Time Out by Yo Chow Catalog

TIME OUT

BY YO CHOW 周芷瑤

INTRODUCTION

Karin Weber Gallery is excited to announce ‘Time Out,’ a debut solo exhibition by emerging local artist Yo Chow.

Having studied Sports Coaching alongside Visual Arts at University, the focus of Chow’s first solo exhibition had to be sports. In sports, a ‘timeout’ is called to halt a match, used by coaches to allow players to rest, to communicate new strategies, to make substitutes or to boost morale.

Yo Chow seeks to highlight various issues around the subject, some specific to Hong Kong, such as homegrown athletes not receiving the respect they deserve, and particularly poor pay for those in less popular sports. Hong Kong is also strongly criticised for its lack of dedicated sports facilities and venues. A global and complex topic, ‘Time Out’ will also examine more universal issues, such as the commodification of athletes, doping, cheating and biased refereeing.

On a personal level, Chow had a troubled past and hated staying at home when she was a teenager. For almost five years, she would spend from dusk until dawn shooting hoops in basketball courts, an escape from her own troubled world. Created from various balls made into globes, Ball Instrument reflects her love for basketball and the role it played in her life.

Sports and art rarely overlap; they are frequently regarded as entirely separate worlds. Yo Chow, at an early stage in her artistic career, manages to effortlessly bridge the gap between the two, bringing energy and a strong sense of individuality to both.

Karin Weber Gallery, May 2023

引言

凱倫偉伯畫廊很高興宣布，新晉本地藝術家周芷瑤將首次舉辦個人展覽「 Time Out」。

周芷瑤修讀運動教練學和在大學時主修視覺藝術，因此她的首個個展重點當然是 運動。在運動中，「 timeout 」是用來停止比賽的，教練可以利用這個時間讓球 員休息、溝通新策略、進行換人或提振士氣。

周芷瑤希望關注運動主題中的各種問題，包括香港特有的問題，如本地運動員未 獲得應有的尊重，以及那些不太受歡迎的運動項目中的低待遇問題。香港也因 缺乏專門的體育設施和場地而受到強烈批評。作為一個全球性和複雜的主題， 「Time Out」還將探討更普遍的問題，如運動員的商品化、使用禁藥、舞弊和偏 袒裁判。

從個人層面來看，周芷瑤曾經有一個不愉快的過去，青春期的她討厭呆在家裡。 在將近五年的時間裡，她會從朝到晚在籃球場上投籃，這是她逃離困擾她自己世 界的方式。《球儀》是由各種球類製成的地球儀，反映了她對籃球的熱愛，以及 它在她生命中所扮演的角色。

運動和藝術很少重疊；它們經常被視為完全不同的世界。周芷瑤在她的藝術生涯 的早期階段就能夠輕鬆地彌合兩者之間的差距，為兩者帶來能量和強烈的個性特 徵。

凱倫偉伯畫廊，2023年5月

YO CHOW IN THE PRESENT

Playing “in the present” defines the optimal state of mind, as sports trainers often advise, to perform unburdened by the anxiety of failure, the chaos of competition, and the spectre of past setbacks. Ancient representations of in-the-present contestants—such as the fully tensile muscular array of Olympic youth in Greek statuary, or polo riders with raised mallets poised to strike in Persian painting and Tang tomb murals, or Meso-American ballplayers in sublime stillness to channel projectile force—testify to the long-standing human reverence for that heightened moment. As both artist and athlete, Yo Chow in Time Out observes and positions physical bodies crystallised in her particular Hong Kong present.

In the After Training series, she creates collage portraits of current Hong Kong sports icons (fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long, cyclist Sarah Lee, high jumper Cecilia Yeung, boxer Rex Tso, and swimmer Siobhan Haughey) comprising cut-outs of print advertisements showing their bodies frozen in stop-motion. The paradox of capturing dynamic movement in a glance remains a challenge in rendering the human form. Here Yo Chow mimics sports photography, which simultaneously monumentalises and conventionalises a singular gesture for maximal recognition: the fencer’s sword approaching full thrust; the swimmer’s fingertips surging towards the pool wall; the high jumper’s arm an extension of a horizontal body on the verge of surrendering to gravity. In contrast to the apparent present-ness and utter focus of these tableaux, the artist skillfully conveys action through agitated scissor lines and a sinuous juxtaposition of dark and light. Their commercial iconicity, marked by bright yellow rays emanating from their heads, includes no distinguishable facial features whatsoever, all the better to sell that single-minded instant of indomitability.

Yo Chow also comments on the present conditions of the sports business, which compels athletes to refashion their bodies to enhance performance. In Injurygram, retention tape normally applied to the surface of the flesh as external support for injuries conversely exposes the internal muscular structure of the body. Barbie, a crudely shaped composite body made from testosterone powder attached to the limbs and head of Barbie and Ken dolls, highlights the shady practices that underlie idealised athletic shapes. Both works speak to the fundamental vulnerability of the human body, ruthlessly suppressed by the myth of projecting the mindful present and by expectations—amongst athletes and their audiences alike—of anatomical perfection.

Compressed Court, a transparent plastic compression bag shut tight to contain miscellaneous material traces of the people who share public sports facilities, ventures even further to remark upon the circulation of ordinary human bodies in Hong Kong. These left-behind items constitute an archive of a lost or abandoned past, in its present assembly a jumble of objects (a badminton racket, bedsheets, a transistor radio) that seem to defy meaningful connection or intention. Likewise, The Use of Uselessness, made up of Hong Kong team jerseys wound tightly together and fixed with resin into the shape of a gnarly tree trunk, seals the present into a visible past tense. Sliced to reveal a crosssection, reminiscent of those employed for carbon-dating, the polychromatic swirls point to a trajectory looking backward in time. In Yo Chow’s Hong Kong, art reveals the amnesia and fortitude required to live in the present.

Nixi Cura, Hon. Prof. Research Fellow University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

運動員以「在當下」的心態去比賽，可以使人不受失敗的焦慮、比賽的混亂和過 去挫折的陰影所困擾，從而能夠自如地表演，是教練們認為最佳的。古代對「當 下」選手的表現——例如希臘雕塑中充滿張力的奧林匹克青年、波斯繪畫和唐墓 壁畫中高舉球棒的馬球手，以及美索美洲球員在沉靜中凝聚力量——證明了人類 對於這種高峰時刻的崇敬。作為藝術家和運動員，周芷瑤在《Time Out》展覽透

過所處的當下香港，觀察和定位著人類的身體。

在《運動完》系列中，她創作了當今香港運動偶像的拼貼肖像（劍擊運動員張家 朗、單車手李慧詩、跳高選手楊文蔚、拳擊手曹星如和游泳選手何詩蓓），由印 刷廣告的剪貼組成，呈現他們的身體在定格動作中的樣子。在一瞥之間捕捉動態 運動的悖論在呈現人體形態時仍然是一個挑戰。周芷瑤在這裡模仿了體育攝影， 同時為了最大限度的識別，將單一的姿勢標誌化和傳統化：劍手蓄勢待發，準備 力一擊、游泳選手的指尖猛衝向池壁、跳高選手的手臂，是正要被引力牽引下 墜的水平身軀之延伸。與這些場景的明顯即時性和完全集中相比，藝術家巧妙地 通過煩亂的剪刀線條和黑暗和光明的蜿蜒並置來傳達動作。他們商業上的標誌 性，由頭部發出的鮮黃色光線標誌著，完全沒有可辨識的面部特徵，更能販賣那 不屈不撓的瞬間。

周芷瑤還評論了運動產業的現况，這迫使運動員重新塑造他們的身體以提高表 現。在《傷患圖》中，通常用於皮膚表面作為支撐受傷身體部分的固定貼，反而 暴露了身體內的肌肉結構。《芭比》是一個粗糙的複合身體，由含有睾酮粉末的 Barbie和Ken的四肢和頭部組成，突顯了理想化的運動體態背後的不光彩行為。 這兩個作品都揭示了人體的根本脆弱性，無論是在運動員還是他們的觀眾心中， 這種脆弱性被所推崇的當下心靈的神話和對肢體完美的期望殘酷地壓制。

《壓縮球場》是一個透明的塑料壓縮袋，緊緊密封著使用公共運動設施的人們的 各種物質的痕跡，更進一步談論了香港普通人身體的流動。這些被遺留下來的物 品構成了一個失落或被遺棄的過去的檔案，在當下它們被組裝在一起，成為了一 堆看似毫無意義的物品(一支羽毛球拍、床單、一個原子粒收音機)，無法建立任 何有意義的聯繫或目的。同樣地，《無用之用》由香港代表隊球衣綁緊在一起， 再用樹脂固定成一個粗糙的樹幹形狀，將現在密封成過去時態。它被切片以顯示 橫截面，好像碳年代測定法一樣，彩色漩渦指向過去的軌跡。在周芷瑤的香港， 藝術揭示了在當下生活所需的遺忘和堅韌。

格拉斯哥大學榮譽教授研究員黃巧巧

ARTWORKS

YO CHOW 周芷瑤

After Training 1

運動完 1

magazine cut outs, cotton thread on paper 40 x 30cm 2023

運動完 2 magazine cut outs, cotton thread on paper 40 x 30cm 2023

After Training 3

運動完 3

magazine cut outs, cotton thread on paper 40 x 30cm 2023

A collage series created from sports and lifestyle Hong Kong athletes: fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long, Yeung, boxer Rex Tso, and swimmer Siobhan Haughey. deals when they are in their prime. The products mouthwash, and real estate. How authentic and

這些拼貼作品是由體育和生活潮流雜誌廣告剪貼而成，展示了五位香港著名運動員，包括擊劍手張家 朗，單車手李慧詩，跳高選手楊文蔚，拳擊手曹星如和游泳選手何詩蓓。這些運動員在他們的巔峰時期 享有豐厚的代言合同。他們代言的產品包括保險、床墊、漱口水和房地產。這些代言的真實性和相關性 可靠嗎？

magazine advertisements featuring five famous Ka-long, cyclist Sarah Lee, high jumper Cecilia Haughey. They all enjoy lucrative endorsement products they endorse include insurance, mattresses, and relevant are these endorsements?

這些拼貼作品是由體育和生活潮流雜誌廣告剪貼而成，展示了五位香港著名運動員，包括擊劍手張家 朗，單車手李慧詩，跳高選手楊文蔚，拳擊手曹星如和游泳選手何詩蓓。這些運動員在他們的巔峰時期 享有豐厚的代言合同。他們代言的產品包括保險、床墊、漱口水和房地產。這些代言的真實性和相關性

Detail of Ball Biscuit

The Cantonese phrase 波餅, translates as “ball dismantled a vintage Locomotive brand soccer turned it into many cracker-like small pieces, seamed biscuit” are imprinted onto the surface.

粵語詞語“波餅”意為被球擊中。一個普遍用於街頭足球的老式火車頭品牌足球被拆卸並用縫紉線製成 許多像餅乾一樣的小塊。表面印上“the ball biscuit

biscuit”, which means “to be hit by a ball”. Yo ball, common in Hong Kong street soccer, and seamed with sewing thread. The words “the ball

粵語詞語“波餅”意為被球擊中。一個普遍用於街頭足球的老式火車頭品牌足球被拆卸並用縫紉線製成

biscuit

”字樣。

Ball Instrument

球儀

basketball, soccer ball, volleyball ball, tennis ball, table tennis ball, readymade object

Basketball 40 x 27 x 27cm

Soccer 37 x 24 x 24cm

Volleyball 32 x 21.5 x 21.5cm

Tennis 10 x 8 x 8cm

Table tennis 7 x 5 x 5cm 2023

Detail of Ball Instrument

“Yo Chow has turned different types of ready-made importantly basketball, was her entire universe tough adolescence and often skipped classes, preferring

藝術家用各種不同的球類和現成物品製作成外觀類似地球儀的藝術品。籃球是她青少年時期的全部世 界，也是她的避風港。她在青少年時期有過困難，經常逃課，更喜歡在籃球場上投籃。

“ready-made balls into look-alike globes. Sports, most universe at one stage. It was her getaway. Yo had a preferring to shoot hoops at basketball courts.

藝術家用各種不同的球類和現成物品製作成外觀類似地球儀的藝術品。籃球是她青少年時期的全部世 界，也是她的避風港。她在青少年時期有過困難，經常逃課，更喜歡在籃球場上投籃。

Barbie

medicine, plaster, readymade object 30 x 12 x 13cm 2023

Detail of Barbie

The artist ground pills containing testosterone fusing a Barbie head with a Ken torso and limbs. prohibited - substances in sports. It can increase creating masculine bodies for females.

“藝術家將含有睾酮的藥丸磨成粉末，並用芭比娃娃的頭部和Ken的軀幹和四肢結合成一個人物。睾酮是 最常用的運動禁藥成分之一，可以增加肌肉質量和體力，導致女性男性化。

into powder and moulded them into a figure limbs. Testosterone is one of the most used – yet increase muscle mass and physical strength, often

藝術家將含有睾酮的藥丸磨成粉末，並用芭比娃娃的頭部和Ken的軀幹和四肢結合成一個人物。睾酮是 最常用的運動禁藥成分之一，可以增加肌肉質量和體力，導致女性男性化。

Compressed Court 壓縮球場

compression bag, badminton racket, shuttlecocks skipping rope, soccer ball, bed sheet, can, clothes hanger, newspaper, towel, transistor radio, water bottle

90 x 50 x 17cm

2023

Detail of Compressed Court

Yo Chow collected all the items she found in a placed them in a compression bag, noting the time various personal belongings in addition to sports sports venues in Hong Kong, many sports grounds multiple purposes. As a result, people often share different sports or using it for completely unrelated

藝術家在十二小時的時間內收集了在體育場地找到的所有物品，並將它們放入壓縮袋中，並記錄了每個 物品收集的時間。這些物品包括各種個人物品和體育器材。由於香港缺乏專門的體育場館，許多運動場 地會不自覺地用於多種不同的用途。因此，人們常常需要與其他正在進行不同運動或用於不相關活動（ 例如晾床單）的人共用同一個場地。

a sports ground over a twelve-hour period and time each item was collected. The items include sports equipment. Due to the lack of dedicated grounds are, somewhat unintentionally, used for share the same court with others who are playing unrelated activities, such as drying bedsheets.

藝術家在十二小時的時間內收集了在體育場地找到的所有物品，並將它們放入壓縮袋中，並記錄了每個 物品收集的時間。這些物品包括各種個人物品和體育器材。由於香港缺乏專門的體育場館，許多運動場 地會不自覺地用於多種不同的用途。因此，人們常常需要與其他正在進行不同運動或用於不相關活動（

The box is decorated with designs of currency notes and white, like a referee jersey. The referee is an is supposed to be neutral. In real life, it is impossible many factors which may give rise to conscious 盒子上裝飾著各國貨幣設計的黑白色彩，就像是裁判的球衣。裁判是體育比賽中的權威人物，應該是中 立的。但實際上，完全做到百分之百中立是不可能的。有很多因素可能會導致裁判做出無意識的偏見決 定。

notes from various countries rendered in black an authoritative figure in competitive sports and impossible to be hundred percent neutral. There are and unconscious bias in referee decisions.

盒子上裝飾著各國貨幣設計的黑白色彩，就像是裁判的球衣。裁判是體育比賽中的權威人物，應該是中 立的。但實際上，完全做到百分之百中立是不可能的。有很多因素可能會導致裁判做出無意識的偏見決

The human muscular system is created from adhesive movement and prevent further muscle injury. Injuries Chow herself had to confront her severe torn ligament understanding of the body’s structure. As a result, injury and improving her performance.

人類的肌肉系統由敷料固定貼組成。這種膠布被用來穩定運動，防止肌肉進一步受傷。傷痛在體育運動 中很常見，當Yo Chow處理她嚴重的撕裂韌帶問題時，更深入地了解了身體的結構。因此，她現在能夠

更好地防止受傷並提高自己的表現。

adhesive retention tape, normally used to stabilize Injuries are a common occurrence in sports. Yo ligament injury, which helped her gain a better result, she is now more capable of preventing

人類的肌肉系統由敷料固定貼組成。這種膠布被用來穩定運動，防止肌肉進一步受傷。傷痛在體育運動 處理她嚴重的撕裂韌帶問題時，更深入地了解了身體的結構。因此，她現在能夠

Detail of Ping Pong

Ping Pong

stainless steel, coins, wood 26 x 15 x 3cm; 24 x 15 x 3cm

a set of 2 2023

A pair of table tennis bats with steel sharpened pong diplomacy in the 1970s witnessed a new between China and USA. The world’s two biggest since 2018. Trade wars eventually leave both countries

藝術家用鋒利的不銹鋼邊緣製作了兩個乒乓球拍。誰拿起這個球拍打球，就很容易受傷。1970年代的乒 乓外交見證了中國和美國建立外交關係的新篇章。世界上兩個最大的經濟體自2018年以來一直處於貿易 戰中。貿易戰最終讓兩國都陷入困境。

sharpened edges to easily injure ambitious players. Ping new chapter in establishing diplomatic relations biggest economies have been locked in a trade war countries worse off.

藝術家用鋒利的不銹鋼邊緣製作了兩個乒乓球拍。誰拿起這個球拍打球，就很容易受傷。1970年代的乒 乓外交見證了中國和美國建立外交關係的新篇章。世界上兩個最大的經濟體自2018年以來一直處於貿易

Detail of The Use of Uselessness

The Use of Uselessness 無用之用

Hong Kong team jerseys, resin

2.5cm, 7.5cm, 49cm, 10cm diameter

a set of 3 2023

Many Hong Kong athletes are not receiving the recognition threat of funding cuts. There is a claim that sports her friends’ Hong Kong team jerseys, Yo created Daoist poet Zhuang Zi’s (476-221 BC) parable itself despite its inherent uselessness.

許多香港運動員沒有得到他們應得的認可，而精英運動在香港也面臨著不斷的資金削減威脅。曾有人指 體育不對經濟做出貢獻。Yo Chow使用她朋友的香港代表隊球衣，創造了一個看起來像樹幹的藝術品。

這是對莊子（公元前476-221年）關於一棵樹的寓言的引用，闡述了生命的價值。

recognition they deserve and live under constant sports do not contribute to the economy. Using created what looks like a tree stem. It is a reference to about the gnarled old tree which is valued for

許多香港運動員沒有得到他們應得的認可，而精英運動在香港也面臨著不斷的資金削減威脅。曾有人指 使用她朋友的香港代表隊球衣，創造了一個看起來像樹幹的藝術品。 年）關於一棵樹的寓言的引用，闡述了生命的價值。

ARTIST

YO CHOW 周芷瑤

Born in 1994, Hong Kong

Currently lives and works in HK

Education

2020

Bachelor in Visual Arts (Hons), Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University

2018

Higher Diploma in Fine Art, Hong Kong Art School

Exhibitions (selected)

2023

‘Time Out’, Karin Weber Gallery, HK

2022

‘Click…Clatter…Clunk…’, Karin Weber Gallery, HK

2020

‘Fresh Trend 2020 Art Graduates Joint Exhibition’, Hong Kong City Hall, HK

ICH+ Annual Showcase, Urban Sky, Pak Sha Road, Sharp Street East, HK

BA Gradshow, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, HK

2019

ICH+ Annual Showcase, Sam Tung Uk Museum, HK

2018

Graduation Showcase, Hong Kong Art School, HK

Awards (selected)

2020

HKBU AVA Award, Hong Kong Baptist University, HK

Sean Gallery Award, Hong Kong Baptist University, HK

2018

HKBU Admission Scholarship Scheme for Outstanding Local Senior Year Entrants, Hong Kong Baptist University, HK

HKAS Graduation Showcase – Excellent Presentation Award, Hong Kong Art School, HK

2017

Angel Fund Scholarship, Hong Kong Art School, HK

For full CV: https://www.karinwebergallery.com/artists/yo-chow/

1994年生於香港 現生活並工作於香港

學歷

2020

香港浸會大學視覺藝術文學士(榮譽)

2018

香港藝術學院藝術高級文憑

展覽（擇錄）

2023

「Time Out」，香港凱倫偉伯畫廊

2022

「咔嗒⋯咔嗒⋯咔嗒⋯」，香港凱倫偉伯畫廊

2020

「出爐2020藝術系畢業生聯展」，香港大會堂展覽廳 「賽馬會「傳．創」非遺教育計劃 – 周年展覽」，香港銅鑼灣希慎廣場、白沙道及霎東街 本科畢業展，香港浸會大學視覺藝術院

2019

「賽馬會「傳．創」非遺教育計劃 – 周年展覽」，香港三棟屋博物館

2018

「見」– 藝術高級文憑畢業創作展二零一八，香港藝術學院

榮譽與獎項 （擇錄）

2020

香港浸會大學視覺藝術院本科畢業展 – 創作獎 香港浸會大學視覺藝術院 – Sean Gallery 獎

2018

香港浸會大學優秀本地高年級生入學獎學金 香港藝術學院藝術高級文憑畢業創作展 – 卓越展示獎

2017

Angel Fund 獎學金

詳細履歷：https://www.karinwebergallery.com/artists/yo-chow/

KARIN WEBER GALLERY 凱倫偉伯畫廊

Established in 1999 by German-born Karin Weber and now in its 24th year, Karin Weber Gallery is one of Hong Kong’s oldest contemporary art galleries. Situated on Aberdeen Street, in the heart of SoHo, the gallery presents a yearround programme of curated exhibitions, talks, and collector events.

As unique network of partners based in London and Mumbai allows us to source emerging and established contemporary art from around the world. We are equally passionate about presenting works by local artists. The gallery assists artists through exhibitions, art fairs, and residency programmes throughout the world. Small in size, yet global in outlook, Karin Weber Gallery is one of Hong Kong’s truly international boutique galleries.

凱倫偉伯畫廊在1999年由德國的Karin Weber女士創立，今年踏入第24年，是香港 其中一間最具歷史的當代藝術畫廊。畫廊位於蘇豪區鴨巴甸街，我們每年策劃不同的 展覽、講座及活動給藏家參與。

我們的合夥人於倫敦和孟買有辦事處，使我們能夠幾乎遍布世界各地為客戶提供服務 並蒐尋新晉和有豐富經驗的藝術家。我們熱愛把香港本地的藝術推介給全球的藏家。 我們畫廊代表的藝術家通過藝術博覽會，與其他畫廊的交流，還有駐留計畫發展自己 的事業。面積雖不大，但放眼全球，凱倫偉伯畫廊是香港真正國際化的精品畫廊之 一。

G/F, 20 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong 香港中環鴨巴甸街20號地下 +852 2544 5004 karinwebergallery.com art@karinwebergallery.com

© 2023 Karin Weber Gallery

All Rights Are Reserved