CHRISTOPHER K. HO

Ho’s title, CX 888, references Cathay Pacific’s daily Hong Kong-to-Vancouver flight, while themes of diaspora, dislocation and displacement abound. The presentation itself constitutes the first step in Ho’s return to Hong Kong. The move back paradoxically requires revisiting his departure—the abruptness of which dooms it to recur in fragments. Inside the darkened gallery these remnants emerge: a boulder-shaped speaker piping in the soundtrack to the movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; a tableau of draped sculptures, appearing as if the studio was abandoned; and scatterings of aluminum ‘paper’ airplanes as well as personal effects. Venturing further, two monitors hang aside de Sarthe’s rear windows. The videos blink Cathay Pacific’s signature teal and maroon in ‘heroic’ hexameter, the meter used in Homer’s Odyssey.

Ho is known for his diverse practice that includes object making, organising, and teaching, in addition to multi-component projects that use humour to address capital, power, and privilege. CX 888, his first solo presentation in Hong Kong, his birthplace, marks a turn towards the artist’s lived experience. Underpinning the exhibition are increased anxieties about being ‘out of place’ in the United States, as well as wanting to be ‘in place’ in Hong Kong during the five weeks at de Sarthe.

Public Programmes:

In addition to the opening on 1 September, Christopher K. Ho, Ingrid Pui Yee Chu, and Savannah Gorton will co-host the following public events as part of F&T’s Office Hours programme:

During two Happy Hours, visitors can share drinks and discuss readings that relate to themes and questions raised by Ho’s installation in-progress. During the 23 August Happy Hour guests will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Yuk Wah Chan and collectively discuss Chinese diasporas, reverse migration, and the intersection of nationalism and identity. The 28 August Happy Hour features readings by poet Tammy Ho Lai-Ming and discussions about lived experiences in Hong Kong.