KASING LUNG 龍家昇 | FROM THE HEART 由心

Gallery by the Harbour, Hong Kong 

Acquired from the above by the present owner

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香港，海港城·美術館

現藏者購自上述來源

Hong Kong, Gallery by the Harbour, De Kleuren MONSTERS, June 2017

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香港，海港城 · 美術館，「精靈的彩色國度」，2017年6月

Born in Hong Kong, celebrated artist Kasing Lung moved to the Netherlands with his family as a child. Having grown up in Europe whereby fairytales and folklores are deeply rooted in people's culture, Kasing quickly developed a profound interest in the fantastical and began creating his very own magical realm since 2015. Now a renowned illustrator, Kasing gave life to countless characters under his pen and brush. Amongst them, the bunny-eared Labubu is the most well-known and makes recurring appearances in the artist's extensive oeuvre.

In From the Heart, the mischievous Labubu grabs and hangs on the tail of púca, a creature derived from Celtic folklore that brings both good and bad fortune, as they sprint through the woods with their enchanted friends. The present work was exhibited in the artist's first solo exhibition De Kleuren MONSTERS in Hong Kong in 2017. While it can be appreciated as an individual piece of artwork, it can also be considered as part of a bigger composition, combining with the other 19 exhibited works that feature a total of over a hundred mythical creatures that the artist created, which over 20 of them are named individuals. Kasing through his captivating characters seeks to convey the wish of national harmony. Should one take a closer look at the characters, many of them wear costumes of different nationalities from different historical periods. He also thinks that people nowadays live in an era filled with pressure which leads to unhappiness and frustration. Therefore, it is his ardent wish that his works can chime the viewer's childhood memories and bring out their innocence and hope from the depths of their heart and soul.

The artist's popularity has rocketed in recent years. At the beginning of this year, Kasing held his first solo exhibition This Is What It Feels Like at Hidari Zingaro, a gallery in Tokyo under the care of one of the giants in the contemporary art scene, Takashi Murakami.

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現居比利時的龍家昇生於香港，孩童時期隨家人移居荷蘭，在充斥著古老傳說和童話的歐洲成長，耳濡目染之下對奇幻的世界充滿興趣，並從2015年起創作屬於他自己的精靈世界。他現為國際知名的插畫家，筆下誕生的人物多不勝數，當中最為家喻戶曉亦是最為常見的則是有著兔耳朵的Labubu。《由心》中的Labubu十分調皮，憑著自己輕巧細小的身板，抓著一隻來自愛爾蘭古老傳說的精靈布卡的尾巴不放，隨他在林中與其他可愛的精靈族群奔跑玩耍。

本作曾在龍家昇2017年在香港舉辦的首個個人作品展「精靈們的彩色國度」中展出。畫作除了可供獨立欣賞，亦可與同場其餘19幅不同主題的作品組成一幅有過百隻精靈的大型創作，而當中已被命名的精靈逾20隻。若細心留意，他們身穿不同民族及時代的服飾，以童趣萬分的表達方式傳達民族共融之美意。藝術家認為現今時代的人有許多壓力，導致生活的不愉快，因此他希望自己的作品能喚起人們內心深處未泯的童心和純真，並為失意疲憊的現代人打打氣。近年人氣急升的龍家昇，於今年年初在日本藝壇一霸村上隆的東京畫廊Hidari Zingaro空間舉行首個個展「This Is What It Feels Like」，盛況空前。