Karin Weber Gallery – Emily Allchurch’s Introductory Show

Opening Reception and Project Launch:
Tuesday, 31 October 2017, 6-9pm

Karin Weber Gallery is delighted to welcome UK-based artist Emily Allchurch to its roster and to announce an exciting two-stage collaboration, which will run until March 2018.

Allchurch uses photography and digital collage to reconstruct Old Master works in her creation of contemporary narratives. Her starting point is an intensive encounter with a city or place, to absorb an impression and gather an extensive image library. From this resource, hundreds of photographs are selected and meticulously spliced together to create a seamless, new fictional space. Each artwork represents this journey, compressed into a single scene. The resulting photographic collages resonate with the place, history, and culture. They explore the passage of time and changes to a landscape, imbuing contemporary life with a strong sense of history.

‘Then is Now’ is an introductory presentation of Emily Allchurch’s work at the gallery, showcasing her iconic piece ’Babel London (after Bruegel)’ alongside examples of her internationally acclaimed and more Asia-Focused series ‘Tokyo Story’. The exhibition also marks the kick-off of an exciting Hong Kong-based project, entitled ‘Babel Hong Kong.’

The artist will spend several weeks in and around Hong Kong in November 2017, researching locations and gathering photographic material which will provide the basis for a specially produced artwork depicting the essence of the city of Hong Kong inspired by the tradition of Chinese old master painting. In this research process, Emily will enjoy the support and guidance of a number of local artists, gallerists, and art academics. The ‘Babel Hong Kong’ piece will then be launched back in Hong Kong at the end of March 2018.

For this project, Allchurch has been awarded an Artists’ International Development Fund Award from Arts Council England and the British Council.

 

About the Artist:

Born in Jersey, Channel Islands, UK, Emily Allchurch first specialized in sculpture before developing her unique approach to reimagining historical artworks in a contemporary photo-collage style. She shows regularly across the UK and internationally, and has just exhibited two pieces at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2017 in London. Having made her Asian debut with her ‘Tokyo Story’ series’ in 2013, this is Emily’s first presentation in Hong Kong.

Her work is in the permanent collections of the Tokaido Hiroshige Museum, Japan; Minneapolis Museum of Arts, USA; Manchester Art Gallery, UK; Nouveau Musée National de Monaco; the States of Jersey, Channel Islands, UK and the Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, Canada. Corporate collections include the Financial Conduct Authority, Unilever, Morgan Stanley, Schroders and Rathbones in London, and Fidelity International in Tokyo.

Emily holds an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London, and lives, and works in Hastings and London, UK.

About Karin Weber Gallery:
Established in 1999 by German-born Karin Weber and now in its 18th year, Karin Weberg Gallery is one of Hong Kong’s oldest contemporary art galleries. Situated on Aberdeen Street, in the heart of SoHo, the gallery presents a year-round program of curated exhibitions, talks, and collector events.

Karin Weber Gallery has been named one of ‘500 Best Galleries Worldwide’ by BLOUIN ARTINFO in 2015 and 2016 consecutively. The gallery’s unique network of partners based in London, Mumbai, and Berlin allows it to source emerging and established contemporary art from around the world. Karin Weber Gallery is equally passionate about presenting works by local artists.The gallery assists artists through exhibitions, art fairs, and residency

Karin Weber Gallery is equally passionate about presenting works by local artists.The gallery assists artists through exhibitions, art fairs, and residency programs throughout the world. Small in size, yet global in outlook, Karin Weber Gallery isone of Hong Kong’s truly international boutique galleries.

 

*This exhibition is supported by Arts Council England and British Council