The earliest works by 37-year-old Hong Kong artist Chan Wai-lap were meticulous, hand-drawn remnants of a bygone era \u2013 written school reports, dot matrix computer printouts and bottles of correction fluid.<\/p>\n
By immortalising these symbols of an analogue age, Chan tapped into his home city\u2019s deep sense of nostalgia and innocence lost, and captured an aesthetic that has been quietly receding from the city\u2019s social fabric.<\/p>\n
While these early works established Chan\u2019s eye for detail, his ever-expanding public swimming pool series has cemented his status as a rising star who always finds new ways to turn the motif into an evolving symbol of yearning and freedom.<\/p>\n
This month \u2013 Hong Kong\u2019s art month \u2013 he is unveiling two high-profile projects: Mimimomo Pool<\/em> (2026), commissioned by UBS bank, at Art Basel Hong Kong, and \u201cJeremy\u2019s Bathhouse\u201d, a solo exhibition at Oi!, a government art space in North Point.<\/p>\n The Oi! exhibition, designed by regular collaborator Human Wu, is an elaborate transformation of the venue\u2019s greenhouse-like extension into a Japanese-style bathhouse.<\/p>\n After visiting Jingdezhen, in China\u2019s Jiangxi province, to study the traditional art of porcelain-making, Chan worked with artisans to create over a thousand ceramic tiles and objects for the show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Chan](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/20\/88dec06f-5a03-4977-85c0-d627660ea993_6886481c.jpg\" "\\"Chan")
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