Annie Lai Kuen Wan
Born in Hong Kong, Annie obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is now Associate Professor of Academy of Visual Arts of the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Wan has been researching in a conceptual approach to moulding since her Master Degree in Fine Art. Her quest is rooted in discovery through keen observation of “what is” and “what was” as she makes connections between what we see and what we do not see. Using forced fossilization (molding and casting), Wan creates and recreates society’s ephemera. This filling (or casting) and recreating both positive and negative space is done to augment and honour a universal sense of place while simultaneously dealing with memory, metaphor, intellect, and culture. By the power of fantastical imagination alone, Wan’s ceramic works connect the present with the past and future. She uses ceramic molding as a creative means to congeal the form of everyday objects in ceramic. Subjects for reproduction range from disposable plastic cups to a pair of reverent praying hands, from an old street sign from Wanchai to a sunlit corner building in Denmark. Wan meticulously reproduces ordinary objects and explores their microscopic worlds.
Annie has participated in various local and overseas exhibitions. She was awarded 2018 Artist of the Year (Visual Arts) by Hong Kong Arts Development Council. She was also awarded the Winner (Sculpture) of the Philippe Charriol Foundation Art Competition, the Asian Cultural Council Fellowship and the Award Winner of the Hong Kong Art Biennial, etc. Annie has also been the resident artist at different art institutions in the USA, Japan and Denmark and invited as Guest Artist by Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan. Annie’s works are collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and overseas art institutions.
