Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊Media Release
Attention Arts and Culture Editors

9 November 2012
For immediate release

Philosopher's (knock-off) Stone: Turning Gold into Plastic
16 November – 9 December 2012
Opening reception: 16 November 2012, 6 – 8pm
Osage Kwun Tong
5/F, Kian Dai Industrial Building, 73-75 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Opening hours: Daily from 10am to 7pm

Osage Gallery is pleased to present the group exhibition, Philosopher’s (knock-off) Stone: Turning
Gold Into Plastic at Osage Kwun Tong from 16 November to 9 December 2012. The exhibition takesthe concept of alchemy as a starting point in order to investigate the two-way dialogue latent within thespace of an object or idea undergoing transformation. The works of Luke CHING, CHU Chun Teng,KWAN Sheung Chi, Elise LAI, Sarah LAI, LAU Hok Shing, LEUNG Mei Ping, LO Chi Kit, NG Ka Chun will bepresented.
Typically, the alchemist is involved in the process of turning cheap metal into precious and highly
valuable gold; through the process of alchemy, energies of a certain nature are emitted. The artists
participating in this exhibition have taken common subjects such as money, silver, and the moon, andthen put them through a process of refinement or alteration — the substitution a transformation of anobject results in a shift in it’s significant meaning, while also restoring it to it’s original state as purematter.
The moon is essentially a grey, inanimate object. It projects a silvery light in the night sky, a light which
does not belong to itself; this phenomenon is actually the result of the moon reflecting the light coming
off from the sun. This characteristic of something not undergoing any essential change except inappearance is an occurrence one can find in alchemy. A captivating and compelling radiance on theoutside serves to mask the banality underneath.

4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊
Contemporary society is likewise undergoing a change whose trajectory runs parallel to the process ofalchemy: the democratization of luxury items gradually strips them of their aura of preciousness; at thesame time, certain objects of a common nature are symbolically packaged and thus become elevatedto a state of prestige. Artists similarly play with signs as they relate to language and symbolic meaning,altering the relationship between the signifier and what is signified; they can turn a stone into a chunk ofgold, or vice versa. This process inevitably highlights the tension underlying all things as they are seenin the world.
Kwan Sheung-Chi’s work, 1000, involves the use of an eraser to rub out the printed image found on abanknote that gives it status as currency, a gesture which obliterates the economic signifier of money
and ultimately reveals it for what it is: a piece of paper. However, due to his choice of using a weakeraser for the action, which is intended to reveal the capitalist connotations of a banknote and thecharacters printed on its surface, the result becomes something altogether more ambiguous.
Similar spirit is shown in Lo Chi-kit’s work. During his time spent in the Korean town of ‘Riguang’ (a namewhich shares a meaning with the word ‘daylight’), Lo created replicas of the handmade road signs which
the locals crafted themselves, and proceeded to replace the actual signs with the ones he made in their
original spots, directing travelers along the road at night to a destination named ‘Yueming (moonlight)
Temple’.

For any enquiry concerning the exhibition, please contact Emillie Chiu at (852) 27934817 or send email
to media@osagegallery.com

4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊
PRESS IMAGESLo Chi-kit
Two Dollars
2011
Action, outdoor installation
Coin, tripod construction light
Dimensions variable

4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊

Leung Mee-pingDon’t Blame the Moon
2010
6” DVD player, projector
Dimensions: 300 sq. ft. dark space w/ 14 ft. (at least) height from floor to ceiling

Chu Chun-teng
Taiwan Taiwan
2012
HK video, sound
100 mins4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊

Kwan Sheung-chi
ONE MILLION (Japanese Yen)
2012
HD video, colour, stereo
1 min 8 sec, edition of 5
Kwan Sheung-chi
ONE MILLION (Hong Kong Dollar)
2012
HD video, colour, mono
8 min 18 sec
Kwan Sheung-chi
ONE MILLION (Taiwan New Dollar)
2012
HD video, colour, stereo
9 min 43 sec
4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊

Ng Ka-chunWithered Grass Revolution
2012
Wood, iron
Dimensions variable

Sarah Lai
½ MoonOil on canvas
140 x140cm, 2 panels

4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com

Osage | Gallery 奧沙畫廊
ABOUT OSAGE GALLERYOsage Gallery is devoted to the exhibition and promotion of international and Asian contemporary
visual arts, exploring the diverse and complex artistic relationships between the different regions ofAsia, and beyond that, of the artistic relationships between Asia and the rest of the world. Osage
Gallery represents some of the most exciting and significant artists in the region. The gallery also works
closely with international curators to present exhibitions and projects that address themes and issues
relevant to our times.
Osage Gallery is part of the Osage Group encompassing the Osage Art Foundation, Osage Art
Consultancy and Osage Design.
Please visit www.osagegallery.com for more information.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Emillie Chiu
+852 2793 4817
media@osagegallery.com

4/F, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong 香港觀塘興業街20號聯合興業大廈4樓
T : +852 2793 4817
F : +852 2007 2988
W : osagegallery.com E : info@osagegallery.com