For her first solo exhibition at Square Street Gallery, Hong Kong artist Wong Ka Ying (b. 1990) explores the layered relationship between people and their possessions, from kitschy plastic toys won after countless hours at the claw machine to million-dollar luxury pets bred to perfection after numerous experiments. Testaments of victory and status symbols, these cute, shiny, and fluffy objects and animals share a melancholic entanglement in Wong’s work; the way in which they accessorize and embellish our lives points toward an emptiness—a void often caused by grief, isolation, or nihilism—that we attempt to fill. The delightful exteriors of these coveted properties often distract us from further examination of darker truths: addiction, obsession, waste, and illness. Wong’s presentation, which includes paintings, drawings, and sculptures, accentuates the “plastic” qualities of these objects both materially and conceptually as synthetic, false, and superficial.

Simulating the operating hours of popular claw machine stores in Hong Kong (often a choice venue for late-night dates), the gallery will extend its opening hours to 12pm–10pm for the week of Art Basel and Art Central Hong Kong, 25 to 30 March, 2024.

Opening reception on 21 March from 6 - 8 pm

Gallery address: G/F, 21 Square Street, Sheung Wan