Stephen Wong: The painter who builds up landscapes ‘like Lego’
Stephen Wong openly describes himself as “greedy.” The landscape painter is referring to his appetite for absorbing as much scenery as possible during long and sometimes arduous hikes, which see him filling sketchbooks with impressions before translating them into sumptuous paintings.Hong Kong, the 35-year-old’s home, serves as a constant muse. Its unique topography — a mix of mountains, beaches, islands and vertiginous cityscapes, all in close proximity to one another — inspire fantastical interpretations of what he encounters along the way. He has created hundreds of these striking works over the past decade, becoming one of city’s most celebrated and collected contemporary artists. The pandemic era has ushered in a new period of creativity for Wong. Unable to travel last year, he instead produced “A Grand Tour in Google Earth” — large-scale paintings depicting places like Peru’s Machu Picchu and Japan’s Mount Fuji, the latter spread across five canvases. Without leaving his studio, he used satellite images from Google Earth and photos combed from the internet, as well as his own memories of places he had previously visited. Video: Watch how Stephen Wong captures Hong Kong’s iconic MacLehose Trail Credit: CNNNow, in his next ambitious endeavor, Wong has returned his attention to Hong Kong, setting out to capture the 100-kilometer (62-mile) MacLehose Trail. Famed for its sweeping views of the territory’s dramatic countryside, the walk is broken up into 10 stages, ranging in difficulty and ascent. Running east to west through Hong Kong’s New Territories, it traverses iconic natural landmarks such as the monolithic Lion Rock and the Tai Lam Chung reservoir, better known as “Thousand Islands Lake.”“I’m interested in how I interpret nature, rather than the accuracy of capturing the scenery.”Stephen Wong, landscape painter The new series, which Wong debuted this month via auction house until March 31, with virtual tours live-streamed on Instagram.
