, as I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I’m not comfortable with seeing images of myself and don’t subscribe to the self-promotional antics often seen among TikTok and Instagram influencers. Instead, I chose to let my artwork speak for itself, opting for a close-up of one of my paintings depicting the classic and iconic curved round corner buildings in the Sham Shui Po district. Set against a bright eye catching magenta background, I knew this was the image I wanted for all my promotional materials.
Exhibition Name:
When it came to naming the exhibition, I brainstormed several ideas, but as I read them aloud, they began to sound pretentious. I wanted something simple, honest, and down-to-earth, which is why I settled on “Hong Kong Moments.” As I realized that all my artworks are snapshots of time spent in this incredible city, with the city itself being the true star of the show.
When it came to creating an exhibition ‘statement’ outlining the overall themes of the collection, the words came to me relativity quickly and early since I know exactly what it is that I am trying to share. However, when it came to translating this into Chinese, it became apparent to me that it was not so simple. Using Google Translate resulted in ‘utter gibberish’ as my beloved wife informed me. And so, I relied on her to rewrite my prose into something that made sense to local Hong Konger’s. A process that was not so easy since many of the terms I used had no equivalent and the text that she prepared included many local idioms and turns of phrase that I could never think of. It turns out my wife is also something of a poet herself.
Art Installations
As part of my setup, and with ample space to work with, I wanted to create an art installation that would attract visitors and complement the artwork on display. Initially, I envisioned building a bamboo structure to reflect the many examples of bamboo scaffolding found throughout the city—a symbol of an industry that is slowly being phased out in the name of progress. Unfortunately, I realized this might pose a health and safety hazard if anything were to fall during the exhibition.
Instead, I decided to create a hanging drape using the classic red, white, and blue PVC fabric of the iconic “Amah Bag,” a staple of local culture. I then began mounting postcards of my artwork into the PVC sheet, forming a ‘woven tapestry’ that I named “The Fabric of Hong Kong.” This title was fitting both literally and metaphorically and turned out to be a perfect match for the wall and the theme of the exhibition. Having bought 18 feet of material from a local ‘Mom & Pop’ shop in Sham Shui Po, I soon realized that I was able to make a pair of drapes instead on one.
Next it was time to send out invites and try to create as much buzz as I could on social media. Having prepared all the graphics and ‘press packs’ including the much improved Chinese versions.
Set Up and Opening
I remember struggling to sleep the night before I was due to travel to the venue to set up the exhibition. It felt like a mix of Christmas Eve and my final degree show—both incredibly exciting and genuinely terrifying!
When morning arrived, I rushed around in a nervous state, transporting all the artwork and materials to my apartment's ground-floor lobby. This caused quite a stir with the building's security guards, as it took several trips up and down the elevators with my trusty iron trolley to get everything loaded onto the delivery van.
The drive from my home to the venue was quicker than I had anticipated, and I arrived ahead of schedule. After unloading the van, I grabbed a coffee from a nearby café and inspected the large banner that had been prepared by a local printing company and delivered early to the venue. To see my own name in such a large printed font made me feel a little on edge. It was a chilly morning in May, and I wore an insulated jacket to keep warm—remarkable to think about just three months later, as I now sit in the sweltering heat of mid-summer!
The rest of the setup went smoothly. With my printed wall plans in hand, the onsite staff and engineers had no trouble hanging the artworks, promotional materials, and wall drapes. I was so happy when I unboxed the neon sign of my signature logo that I had specially made as well as the promotional flyers. When I finally left at the end of the setup day, after seeing how the venue looked with everything in place and the video screens ready to go, I felt as if I were floating on air. It looked…perfect. I was so happy I felt like rolling around on the floor giggling and making snow angles…without the snow!
Opening Night:
The rest of the first week I spent sending out invitations for the ‘official’ opening reception that was taking place that Friday, to as many people as I could think of as well as conducting interviews with several local media outlets. I had also asked a few local beer companies if they would like to help sponsor my event and donate some drinks for the opening night. As luck would have it, one of my former ex colleagues now works in such a company. When I asked if she could ‘put in a good word for me’ I was a little disappointed when she replied that her companies marketing team were too busy to help. Instead she offered to send me some beer from her ‘personal allowance’ and shared list of what was available with a suggestion that I try ‘six of the blonde drinks’. “Ok” I thought, “6 beers is better than nothing”.
Not what I was really hoping for to be honest.So imagine my surprise when I discovered six CASES of blonde beer had turned up, not just 6 bottles. That’s 144 beers in total. Completely beyond my expectations and a truly kind and generous contribution (Thank you so much dear friend). This has to be one of my most favourite miscommunication’s ever!
The opening night was a great success, as I had the pleasure of welcoming many guests, fellow artists, art suppliers, and friends from various aspects of my life in Hong Kong. It was truly an honour and a heartwarming experience. A special mention goes to my wife for sending a stunning flower display on an easel. As a man, I’ve rarely received flowers, so this was a delightful and appreciated surprise.
Highlights of the night included being video interviewed for a local arts channel, reconnecting with friends I hadn’t seen in some time, and, of course, the singing. Yes, the singing! When you invite friends from not one but two choir groups, impromptu performances are bound to happen—perhaps fuelled by the copious amounts of blonde beer available!
The Show's Run
So there I was, an artist with a current solo exhibition running. It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to visit the venue at any time and see my artworks set up from wall to wall. It brought me great joy to observe people walking around, viewing my artworks, and to introduce myself and engage with them as an artist. It was also very fulfilling to see what a cohesive story my artwork told once it was all set up together. Since they all show different aspects of the same theme ‘life in Hong Kong’ together they had a cumulative effect, reinforcing and complimenting each other and creating powerful visual story.
Since not everyone I invited could attend the opening night, I decided early on to host an "Artist Walkthrough" event the following day. To my surprise, this was well attended, allowing me to engage directly with visitors about my artwork. I discovered how easy it was to talk about my pieces, as I knew everything there was to know and could share at least one interesting point about each artwork. Realizing this, I decided to host additional walkthrough sessions for other groups of people I invited specifically.
A major highlight was taking family members who were visiting from Vancouver to the show, including my sister-in-law, three nieces, one nephew-in-law, and two grandnephews! I also enjoyed reading the many positive comments in the guest book I had set up for visitors to sign. However, I did receive one unpleasant surprise when someone translated an anonymous comment left by a visitor in Chinese—a hate-filled rant. What struck me was the neat penmanship, suggesting that this person had really thought about what they wanted to say and took the time to express it thoughtfully. Rather than erase it, I decided to keep it as a reminder that not everyone has my best interests at heart. In this age of trolls and haters, it serves as a reminder to stay vigilant as I step further into the public eye.
Exhibition Extension.
Originally, the exhibition was set to conclude on May 17th, which would have given me just enough time to pack everything up and transport it home before setting up for my next exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair at the Hong Kong Convention Centre on May 22nd. However, I was thrilled when the gallery management asked if I could extend the exhibition for another month. This created a “happy problem” as I needed to replace 20 artworks I had planned to take to the Affordable Art Fair the following week. Cue a few days of frantic shopping for replacement frames and mounting new artwork! This also had the added benefit of giving return visitors something new to see.
The Closing Event and Pack Down
With the exhibition extended, I had more time to plan for a closing event. Since, I had received a reply from one of the beer companies whom I had originally approached for sponsorship for my opening party. The kind folks at ‘Gweilo Beer’ generously responded and shipped three cases of beer to the venue, allowing me to send out invites to guests once again with the knowledge that there was the perfect pairing of the local Gweilo Beer and a local Gweilo Artist and many paintings of local scenes.
Footnote for anyone wondering what the word 'Gweilo' means: its a local Cantonese term that literally translates to "ghost man" or "white ghost" and is commonly used in Hong Kong to refer to foreigners, particularly those of European descent. It may have been an offensive term once, but now it seemed to have been 'reclaimed' by westerners who use it to describe themselves, and for a beer compnay I think it's perfectly suited to their target audience!
Final Thoughts
Now, I find myself experiencing a massive dopamine dive—like the feeling you get as a kid when the Christmas decorations are taken down. Reflecting on the entire experience, I wonder what I would have done differently. Perhaps I should have hired a professional photographer to capture each framed artwork? Or maybe utilized the venue better by creating video presentations for future use? Who knows. Should have, could have etc...
I think I did the best that I could. I shouted about it on social media as much as I thought was paletteable without becoming too annoying for my auidence (I hope). It gave me the opportunity to make some nice 'reels' and 'stories' and I was able to redirect people to the venue whenever I was asked one of the most frequent questions that I receive, being "Do you have a shop?". Plus it is something that I can put under my belt and add to my CV in the knowledge that I can put aonther show together relatively quickly if another opportunity should arise.
What I do know is that while being incredibly stressful and a lot of hard work, this experience has been an incredibly positive experience and a fantastic opportunity for me to raise my artistic profile and share my artwork with a wider audience. I know the location was still an issue for some, but dispite this I know from personal discovery that many people did visit who had never seen my work before.
Hopefully other galleries and art spaces around the city will have taken notice and understand that I have the capabilities of putting on an impressive display that could be adpated to any size of space.
I want to thank everyone who visited My first Solo Art Exhibition as well as all the encouraging words I received along the way. A special thank you goes to the staff at KC100 Artspace for their unwavering support and smooth collaboration. It has been a true pleasure to work with them, and I am deeply honoured, grateful, and humbled to have received their invitation to exhibit in the first place. It was absolutely the right venue in terms of space and facilities, so much so that it has set a bar so incredibly high, that I wonder if it can ever be matched or what comes next.
Now that is an interesting question!
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