Fernando Prats Live-Painting at HKAGA’s 2018 Symposium
Paintings of Birds Performed at Asia Society
16.11.2018
Hong Kong – 20 November 2018 – Puerta Roja is proud to present live-painting performance by renowned Chilean artist, Fernando Prats, from his Paintings of Birds series at the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association’s Symposium Looking Up: Remapping Hong Kong’s Art Scene in the Era of New Connectivity and Ruptures, held on 16 November 2018 at Asia Society. In the spirit of Puerta Roja’s commitment to its Hong Kong roots and in recognition of Prats’ focus on raising awareness of human connection to the environment, the resulting work will be donated to The Nature Conservancy and auctioned by Sotheby’s at The Nature Conservancy Gala Dinner, taking place in March 2019.
By conducting a live painting in Hong Kong, Prats highlights the power and beauty of Hong Kong’s captive birds, hoping to make an imprint of the now waning Chinese tradition of song-bird keeping and Buddhist animal release. As these practices continue to decline through successful education, animal rights and environmental protection initiatives, the artist’s imprint will reference a past where birds were treasured as companions, giving way to a new and better appreciation of these animals in their natural environment. When commenting on his live action paintings, the artist states “The imprint of the birds is captured with the sensitivity of the smoke, turning the action into a receptacle of live energy. When you create a painting with the beating of the birds’ wings, what you see is the design of flight, a symbol, and an act of de-composition, where the birds’ action becomes a trace of memory, a record and a form of language.”
“We are honoured to have Puerta Roja supporting The Nature Conservancy with other leading galleries and artists taking part in The Nature Conservancy’s 2019 Gala Dinner for our conservation efforts in Asia Pacific to build a sustainable future for all. Covering more than a third of the world’s surface, the Asia Pacific region is home to some of the planet’s most unique ecosystems and endangered wildlife. However, a warming climate, a growing population, and our need for natural resources are threatening our environment as never before. We deeply appreciate that Fernando Prats is supporting our fund-raising initiative with his art that highlights the connection to the beauty and power of nature” says Moses Tsang, Global Board Member and Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Council of Directors of The Nature Conservancy.
Nature Paintings by Fernando Prats will be on view at Puerta Roja in Hong Kong from 14 November 2018 to 25 January 2019
