Artists

Sins of Hong Kong consists of a series of paintings and artworks, which concludes my observations and feelings from living in Hong Kong for the past 10 years. Hong Kong is a compact city where you can meet and see individuals from all different walks of life. Working as an actor provides me the opportunity, as well as skills to observe people on a deeper level. The entertainment business is the best place to nurture and bring out the ugliest side of human nature. Within the past 10 years, I have met many people whose personalities match perfectly with the “seven deadly sins” from the Bible.

In a way, painting helps me to release the negative energy that I have accumulated through watching how these people live, eat, work or becoming successful. The act of painting is metaphoric of throwing all such negative energy into a trash can. It purifies me.
 
I portray all the characters in my paintings as “zombie- like”, because in my opinion, they are truly the representatives of the walking dead. Most of them do not have a real purpose in life, living as a human on earth. They do not really know what to pursue over their lifetime, apart from wanting money and more money. Their greed has made them rich, thus boosting their ego and self pride to the max.

In the Sins of Hong Kong series, I did not employ the aforementioned individuals as the subject matter for my paintings, but rather, I have chosen faces that most people will recognise and associate with to represent the ‘sins’. I believe this will help viewers to grasp the meaning of my paintings in an easier and more direct way.

Andrew Lin
2010