The Works：Louise Bourgeois and Jao Tsung-I exhibitions & in the studio: emo band Wellsaid

French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, who died on May 31st, 2010. She was born in Paris almost 100 years before. After the First World War, in 1919, the family moved to Choisy-le-Roi to set up a tapestry restoration business. During her childhood, Louise’s father embarked on many affairs, one most significantly with her English governess. Her father’s domination of the household, and her mother’s death in 1932 later came to motivate most of her art.

Her childhood and its psychological effects on her came be major subjects. Her works reflect memories of her father, her mother’s illness, the pressures of childhood, and her own feelings of guilt, abandonment, and anger. The Hauser & Wirth gallery is currently presenting “My Own Voice Wakes Me Up”, the first solo exhibition of her work in Hong Kong, until 11th May.

Jao Tsung-I, who died in February of last year, is known not only for his studies of Chinese culture – he wrote over 900 scholarly articles - but also for his own artistic achievement as a painter and calligrapher. His scholarly works cover 13 genres across the field of Chinese culture, including ancient history, oracle bone inscriptions, and “chuci”, ancient Chinese poetic songs from the southern state of Chu. On show at the University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery, “Searching Through Teaching” showcases his teaching, as well as research materials, books, paintings, and calligraphy collected and produced over his academic career.

The local emo band Wellsaid is an offshoot of math rock band, Emptybottles and the indie-rock label, Sweaty & Cramped. They write their own music, inspired by 1990s indie music, emo and punk. They’re about to release their debut nine-track album “Apart” in several formats, some of them a little bit retro.