I went back to my dorm, opened the old windows, and let the breeze and light wash in. 
I was standing right in front of the windows, there was only me and my shadow. 
The trees and flowers seemed like dancing in the wind, 
and I recalled old memories about picking longan from the trees, 
also the moment when I was rafting between the mountains & water. 
I fantasied about watching the sunset with my best friend on Mount Davis. 
Then I eventually went back to the bustling city, watching the huge waves at the edge of the city during typhoon 8.

All these are the stories between the City and I.

A former psychiatric nurse, painter Chu Hing Wah is adept at observing urban landscapes and people, using them as inspiration for his work. “The City and I” focuses on Chu's emotions when he paints, combining eight old and new paintings from his collection. Through a series of dialogue between Chu and media artist Keith Lam, and the application of a smart bracelet to collect Chu's emotional data during his creative process, the feelings become immersed in the artwork and are transformed into animation. This immersive experience allows us to enter the heart of his paintings and to experience the story that unfolds between him and the city.

Special Thanks

Emotion Tracking powered by Upmood

The eight paintings shown in the video artwork (Sequence as follows)

My Beloved Home: ST. Charles Hospital (2017)

Flowers flying for the Moon (2023)

The Moon Shadow and Loneliness (2023)

Painful Fight  (2023)

The Fish Catcher (2017)

Ladies’ Dreamland  (2012)

Great Waves (2023 Completed)

Gordon and Me (2021)

Born in Guangdong Province in 1935, Chu Hing Wah moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1950. Although deeply interested in painting in his youth, Chu Hing Wah chose to train as a psychiatric nurse, pursuing his degree at Maudsley Hospital in London from 1960 to 1965. From this time on, his professional career and his art-making developed side by side. After his return to Hong Kong he worked in the field of psychiatric care for over 22 years, at the Castle Peak Psychiatric Hospital and Siu Lam Hospital for the Mentally Retarded, respectively.

During his years of study abroad, Chu frequently visited art galleries and museums, an experience that inspired his life-long interest in art. In 1972, he completed the certificate course in Art and Design from the Extra-Mural Studies of University of Hong Kong. With his main interest in painting, he became an active participant in various art groups and held many exhibitions throughout Hong Kong. He was also selected a number of times over the years for inclusion in the ‘Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition’ presented by the Urban Council and ‘The Visual Arts Society Annual Exhibition’. In 1992, Chu Hang Wah retired from the nursing profession and has worked as a full-time professional artist ever since.

Recent exhibitions include Hong Kong: Here and Beyond (M+, 2021); Ink City (Tai Kwun, 2021); Hong Kong Experience / Hong Kong Experiment (HKMoA, 2019); Wan Chai Grammatica (Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2018); Living in Compassion: The Art of Chu Hing Wah (Hanart TZ Gallery, 2017); Reunion (Exchange Square, 2017); 22nd Artmatch Annual Exhibition, (JCCAC, 2017); Reappear: Chu Hing Wah Charity Exhibition (Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 2015); Three Elders: Gaylord Chan, Chu Hing Wah and Luis Chan (Hanart TZ Gallery, 2014); West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre Opening Exhibition (West Kowloon Cultural District, 2011) and Hong Kong, Hong Kong: Works by Chu Hing Wah (The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong, 2011).

Media Artist, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Art & Technology studio Dimension Plus, founder of composite space openground.

His works have won awards at international art festivals, including Prix Ars Electronica - world leading New Media Arts Award, and Japan Media Arts Festival, etc. His works have been shown around the world at museums and art festivals including Hong Kong Museum of Arts, The National Art Centre at Tokyo, OK Center for Contemporary Art, Ars Electronica Festival, The New Technological Art Award Biennial at Belgium, FILE, ISEA, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, National Taichung Performing Arts Center and Hong Kong Art Festival etc.

He is also committed to new media art and design education. He teaches and consults at various universities & institutions in Hong Kong, and has been curating for museums and organisations.