Booth S10-S11
Galerie du Monde is pleased to present new works by Fong Chung-Ray (b. 1933) from Taiwan’s avant-garde Fifth Moon Group, and German conceptual artist Michael Müller (b. 1970) at Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 26-30, examining the different aspects of their painterly process, and their transition from classical to conceptual approaches, methods and techniques of painting, as a means of self-expression that transcends time and place.
Fong Chung-Ray
The text fragments in Fong Chung-Ray's paintings are difficult to decipher but are often drawn from Buddhist scriptures and sometimes poetic sources. These details suggest the artist's personal familiarity and engagement with Buddhist texts. Fong has studied such texts for more than 25 years.
"Whenever the scriptures refer to time it is described as infinite without a beginning or an ending. They also state that ‘seeing through birth and death will bring forth one’s tranquility.’Michael Müller
Using a range of materials, from glass, canvas and metal as surfaces to paint on, Michael Müller explores possibilities of shaping the relationship between an image’s projected spatial effects and its nature as a painting and three-dimensional object. By painting on glass, which usually separates the painting from its surroundings, we as viewers see the paint from behind through the transparent surface. The composition of the final work, which in some cases consists of several layers of paint on transparent and non-transparent surfaces, requires Müller to paint in reverse: The mental blueprint of the work’s final composition is painted backwards to forwards. Moreover, the paint seen from behind the glass appears as a smooth, saturated surface. The brushstroke, the physical trace of the artist’s hand, traditionally central to the painterly process, remains hidden, concealed in the small space between the glass and the canvas or wall.
When one elevates one’s vision beyond the span of an individual into the universal process of ‘forming, maintaining, decaying, and nonexistence’ suddenly the pressure of time disappears into the infinity of the universe. Individual pursuit of fame and fortune pales in front of such infinite time and space."
- Fong Chung-Ray
Michael Müller
Using a range of materials, from glass, canvas and metal as surfaces to paint on, Michael Müller explores possibilities of shaping the relationship between an image’s projected spatial effects and its nature as a painting and three-dimensional object. By painting on glass, which usually separates the painting from its surroundings, we as viewers see the paint from behind through the transparent surface. The composition of the final work, which in some cases consists of several layers of paint on transparent and non-transparent surfaces, requires Müller to paint in reverse: The mental blueprint of the work’s final composition is painted backwards to forwards. Moreover, the paint seen from behind the glass appears as a smooth, saturated surface. The brushstroke, the physical trace of the artist’s hand, traditionally central to the painterly process, remains hidden, concealed in the small space between the glass and the canvas or wall.

Opening Hours:
Thursday, November 26, 2020, 2pm – 8pm
Friday, November 27, 2020, 11am – 7pm
Saturday, November 28, 2020, 11am – 7pm
Sunday, November 29, 2020, 11am – 7pm
Monday, November 30, 2020, 11am – 6pm

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