Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to announce the opening of its second gallery space in Hong Kong, which will be dedicated to the promotion of emerging artists, as well as established and up-and-coming international designers. The Soho gallery’s inaugural show, coinciding with the third edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong, will be a solo exhibition of unique beeswax sculptures by Beijing-based artist Ren Ri, curated by David Ho Yeung Chan.

The Soho gallery will be located in one of Hong Kong’s most vibrant and fast-developing areas, and aims to be a key proponent in the rise of this new cultural and creative hub in the city. Through an exciting and relevant contemporary art and design programme, the new gallery will support and enhance the art scene at a local, regional, and international level.

The new ground and first floor space at Soho 189 will allow Pearl Lam Galleries to better achieve its mission of creating a platform for artists from all countries, regardless of age or experience, to show their work to a wider audience. Emerging artists do not necessarily have to be young artists. The Galleries also supports mid-career artists who may not have previously received the recognition they deserve. At the same time, the space will play a significant role in furthering the Galleries’ existing design programme. The Soho gallery will open ten exhibitions per year with two of them being design shows by international designers.

Ren Ri (b. 1984) works in the unique medium of beeswax, creating, in collaboration with the insects, mesmerising sculptures that document his intimate experience with bees as both an artist and a beekeeper. He manipulates the movement of bees and the formation of honeycombs to create metaphysical and hybrid sculptures, which investigate the force of nature and consequences of human intervention. The show, which features 40 previously unseen works, will be the first time his works are shown on a major scale.

The exhibition will focus on two distinctive series of artworks shown in separate spaces: Yuansu I: The Origin of Geometry (2007), which incorporates maps into the make-up of the beeswax, and Yuansu II, in which Ren has created a series of stunning geometrical sculptures by manipulating bee behaviour. Ren places a queen bee in the middle of a box, while the worker bees start to build natural beehives around her. Every seven days, a reference to the seven days of creation, Ren randomly changes the position of the box, like rolling dice, to create a living object. These organic sculptures embody a new belief system, one that symbolises new metaphysical qualities and forms of life itself.

“The duality of interactions between the human body and the bees is not simply in the physical sense; more importantly it hints at an interrelated force and its counterforce.” —Ren Ri, Artist

“I have long been a major supporter of emerging artists and international designers, nurturing their careers and bringing them into a global focus. The second space will give further scope to this dedication, allowing the Galleries to champion artists who deserve the opportunity to be seen on a major platform. I am excited to be opening this programme with a unique exhibition of 40 works by the up-and-coming Beijing artist Ren Ri, and am eager for the public response.” —Pearl Lam, Founder and Director of Pearl Lam Galleries.