Young Talent Hong Kong x NextGen

As one of the most popular features of our Hong Kong fair, Young Talent Hong Kong aims to showcase local young artists and provide a platform for them to shine and rise. With this mission at heart, we will be presenting the feature with the largest number of artists ever since 2013!

The theme of this years feature will be “Welcome to the Zoo”. Curated by Taiwanese-American artist Jonathan Jay Lee, who was the Professor of Illustration, Sequential Art and Foundation Studies at Savannah College of Art and Design, Hong Kong. The artist community The NEXTGEN will present 26 artists, to contribute and visitors will see of a spectrum of colourful artworks.

“THE NEXTGEN is demonstrating their ability to envision and interpret a common narrative through distinctive perspectives of the city we live in” said Jonathan.

“It also showcases the beauty of collaboration and what we can achieve when we choose to work together; the fading colour palette representing the spectrum of individuality to create the unified whole that we can be.”

We have invited Jonathan to highlight five artists for us – don’t miss out on seeing these rising stars!

JULIA MARINELLI

“Her seemingly freeform linework is actually incredibly controlled, but it always comes together with the beautiful curation of color choice. With color, her ‘flat’ compositions suddenly create an environment with depth of space, and the textures ground it all together. There is always something new to see. What I love about her work is that you can tell it’s about an artist who’s figuring herself out as she creates it.”

KRISTY HON

“Kristy’s work feeds into the inner child in all of us. It’s a very optimistic perspective of the zoo we live in, and I am confident a very accurate representation of how she actually sees the world around her.”

To describe it more accurately, Kristy has a style combining cuteness with complexity. It almost requires the audience to ‘read’ the work rather than just seeing it and looking away.

NICOLE ROQUEL

”As a Hong Kong-bred, Filipino artist, Nicole’s work always has a dreamy quality. I see similarities of my own work in hers, as the characters are always appearing to be ‘soul-searching’. Her mastering of gouache is almost envious.”

Nicole has also been active in the Hong Kong art scene for the past few years – get to know her detailed work!

STEVEN JOHN HO

“I just love Steven’s works as they are a playful satire on pop culture that also serves as an homage to it at the same time.”

If you pay attention to it, you can spot quite a number of references from different movies, anime and cartoons! The Hong Kong elements echoes to our audience and will even bring you a smile or two. Steven is also active on creating NFT works.

VIKI CHAN

“Viki’s work feels very rooted in traditional storytelling, reminding me of the fairy-tale era of artists like Arthur Rackham and John Tenniel. She is a master of both digital and traditional tools.”

Viki does not only draw digitally or on canvas, but also collaborates with brands such as Louis Vuitton, working on unusual materials.

On top of Jonathan’s selections, there are a lot more artists to discover and the fountain of Hong Kong’s creativity is overflowing. Join us at the fair on 4 – 7 August to start supporting our local artists!

Hungry for more? Read more on galleries you would not want to miss out at Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong 2022!