Cheuk Wing Nam

b. 1983 in Hong Kong
Working in Hong Kong
Showing at Asia Society Museum
On view from March 26, 2021, through June 27, 2021
An image of two mannequin heads wearing orange face masks. The image has been digitally manipulated with portions of the heads doubled, reversed, or repeated.

Cheuk Wing Nam, Da Capo al Fine, 2021. Installation consisting of single-channel video, wood box with telephone magneto, electronic components. H. 9 13/16 x W. 7 7/8 x D. 4 3/4 in. (25 x 20 x 12 cm). Video duration: 3 minutes, 26 seconds. Courtesy of the artist. Image courtesy of the artist

Location: Asia Society Museum
A wall-mounted monitor at the left shows an image of two mannequins wearing orange masks. On the facing wall, there is a glass-fronted case containing a wooden box.

Cheuk Wing Nam, Da Capo al Fine, 2021. Installation consisting of single-channel video, wood box with telephone magneto, electronic components. H. 9 13/16 x W. 7 7/8 x D. 4 3/4 in. (25 x 20 x 12 cm). Video duration: 3 minutes, 26 seconds. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2021

Location: Asia Society Museum
An image of a wall-mounted, glass-fronted case containing a wooden box with a crank attached to it. A telephone receiver is also connected to the box.

Cheuk Wing Nam, Da Capo al Fine, 2021. Installation consisting of single-channel video, wood box with telephone magneto, electronic components. H. 9 13/16 x W. 7 7/8 x D. 4 3/4 in. (25 x 20 x 12 cm). Video duration: 3 minutes, 26 seconds. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2021

Location: Asia Society Museum
Installation view

Cheuk Wing Nam, Avaritia—Silent Greed, 2015. Recycled wine bottles, DC motors, and LED bulb. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph courtesy of Asia Society Hong Kong Center

Cheuk Wing Nam utilizes technology to create interactive installations and immersive soundscapes that explore the relationships between light, sound, and space. Her kinetic sculptures are often assembled from vintage, readymade objects from daily life, in a DIY aesthetic evocative of Rube Goldberg machines. The artist received a BA in international business from the City University of Hong Kong in 2007, a Higher Diploma in fashion and clothing from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2012, and an MA in visual arts from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2015. 


This video was created in response to the isolation and loneliness brought about by the global phenomenon of sheltering in place to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Images depicting the Hong Kong cityscape in various stages of lockdown are meant to trigger feelings of anxiety and danger universally experienced by communities regardless of their nationality, race, or social status. This shared trauma inadvertently unites us in spirit despite the mandate of physical separation. Accompanying the video is a refurbished telephone magneto (a hand-cranked electrical generator installed in analog telephone sets). Telephone magnetos were commonly used to communicate in times of war, and Cheuk’s appropriation of this antiquated technology in her installation likens the experience of living through the pandemic to wartime while it underscores the perennial need for intimacy and human interaction in times of hardship and disaster. 

Related

Surface in Cheuk Wing Nam's studio covered in electronics equipment, a tape measure, other tools, and a stuffed animal of a gray cat

Photograph courtesy of the artist
Photograph courtesy of the artist
Artist Q&A

Dreaming With: Cheuk Wing Nam

In the lead up to the Triennial opening, our Dreaming With Q&A series provides an exclusive glimpse into the artists’ lives and studios.
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