CNTRFLD.ART’s latest conversation with Gordon Cheung delves into the intricate tapestry of his artistic journey, woven from the threads of personal history and global influence. Born in London amidst the backdrop of Brixton's tumultuous race riots, Cheung's immigrant background from Hong Kong and his experiences as a student during the city's transformative years have shaped his unique perspective as an artist. Embracing his in-between identity, Cheung's work serves as a bridge between cultures, challenging established narratives of belief and power. From his pioneering use of finance and stock prices as artistic mediums to his exploration of digital realms and NFTs, Cheung's oeuvre reflects a profound interrogation of humanity's place within the shifting landscapes of geopolitics and technology. As he prepares to launch his NFT collection "Tulip Futures," Cheung offers sage advice to aspiring artists: nurture your passion, embrace failure, and above all, find joy in the journey of creation.

Cheung’s current solo exhibition, Rise and Fall, at HOFA Gallery in Mykonos aspires to be a visually poetic experience. It aims to ignite an existential dialogue, prompting viewers to ponder profound questions about the trajectory of human civilisation across time and the enigmatic tapestry of our collective human condition.

Gordon Cheung | Rise and Fall

HOFA Gallery, Mykonos

Until 6th July 2024

CNTRFLD.  Can you describe a little about yourself, your childhood, and how you came to pursue a career as an artist? What was your journey to becoming an artist, and were there pivotal moments or influences that shaped your artistic identity?

GC.  I was born in London 1975, growing up through the Brixton race riots. My parents were immigrants from Hong Kong when it was a British colony and came to the UK in order to find prospects to build a life. When I was a student at Central Saint Martins, I witnessed in 1997 the return of Hong Kong back to China. British education did not provide me with the historical knowledge of how Hong Kong became a colony and the teaching of the British Empire only touched briefly on the colonial crimes against humanity such as the Opium wars.

I have learnt to embrace my in-between identity as a positive in that I can be a bridge of understanding between cultures. These experiences inform my interests in questioning belief, power systems and histories written by victors. I create visual languages in my art to express the human condition framed by geopolitics. A core part of my practice is to create visual structures and processes that question fixed notions of categories. For example, when I was at Central Saint Martins, I decided to paint without paint by substituting paint for information and the brush for technology. Both my British and Chinese backgrounds feed into my work. I am 29th generation from the Cheung clan. I know this because my father’s clan has recorded the family tree in the village that he comes from in the New Territories, Hong Kong. The founder is Zhang Jiugao who was the Director of the Palace Administration in the Tang Imperial court, and he was primarily known as the younger brother of Zhang Jiuling, the Chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong and also a prominent poet and calligrapher. In Chinese calligraphy, the brush simultaneously represents word, poetry, and image. I created a parallel structure in which I was using the text of the stock market like it was paint, and in that way, it was simultaneously paint, image and poem. This ambiguity of simulating painting was a creative foundation for making my art to question the identity of painting itself and through this space, question our past, present and future histories.

These are some of the key themes and events in my life that have informed and strengthened my conviction to be an artist. When I was a kid there was only one brief moment where I thought I wanted to be an astronaut and would pretend to slowly move in zero gravity. Otherwise making art was always the one thing I loved to do, and I remember the sheer disbelief with floating wonder at being able to devote myself completely to it when I got into art school. Seeing how hard my parents worked helped me to also pursue my dream of making art full time and I’ve been lucky to this day in that respect.

CNTRFLD. We met in Hong Kong, but can you tell us about your experience living and working in London? How does the city's dynamic environment differ from other places you've lived, and in what ways has it shaped your artistic vision and approach?

GC.  While I was an art student at Central Saint Martins, Charing Cross Road, it used to be in the vibrant energetic heart of London. I have always loved the racing pulse of a city and I’ve never lived anywhere else, so I am not really able to make a comparison in respect to having lived in another city. But Hong Kong was always a place that I visited, and my parents helped make me feel it was also a home even though I have never lived there. Although I love London, as I have become older, I increasingly prefer the weather and food in Hong Kong. The energy in Hong Kong is even more densely vibrant. It helps that Hong Kong has also had a huge influx of galleries settling and that the contemporary art scene is growing with increasing confidence with its own identity and purpose. This has shaped my artistic vision by consciously rooting it in my in-between identity, leading me to often invent unconventional methods to make art and in the last 10 years my vision and thoughts have turned towards Asia. In particular the last 5 years focussing on learning more about my ancestral roots for which I intend to gather together into my solo show at GDM gallery in Hong Kong that I will call ‘New Territories’ in reference to my ancestry, the colonial past between Britain and Hong Kong and also to exploring new mediums like 3d printed porcelain sculptures made in Jingdezhen otherwise known as the porcelain capital of China.

CNTRFLD. We notice the concept of finance and stock prices plays a large role in your work. Can you expand on this?

GC.  When I was at art school in the mid-nineties, it was during the digital communications revolution. The internet was becoming available – cyberspace, digital frontiers, information superhighways, global villages were just some of the buzzwords being used to describe the advent of a technological new world revolution. It was a fascinating moment that I wanted to capture in my work, through this fairly archaic form of art: painting. Western painting abstraction at the time, I thought, was mostly self-interested in its own esoteric language, an insular dialogue about the medium itself and wasn’t really talking about the wider history of humanity and civilisations. I wanted to acknowledge but also sidestep that cultural conversation by removing paint and then substituting that with what I was compelled to connect to, which was the stuff of the everyday, maps and the stock listings of the Financial Times – information. I was using the principles of painting, to paint without paint, in order to philosophically open up the question of what is painting and to reflect on how the technological revolution was reconfiguring our perceptions of time into a state of constant flux. I substituted paint for collage and technology for the brush to reflect upon the light speed transmissions of trillions in Capital and wherever it accumulated created Utopias or Dystopias.

CNTRFLD. From your perspective, how has Asian arts influenced today's culture over the years, and what is your opinion on the importance and impact of this movement in the global artistic landscape?

GC.  When I was a student at Central Saint Martins School of Art in the 90s, I naively thought I could choose a gallery to represent my work. However, my search revealed how few Chinese names were on gallery rosters, and those that came primarily from mainland China. It dawned on me that there were extremely limited positions in the London art world for someone with a British-born Chinese identity. With Chinese individuals making up only about 0.8% of the UK population, I realised I needed to take control of my career.

In my second year of my BA, I began organising exhibitions with friends, deciding when and where to show our art. This continued through to 2000, when I was at the Royal College of Art, where I organised, a show featuring over 172 artists in two disused Victorian school buildings. During this period, there was a significant shift in what Western galleries were showing regarding Chinese artists. They moved from focusing on the politically charged and critical avant-garde of the 80s to more diverse expressions influenced by globalisation and economic reform.

Exhibiting Asian arts beyond their homelands can facilitate cultural exchanges and promote understanding and appreciation of diverse artistic traditions. However, it can also reinforce Western stereotypes. As Australian art critic Robert Hughes noted about Abstract Expressionism, art can be a cultural weapon. The gradual increase in exposure to Asian arts among Western audiences helps foster a nuanced understanding of different cultures.

There has been a notable push to move away from the centre-periphery model that views Western art as central and Asian art as peripheral. This shift may reflect the broader transition from a unipolar world towards a new multipolar world order. Scholars and art critics advocate for recognizing the unique contributions of Asian art without always comparing it to Western standards. This shift aims to highlight the diverse narratives and cultural contexts within which Asian artists operate, fostering a more balanced and inclusive global art discourse. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go in the Euro-American art world.

CNTRFLD. I first saw your work in a Vogue feature that was AR digital lions for restaurateur Andrew Wong’s hoarding during his restaurant renovations. Can you share the digital process and elaborate on how you began experimenting with this creative process? Will we be seeing more digital works in Web3 or NFTs?

GC.  The project with Andrew Wong was born from the pandemic and the ensuing Asian hate due to the irrational politicisation of COVID being called the China Virus. Andrew and I wanted to create something positive during this difficult time so I made an artwork with the help of HK based MetaObjects that wrapped around the restaurant's conservatory dining area in which the images of lucky Chinese motifs warding off evil could be animated via augmented reality on the phone. Coincidentally, to everyone’s joy during the project, Andrew’s restaurant won his 2nd Michelin star.

I continued experimenting with digital works in web3 and NFTs in part from my interest in blockchain technology and to explore the relationship between capitalism, the environment, and civilization. My art has always been in the digital realm rooted in the digital and communications revolution of the internet and now into the threshold of the blockchain revolution with recent ventures into NFTs and augmented reality (AR).

Meta’s London HQ then commissioned “Power, Corruption and Lies", where I used a sorting algorithm to non-destructively reorder pixels in a photograph of a still life painting, creating what I call a "digital sands of time" effect. This technique reflects on history's repetition and our data-saturated era's impact on memory and history. Inspired by the 2008 financial crisis, my work references the first recorded economic bubble, Tulipmania, using high-resolution images from the Rijksmuseum.

NFTs have been part of my artistic journey for several years. ``Tulip Maniac," in 2021 was my first NFT, combining 3D modelling, machine learning, and algorithms, using Bitcoin data to animate tulip bulbs. I am now working on the release of “Tulip Futures," My NFT collection. This collection symbolises our evolution from nature to the digital world and the rise of blockchain technology.

CNTRFLD.  How do you determine the approach for a new piece, and what challenges do each of these styles present?

GC.  That’s a tough question to answer because although I end up with an eventual art form whether that’s a video, painting, collage, sculpture or installation it all comes from ongoing multiple converging streams of creativity.

My approach for a new piece begins by exploring themes and historical contexts that resonate with current events with my ongoing artistic interests. This thematic foundation guides my choice of digital techniques and materials, whether I'm working with collage, paint, 3-d prints, photography, algorithms, augmented reality (AR), or NFTs. For instance, reflecting on events like the 2008 financial crisis or the historical Tulipmania helps frame the narrative I want to convey, influencing the digital processes I employ. My goal is to create a dialogue between the past and present, using modern technology to highlight recurring patterns and universal themes in human history.

Each style presents its own unique challenges. When using algorithmic reordering of pixels in series like "Power, Corruption and Lies," the process is highly time-consuming and computationally intensive, requiring meticulous attention to achieve the desired "digital sands of time" effect. This technique demands a balance between technical precision and artistic intuition to ensure the final piece aesthetically conveys its historical and cultural references. In AR projects like Meta’s mural, "Fear and Greed" and A. Wong’s “Year of the Ox," the challenge lies in integrating digital elements seamlessly with physical artworks, necessitating technical collaboration and careful planning to create a coherent and engaging viewer experience. In my paintings, I often blend traditional techniques with digital processes to explore complex themes such as capitalism, history, and cultural identity. I use a unique method where I incorporate financial newspaper pages as a backdrop, symbolising the pervasiveness of economic systems in our lives. Over these, I paint intricate scenes that reference historical events, natural and mythical motifs, creating a dialogue between past and present, reality and myth. This fusion of media and meaning in my paintings drives me to continually innovate and expand the boundaries of my art to invite viewers to reflect on our humanity within the interconnectedness of our economic, cultural, and natural worlds.

CNTRFLD. Looking ahead, what are your plans for the upcoming half of this year in terms of producing more work in the digital space? Are there specific themes or projects you're excited to explore?

GC.  I’m working on releasing a NFT collection called ‘Tulip Futures’ that reflects on the history of capitalism and its relationship with modernity. AI is used to reimagine Dutch Golden Age tulips in reference to Tulipmania but set within a futuristic ‘vaporwave’ landscape: an internet art movement that emerged in the early 2010s known for its nostalgic and sometimes ironic commentary on consumerism, capitalism, and the digital age. The work exists as an NFT on the blockchain. Bitcoin epitomises blockchain technology, a pillar of the fourth industrial revolution and was often disparagingly referred to as a Tulip bubble by the traditional centralised bankers. By leveraging AI tools, "Tulip Futures" serves as a philosophical springboard for contemplating the nature of reality, perception, and economy in an increasingly digitised world. It offers an imaginative framework to critically engage with the intersections of history, technology, and human experience, fostering a deeper understanding of the human complexities inherent in our collective pursuit of meaning and prosperity. Reflecting on how our understanding of the future landscape is influenced by past events and present technologies. It can also signify existentially a landscape devoid of meaning or purpose, ecological degradation, dystopian societal collapse, technological dominance, and epistemological uncertainty. It prompts contemplation on the limits of human knowledge and the choices we make in shaping our future. Ultimately, it serves as a metaphor for the potential futures we may encounter and the challenges we face in navigating them.

CNTRFLD. What advice would you offer to individuals contemplating a shift towards pursuing their artistic passions?

GC.  Nurture the roots and core reasons why you are drawn to making art. Keep it alive within yourself by gathering any sparks of inspiration because they will create a fire that will compel you to make art. Cultivate a deep awareness of the landscape that you find yourself in. Embrace the journey wholeheartedly for nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the path to success is paved with failure. Balance patience, passion, persistence and perspiration and you’ll express a profound dialogue between you and the world. Most of all, have serious fun making art.

About Gordon Cheung

Born 1975 in London to Chinese parents, contemporary multi-media artist Gordon Cheung has developed an innovative approach to making art, which blurs virtual and actual reality to reflect on the existential questions of what it means to be human in civilisations with histories written by victors. Cheung raises questions and critiques the effects of global capitalism, its underlying mechanisms of power on our perception of identity, territory and sense of belonging. These narratives are refracted through the prisms of culture, mythology, religion, and politics into dreamlike spaces of urban surreal worlds that are rooted in his in-between identity.   

Cheung graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1998 from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and earned his Masters of Fine Arts in 2001 from the Royal College of Art in London. Select solo shows include Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Walsall UK, The Light that Burns Twice as Bright, Cristea Gallery, London UK, Here Be Dragons, Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Nottingham, UK and New Order Vanitas, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach, FL, USA. His works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Whitworth Art Museum in Manchester, Royal College of Art in London, and the British Museum, amongst others. He lives and works in London.

Eulan To represents CNTRFLD.ART’s Digital Arts expertise. These artist conversations are part of a series exploring the growth of the digital arts space in Asian contemporary arts, facilitated by the Bright Moments Digital Gallery dinner hosted by To and Partners at Art Basel 2024 in Hong Kong.

CREDITS:

Illustration of Gordon Cheung by Maria Chen

Homepage:

1,3,4,5. Joshua White Photography

6,7. Gordon Cheung Studios

All Artwork by © Gordon Cheung

1. Still Life (after Nicolaes van Gelder, 1664), 2017 Signed & dated Archival inkjet on 380gsm Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper Paper 113.5 x 91.0 cm / Image 110.5 x 88.0 cm Edition of 20 + 3 AP

2. The Abyss Stares Back, 2015 Financial Times stock listings, acrylic, pumice and sand on canvas and sail cloth 200 x 450 x 5 cm 78 1/2 x 177 1/2 x 2 in

3. A Thousand Plateaus, 2016 Financial newspaper, archival inkjet, sand and pumice on canvas and aluminium 200 x 450 x 5 cm 78 1/2 x 177 1/2 x 2 in

4. Cradle of Civilisation (Minotaur), 2017 Financial newspaper, acrylic and sand on canvas 200 x 150 x 3.5 cm 78 1/2 x 59 x 1 1/2 in

5. Great Wall of Sand (Unknown Knowns), 2017 Financial Times stock listings, archival inkjet, acrylic and sand on linen 200 x 450 x 5 cm 78 1/2 x 177 1/2 x 2 in

6. Desert of the Real, 2020 Financial newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic and sand on linen 150 x 200 x 5 cm 59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 2 in

7. New Order Fruit Piece (after Jan van Huysum, c. 1722), 2022 Signed & dated Giclée on canvas 120 x 90 cm 47 1/2 x 35 1/2 in

8. Home, 2020 Financial Times stock listings, bamboo and adhesive

9. Arrow to Heaven, 2022 Signed & dated Financial Times newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic, and sand on linen 150 x 200 x 3 cm 59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

10. Gardens of Perfect Brightness, 2022 Signed & dated Financial Times newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic, and sand on linen 200 x 150 x 3 cm 78 1/2 x 59 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

11. Rising Power, 2023 Financial Times newspaper, wood glue, and polystyrene on thermoplastic polymer 120 x 48 x 32 cm 47 x 19 x 12 1/2 in

12. Merciful Clouds Protect All (Chengdu), 2023 Financial Times newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic, and sand on linen 150 x 200 cm 59 x 78 1/2 in

13. Gateway to the West (Chongqing), 2024 Financial Times newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic, and sand on linen 200 x 150 cm 78 1/2 x 59 in

14. Tulip Futures (Arcadian) 1

15. Tulip Futures (Arcadian) 2

16. Tulip Futures (Arcadian) 3

17. Tulip Futures (Savage) 1