It’s no secret that we at Bamboo Scenes love all the things in Hong Kong. So we decided to partner with another fantastic homegrown brand to create a truly immersive art experience. In collaboration with Indigo Living, we are presenting the “Highlights of Hong Kong” exhibition at their Landmark Prince’s Building showroom until February 4, 2022.
At the exhibition, visitors are able to get up close and personal with fully immersive artistic experiences with two Bamboo Scenes artists, Kevin Mak and Elaine Li.
Bamboo Scenes Artist Kevin Mak
An urban photographer and architect who captures unique spatial images of Hong Kong’s incredible urban spaces, Kevin Mak uses his lens to capture the city’s layers of history and blending of cultures. As the co-founder of the streetsignsHK movement, Kevin has a special affinity for Hong Kong’s neon street signs, many of which make appearances in his photos.
Bamboo Scenes Artist Elaine Li
In a special treat, Bamboo Scenes artist Elaine Li also made the long journey back to Hong Kong from Australia and is able to make personal appearances at the exhibition. With a natural curiosity for creative expression, Elaine turned to photography as a way to capture life’s special moments through images, capturing the essence of the places she travels with captivating urban scenes.
Indigo Living Founder John McLennan with Bamboo Scenes Artist Kevin Mak
The “Highlights of Hong Kong” exhibition officially launched on December 14, 2021, to great acclaim. John McLennan and the Indigo Living team were gracious hosts for the gathered art lovers, while Kevin Mak welcomed everyone with a wonderful speech introducing himself and his artwork.
A Perfect Pairing
So why did we choose to work with Indigo Living? Really, there are many reasons, but chief amongst them is the fact that, like us, they’re a proud Hong Kong brand that loves its home city. They also create fantastic luxury furniture (we love) and are strong supporters of local talent.
"Highlights of Hong Kong" Exhibition, Bamboo Scenes Artist Elaine Li "Golden Days" (2017) - Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong
To us, the partnership just made sense. The Indigo Living showroom at Landmark Prince’s Building is located in Central, in the heart of the city, offering easy access for people who want to stop by. More importantly, there is a natural synergy between our photography art prints and Indigo Living’s furniture—they’re both gorgeous, beautifully made, and exactly what you need for incredible interior design.
"Highlights of Hong Kong" Exhibition, Bamboo Scenes Art Prints by Elaine Li & Kevin Mak
The exhibition allows us to showcase Bamboo Scenes’ artworks in a home setting so viewers can visualise what our photography art prints might look like as wall decor in their homes. This was important to us because, in a typical gallery or exhibition setting, it can be very difficult to imagine what art will look like in your home.
Curating the Exhibition
The exhibition was single-handedly curated by Mei Leung, our incredibly talented Bamboo Scenes Manager. “I enjoy the whole creative process of exhibiting an exhibition from start to finish,” says Mei. “From the site visit, which is where the concept and ideas tend to start, to creating the journey for the viewers and selecting the artworks and creating the best display arrangements, it’s a non-stop process with so many possibilities."
Bamboo Scenes Manager Mei Ming Leung
For Indigo Living, the challenge was finding a way to showcase Bamboo Scenes’ art and tell our stories in an interior setting that already had coloured walls and an existing furniture setup. We wanted to use this case and create a new element to highlight the unique qualities of Bamboo Scenes’ artworks.
Mei Leung enjoyed the whole creative process of exhibiting an exhibition from start to finish. From the site visit, which is where the concept and ideas tend to start, to creating the journey for the viewers and selecting the artworks and creating the best display arrangements
To do this, we visited the Indigo Living showroom to get a better visual understanding of the space and interior we were working with. We picked four walls that we thought would help us present the best possible visitor experience, then carefully selected two Bamboo Scenes artists who showcase the beauty of Hong Kong in unique ways and whose artworks would fit in with the existing interiors.
'Highlights of Hong Kong' Exhibition - Bamboo Scenes Artist Kevin Mak 'Hi, Shops' (2020) - Sheung Wan & Elaine Li 'Organised Chaos' (2017) Mong Kok
In the end, we selected three images each from Elaine and Kevin that we decided would best pair with Indigo Living’s luxury interiors and furniture, giving due consideration to everything from colours and lighting to subject matter and furniture.
More importantly, we decided to create a fully immersive experience. So, we sent our dedicated filming team to the locations where each of the artwork was shot to capture the sights and sounds of the area. They used this to create unique audio elements for each artwork, adding an especially immersive and insightful layer to the exhibition and retail experience. The ambient recordings enhance the visitor experience by transporting viewers to the exact location where the photo was taken, offering a 360° immersion.
Connecting with the Artists
The aim of our “Highlights of Hong Kong” exhibition is to invite visitors to explore the stories beyond the art prints with Kevin and Elaine by curating a fully immersive exhibition. That’s why, as they view each artwork, visitors are invited to scan the accompanying QR codes to listen to the artist describe the piece and how they captured the scene in the image. It’s a unique opportunity to hear the story behind the art from the artists themselves.
As the visitors view each artwork, they are invited to scan the accompanying QR codes to listen to the artist describe the piece and how they captured the scene in the image.
Bamboo Scenes "Highlights of Hong Kong" Exhibition at Indigo Living
Beyond the Exhibition
“Highlights of Hong Kong” might be a no-holds-barred immersive exhibition, but it doesn’t have to end when you leave the Indigo Living showroom!
We’re giving visitors the chance to take home a piece of the exhibition—and our fair city—home with them. You’ll be able to buy the photography art prints on display in-store or—if you’re having a hard time choosing—online. Need an extra incentive? If you purchase one of our exhibition artworks in-store, we’ll deliver it to your home or office in Hong Kong for free!
Raw By Bamboo Scenes Video Shoot with Bamboo Scenes Artist Elaine Li
We’ll also be extending the experience and telling more stories of our artists and artworks through RAW by Bamboo Scenes, our exclusive weekly video series. We filmed some exclusive videos for the series at the “Highlights of Hong Kong” exhibition that will enhance the viewer experience. Our founder, Madelon, chatted to Kevin and Elaine in the videos, allowing viewers to get to know more about our artists, and we will also introduce one of their exhibition pieces in separate videos. Elaine has filmed a snippet to talk about her “Organised Chaos” photo, while in his video, Kevin tells the story of his “Everyday Lightshow” photo.
Finally, to give back to the city we love and call home, Indigo Living and Bamboo Scenes are supporting a local charity, ImpactHK, through the exhibition. 20% of the proceedings from the sale of our photography art prints during December 14-21, 2021, were to be donated directly to the charity, which supports the homeless in Hong Kong.
Indigo Living, Artists Elaine Li & Kevin Mak and Bamboo Scenes
Don’t forget - “Highlights of Hong Kong” is still on display until February 4, so don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique immersive art experience and allow the artists to take you with them on their creative journey.
Want to read more - check out our other Journal Articles here!