Kwok Mang Ho
Hong Kong / Chinese artist – Performance artist, Interdisciplinary, Painting, Sculpture
Frog King Kwok (aka Frog King) is one of Hong Kong’s earliest conceptual artists, and has been a pioneering influence on the art world ecology within the city since the 1970s. Beginning his career studying traditional artistic practices, Frog King has since transformed his style, incorporating ink painting with performance and installation. His time living in New York during the 1980s had a particularly strong impact; immersing himself in the live art movement, Frog King coined the phrase hark bun lum (the Cantonese term for happenings). In 2011, Frog King represented Hong Kong at the 54th Venice Biennale with his exhibition Frogtopia・Hongkornucopia, and has since gained increasing recognition for his eccentric practice. Today, Frog King is unmistakable, choosing to dress in his ‘froggy’ outfit at exhibition openings and performances—a living embodiment of his art.
Resources
- Ocula exhibit review
- Hong Kong Evolving Art Scene – NY Times article
- Videos here, here, and here
