january

i have reached Hong Kong. The Antarctica S.S.S.S.S.I. exhibition opened on the 6th jan. with a fine short speech c/o the Australian Consulate General. I search for a studio here in this manic magacity. The thick smog and constant jack hammer street music is a little exhausting but Hong Kong certainly can keep me visually happy for a while. I hope to visit mainland China but first must plant myself somewhere, somehow, somewhat soonish.

The Chinese lunar new year has arrived in Hong Kong, sadly too much smog and fog to really enjoy the fireworks display but celebrations certainly went on as usual. Farewell Dragon and hello year of the Snake. My exhibition here has another 2 weeks to go at John Batten gallery. The Antarctic theme has intrigued those who have visited so far and the press have also come to the party. January has seen me 25 storeys high in a temporary studio working on an assortment of pictures, from large banners to small drawings on handmade vietnamese paper.

Asialink has kindly decided to fund my time in Hong Kong with a grant enabling me to rent a good studio and focus totally on my artwork. I shall be spending a part of February visiting galleries and cities in the region. March will see me in total studio mode creating a new body of work to be possibly shown in Paris or Amsterdam. This Asialink project is supported by Arts Victoria and the Australia Council, the Federal Goverments arts funding and advisory body.