0039PC2S. D+W Configuration
(POSTCARD, 4x6 inch, black and white offset printing, 1994)
During my years in New York in the late ’80s and early ’90s, we visited exhibitions almost daily. On one occasion, after seeing a Sigmar Polke exhibition, I struck up a conversation in the elevator with another visitor. His name was David Lui, and we later became good friends. We often spent time together in New York. His work was impressive, though he didn’t seem to gain much traction in the city. I suggested he try his luck in Hong Kong. Eventually, he did—his father, as I recall, owned a textile factory there, so he came from a well-off background. I visited him once after his move.
In 1994, through Yau Leung’s photography magazine platform, we launched a new publication called digi, following the collaborative model of DISLOCATION 女那禾多. I invited David to join our committee. D+W Configuration was an exhibition we held at the Fringe Club gallery during that time. I had completely forgotten about the show—if not for this postcard. David handled all the promotional materials, and the exhibition was primarily meant to introduce his work to a Hong Kong audience. In the first-year bound edition of DISLOCATION, the cover jacket was an original silkscreen by Lui.
He remained active in Hong Kong for a while but later shifted his focus to teaching, spending more time with students than on his own creative work. Gradually, we lost touch.
This exhibition postcard was one I sent to Holly on January 24, 1994, while she was in Berlin. Not long before, she had recovered from a serious illness and surgery. She had received a Goethe-Institut grant and spent several months in Berlin. In the letter, I also responded to her inquiry about the ACC grant application. After her recovery, she moved away from commercial work, devoting more time to her creative practice and managing our publications. Later, she received the ACC fellowship and spent another few months in New York.
D+W Configuration
八九十年代在紐約的日子，幾乎每天都會去看展覽。有一回，去看Sigmar Polke，離開的時候，在電梯與一位也是剛看完展覽的人交談起來。他名字叫David Lui，我們後來成了好友。在紐約不時一齊活動。他作品不錯，但在紐約好像發展不多，我建議他不妨回香港試試看。後來他真的到了香港，其實他的父親好像在香港開紗廠，所以家境不俗。我探過他一回。1994年我在邱良的攝影雜誌平台上，沿用女那禾多的合作方式，辦了一份數碼影像的刊物：秩智(digi)，我邀請David參與。D+W Configuration就是在那個時候，兩人在藝穗會畫廊的一個展覽。不過我也完全忘記了這個展覽，要不是看到這個明信片。這個展覽一概宣傳品的設計都是由他執行，展覽原意也是想把他介紹給香港的觀眾。女那禾多第一年合訂本，封面的原作絲印，便是他的作品。他在港也頗活躍了一段時期，後來主力於教學，常忙於周旋學生之間，少有創作，我們漸也疏遠起來。這張展覽咭明信片，於1994年1月24日，我寫給去了柏林的楚喬。她當時大病手術癒後，獲得歌德學院的獎助，去了柏林幾個月。在信中我也提到她問及ACC申請信。楚喬病癒後，也少於工作，更多時間放在創作及我們所辦刊物的聯絡工作上。及後她獲得ACC獎助，又去紐約留了一段時間。