British sculptor Sir Antony Gormley’s work, “Event Horizon,” features 31 life-size sculptures cast from the artist’s own body. In Hong Kong, Gormley aims to observe how these sculptures are interpreted within an Asian cultural context. He reflects, “Here, I’m dealing with a different culture. My uneducated feeling about southeast Asian sensibility is that there is extreme refinement about edges, about space, and about personal and collective space and how they define each other.”
“Event Horizon” was presented in Hong Kong by the British Council in 2015. Photography by Oak Taylor-Smith.
Event Horizon in Hong Kong, is set in the city’s central and western districts.Hong Kong is “more manic and taller” than other host cities, according to Gormley, with its towering skyline rendering many of the works “photon-sized.”The installation was initially scheduled to appear in Hong Kong in 2014. It was canceled, however, due to an unfortunate incident involving an investment banker.The public art installation was first exhibited in London in 2007.Apart from London, “Event Horizon” has toured New York, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. Currently, it is showcased in Hong Kong until May 2016.The process of creating the figures required both craft and patience. Gormley wrapped himself in plastic and covered himself in wet plaster for hours. Each sculpture showcases slight variations. “You can read on the surface of the sculpture the story of its making,” the artist states, with the impressions of cling film still visible up close.
