Square Street Gallery is pleased to present “Skin in Limbo” by Emily Kueis, marking the artist’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery. At its centre are three new large-scale oil paintings. Shown alongside recent works on canvas and paper, they form a kind of metaphysical landscape shaped by a pictorial language that unfolds like a diary, reflecting Kueis’ shifting sense of self, place, and identity as a painter in Hong Kong.

Kueis’ practice fluidly combines abstraction and figuration. Her distorted, floating figures appear suspended in indeterminate, cosmic-like spaces. These partial bodies, often depicted in precarious or contorted poses, explore the tension between physical and psychological boundaries. Here, flesh becomes not just a vessel but a repository of lived experience.

Her recent works incorporate recurring motifs drawn from the mundane. Mannequins, scarecrows, and raven silhouettes are subtly transformed into psychological markers, prompting viewers to re-engage with what is often overlooked. This perspective finds affinity with Martin Heidegger’s notion that everyday existence is frequently forgotten until it is disrupted, much like a stone unnoticed in one’s shoe until it shifts underfoot. Kueis reimagines allegory as disruptions, gently unsettling the familiar to reveal what is typically unseen.

Curated by Jims Lam.

Opening reception: 29th May, 6 - 8 pm

Gallery address: 21 Square St, Sheung Wan