The Night /
Pearl Lam Galleries /
Hong Kong /
Mar 26 – May 20, 2024 /

Maggi Hambling is an expert at painting the night sky. After all, she has been portraying its many faces since she was a 14-year-old art student. The Night is her first solo presentation in Asia since 2019, and highlights new series of paintings that focus on the night sky and water, showcasing a unique confluence of western and eastern influences that draw inspiration from Chinese ink. In addition, the exhibition features another provocative new series, Sexy, an exploration of the female orgasm. Bold and unapologetic, the presentation, in true Hambling style, is an affirmation of the way art is supposed to break barriers. 

For many years, the artist has started off her day drawing in ink, a practice that has become second nature to her. But Hambling has come a long way since her student days, when she would study ink drawings at the British Museum. Her Night Clouds (2021) series of paintings is testament not only to her profound appreciation of this particular genre but also her affinity with the night – a time of day that has shaped her practice. Influenced by Rilke’s poem The Night, her paintings encapsulate the romance and lyricism of the text, capturing the enchantment of the night and the hold that it has over them both. With the use of impasto and swirling brushstrokes, the paintings exalt the mysteries of the universe and are even reminiscent of the lyrical abstraction movement.

Furthermore, the artist has fully embraced the Chinese philosophical approach in her treatment of negative space, evident in her Wall of Water (2022) paintings. The shanshui-style works are executed with oil on canvas but have the effect of ink. Never mind that Hambling is not Chinese and has never received formal training in Chinese ink; the paintings are not to be judged by Chinese classical standards but instead with an open mind that celebrates their creativity and unconventionality.

However, the scene-stealers are undoubtedly the Sexy paintings – small, impactful works filled with sexual references that are bound to start conversations. Rendered in the artist’s signature style of frenzied wavy strokes, a single flaming ball in varying hues of crimson is ablaze with desire. Raw and visceral, the electricity and eroticism are undeniable. Hambling has rightly captured the surge of sexual energy that culminates in a single moment of epiphany, epitomising her philosophy that there must be a climax in the act of painting.

Throughout her 60-year career, Hambling has embodied the spirit of unconventionality, and her art has always attracted controversy, both for its subject matter and its approach. She does not paint to please others, and The Night is a candid metaphorical reflection of her own personal experiences and connections with the world. It is a declaration not only of how rules are meant to be broken but also of how she has earned the right to do so.

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夜深
藝術門
香港
2024年3月26日至5月20日

瑪吉·漢布林（Maggi Hambling）是畫夜空的專家。畢竟，她從14歲還是一名藝術學生時起，就開始描繪形形色色的夜空。是次展覽「夜深」是其自2019年以來在亞洲舉辦的首次個展，重點呈現以夜空和水為主題的全新系列畫作，凸顯了她以中國水墨為靈感而形成的獨樹一幟的中西合璧風格。此外，展出作品中還包含另一極其挑逗、探索女性性高潮的新系列——《性感》。那大膽而毫無悔意的呈現，以真正的漢布林風格發出聲明：藝術理應打破界限。

多年來，這位藝術家每天以畫水墨畫開始，這已成為她的第二天性。在學生時期，漢布林曾在大英博物館學習水墨畫，如今已取得十足的進步。她的《夜雲》（2021年）系列畫作不僅彰顯了她對繪畫的深刻理解，也見證她對深夜的著迷。就是一天中的這個時刻塑造了她的繪畫風格。有感於裡爾克的詩《夜》，她的畫作囊括了詩中的浪漫與抒情，顯露出夜的魅力以及夜對里爾克和她的影響。此些畫作借由浮雕和旋轉的筆觸，渲染了宇宙的神秘，甚至還讓人聯想到詩意的抽象運動。

此外，藝術家在處理空白空間時完全採用了中式哲學手法，這一點顯見於她的畫作系列《水之牆》（2022年）。這些山水風格作品雖創作於油畫布上，卻具有水墨感。漢布林並不是中國人，也從未接受過正統的中國水墨訓練，因而不能以中國古典標準來評判這些畫作，而應以開放的心態來欣賞其創造性和打破陳規。

展覽中最為搶眼的無疑是《性感》系列——這些小巧而富有衝擊力的繪畫作品充滿了性暗示，這勢必會引發話題。其中一個燃燒著的、帶著不同深紅色調的火球，以藝術家標誌性的狂熱波浪形筆觸描繪，充斥著欲望。原始而發自肺腑，顯露出無可爭辯的電光火石和情色意味。漢布林精確地捕捉到了洶湧澎湃的性能量，並在頓悟的一瞬間抵達頂峰，這體現了她認為在繪畫過程中必然有高潮的理念。

漢布林在其60年藝術生涯中，始終秉持著叛逆精神，她的藝術作品無論從主題還是創作手法上都備受爭議。她不會為了取悅他人而作畫。展覽「夜深」用隱喻手法坦率的反映出漢布林的個人經歷和與世界的聯繫；它不僅宣告了規則是應被打破的，更是告訴眾人她贏得打破規則的權利。