Artist
Artistic approach
This exhibition presents a retrospective of Kay Kou’s work over the last eight years. In her selection of works, the artist transcends linear time, weaving together past, present and future. Each work embodies his deep-seated anxieties and inner struggles, observed through a prism of depersonalization. His art starts from everyday scenes and extends to themes of survival, the home, collective memory and existentialism. Beneath a calm gaze lies a skeptical curiosity about the absurdities of life; there are no clear answers, only subtle clues.
Artist’s statement:
“I used to think that if I photographed someone well enough, I’d never lose them. In reality, my photos show me how much I’ve lost.”
This poignant quote from photographer Nan Goldin resonates deeply with my vision for this exhibition. As a nihilist, I often find myself convinced that life is devoid of intrinsic meaning. And yet, through photography, I have gradually cultivated a link with the world, developing a fresh perspective. I see my body as a receptacle for emotions, open to any experience. Each thing seems devoid of truth or absolute value, but its mere existence is of precious significance.
Absurdity is not ethereal; perhaps the infinitesimal is actually greater. A fragmented look can reveal often overlooked moments, reminding us of raw, unembellished realities that shine with brilliant intensity. I remember you – whether it’s a person sitting on the ground, a standing elephant, a flower at the end of its bloom, a fleeting moment of fine weather, an egg dropped from one’s hand, a brush of shoulders, the gaze of a century-old sculpture or the changing light of ordinary days.
With a tranquil gaze, I invite you to see the grandiose in the mundane, to find joy in the details of life that go unnoticed, and to feel the sparkling fragments of an existence unaltered by the distortions of memory.
The more you look, the more you see.
