Michelle Fung 馮捲雪 (b. 1982)

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Artist Statement​

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My ongoing project “The World of 2084” (2015-2084) is a lifelong interdisciplinary project combining imagination, speculative fiction and ecotopian/dystopian world-building. In recent years, I have focused on the boundaries of woodcut, drawing and painting languages and developed a signature style “woodcut paintings.” These works feature magical landscapes dotted with fantastical animals and intricate pattern. Fascinated with the tension among the different visual languages, I explore woodcut paintings as a versatile medium for artist books, animation and installations. 

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Begun in 2015 and projected to continue until 2084, this Orwellian world houses five imaginary countries in an Orwellian world (G5, the Great Five Industrial Nations): Contradictoria, Northlandia, Dreamland, Aristocratic Union and The Republic of Strata. These imagined worlds offer a narrative tool for discussing our fears, insecurities, and confusion with the environmental challenges we face today as participants in the contemporary capitalistic world.

In forms of ink paintings, hand-painted animation, performances, woodcut prints and installation, Contradictoria (2015-ongoing) presents an absurd solution to air pollution by using it as building materials for Polluta, an “ecotopian” artist colony. Polluta’s perfect façade crumbles as we learn the truth. 

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Northlandia’s point of departure began with my first arctic residency in 2022 as a body of 24 woodcut prints. These small works portray the arctic country’s magical animals and their absurd solution to the melting glaciers under Ice Queen the polar bear. As I create large woodcut paintings, interactive installations, artist/picture books and woodcut painting animation, I explore the relationships between myth-making, storytelling, climate change and the arctic landscape. 

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The other three countries are in their respective research stages.  

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The grand fictional universe translates fluidly between media and among bodies of works—they are both autonomous and interrelated. The narrative always begins with a bare-bones story that is followed by empirical and literary research and a rigorous studio practice. Dark humour, surreal landscapes and anthropomorphic figures populate these imaginary countries.

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As the work continues to shift until 2084, I look forward to having a grand retrospective exhibition in the corresponding year.

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Biography​

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Hong Kong Canadian interdisciplinary artist Michelle Fung’s lifelong interdisciplinary oeuvre revolves around a grand dystopian world-building narrative in year 2084. She travelled to arctic Svalbard to conduct research for her imaginary arctic country Northlandia in 2022 and 2026.

 

Fung holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia (English Literature and Studio Art) and a Master of Visual Arts from Hong Kong Baptist University.

 

Her works have garnered many local and international awards, including Guardian International Printmaking Conference’s Young Artist Award, Beijing (2026), the 2024 Sovereign Asian Art Prize Vogue Hong Kong Women’s Art Prize, JIA Illustration bronze award with Japanese Illustrators’ Association (2026), Merit (gallery category) Illustration West 63 with The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (2025) and semifinalist for the Print Center’s 98th Annual International Competition, Philadelphia, USA (2024.)

 

She has held solo exhibitions at local and international museums, galleries, and alternative spaces including Hong Kong Art Central with Square Street Gallery (2026), Sin Sin Fine Art (2025), Hong Kong Art Centre (2023), the national museum Art Gallery Boris Georgiev, Varna, Bulgaria (2022), Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney, Australia (2019) and Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, USA (2018) among others.

 

Her short films have been selected at many international film festivals and she has participated in many residencies including Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, Shenzhen, China (2023), the Arctic Circle, International Territory of Svalbard (2022), Art Omi, NY, USA (2016) and Banff Centre, Canada (2010.)

 

Fung lives and works in Hong Kong.