A Self-Portrait: The Process of Erasing presents Chilai Howard’s solo exhibition as both a personal journey and an inquiry into what constitutes memory, objects, and the self. At its core lies a paradox: to let go of a memory, one must first give it a final form, while recognising the impossibility of ever possessing the past itself.

The artist deliberately metallises objects associated with different stages of his life. Through metallisation, fluid memories are given a rigid, continuous surface. Memories, regrets, attachments, and pain appear preserved, made durable, even monumentalised, while traces of lived experience disappear beneath the same metallic skin. The process simultaneously preserves and erases, taking on an almost ritualistic function. Rather than destroying the objects, he withdraws them from their ordinary functions, seals their former surfaces, and transforms them into something closer to relics. The object remains, but something of its former life has also been concealed.

Public engaged performances: Give and Take
12.09. & 3.10.2026 (Sat), 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Opening reception: September 7 (Mon) at 6:30 PM in the presence of the curator and artist.

Gallery address: 14/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai