A newcomer to the gallery’s stable of artists is Marc Standing, a young Australian artist of Zimbabwean origin recently relocated to Hong Kong. Standing predominately focuses on themes of identity and, more specifically, how we are defined by our cultural identity. He uses his work as a means to make sense of a contemporary culture gone awry. For this exhibition Standing presents four small mixed media works on paper combining collage elements, ink drawing, textiles and glitter which overlap and collide. These elements are held in fragile order by the hand-stitched borders. While at once overturning traditional notions of craft, the use of his “safe” materials exerts a powerful magnetism, urging his viewers in to see the hard-hitting concerns below the surface. The resulting works are entrancingly tactile and thought provoking.
