Novalis Art Design is pleased to present zam1 m4 gat1 dou3 juk6, a solo show by Go Hung exploring HK homelessness. The exhibition will run from 13 Sep – 10 Oct 2024. There will be a panel discussion with charities ImpactHK and Society for Community Organization (SoCo) highlighting the current situation of homelessness in HK on Sat 21 Sep 2024 at 3 pm.

The exhibition title refers to the first part of the Cantonese proverb 針唔拮到肉唔知痛 (zam1 m4 gat1 dou3 juk6 m4 zi1 tung3). It means to not understand the difficulties of something until one must face it. Go Hung uses this to describe homelessness. You will never understand the hardship the homeless face until experiencing homelessness. In this exhibition, Go Hung attempts to explore issues the homeless face, tapping into his personal fear of becoming homeless and his observations of the homeless in Hong Kong.

The gallery façade has been boarded up to resemble the make-shift wooden and/or cardboard structures that form temporary shelters for the homeless in Kwun Tong Public Pier and elsewhere. Inside the gallery, you will encounter a network of nest sculptures hanging from branches (Shelter), an installation of cardboard pillow sculptures (So.call Mobility), and feet on paper lining the walls (Cuddle). Each series of works refers to homelessness directly in some way.

Go Hung used weaver birds’ nests as a reference for Shelter. There is a near-universal instinct across vastly different species that seeks for a home which provides if not a sense of belonging, then at least shelter, safety, and security. Yet why is it so difficult for us humans? The shredded vinyl references the many property ads posted around the streets of Hong Kong. The fourteen Shelters hanging around the gallery correspond to the total number of temporary shelters recognized by the government for the homeless. These Shelters both refer to those temporary homes and the dreams of obtaining a home.

So.call Mobility (a pun on social mobility) is made up of 180 floating cardboard pillow sculptures that are staggered in 6 layers. The number 180 directly refers to the maximum number of days a street sleeper can stay at the temporary shelters before having to move out. Due to the exorbitant rent in Hong Kong, most street sleepers are unable to find a home within 6 months and end up back on the streets. The distance between each layer varies, the closer the layer is to the top, the greater the gap is between layers, reflecting the increasing lack of social mobility and widening gulf between the rich and poor. A pillow, a good night’s sleep is a symbol for a home and security, a luxury that is out of reach or ticking away in a 180-day countdown.

Cuddle is a series of feet painted in cement on paper. Each depicts a pair of feet facing the viewer as if the owner of the feet is lying down. To Go Hung, a pair of feet is the symbol of being rooted, the part of your body that is the most closely connected to the ground. Lacking a home, the homeless often wander around to find a spot for temporary rest. As they are often on their feet, ironically the homeless are the most connected to the ground but are unable to put down their roots and have the least sense of belonging. The positioning of the feet may look like someone, but also refers to the bare feet of sleeping homeless. There is only one pair of feet, hinting at the loneliness and isolation the homeless feel, as they are excluded from society and intimacy. Alongside a home, they lose their sense of belonging.

Go Hung’s fear of becoming homeless is not as far from you as you think. Anyone could become the next homeless person. 針唔拮到肉唔知痛 (zam1 m4 gat1 dou3 juk6 m4 zi1 tung3). You will never understand the pain of being homeless until you’ve experienced it, but we could try to imagine and sympathize a bit more.