Eric So: The Storyteller | Exhibition Introduction

Eric So and Storyteller No. 14, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 109 x 81 x 5cm.

From 1 to 21 September, Bonhams Hong Kong presents Eric So: The Storyteller, a selling exhibition of the artist's new painting series. All works from the show are fresh-to-market and have never been exhibited before in public.

The show will present more than 30 acrylic works on canvas, each representing the silhouette of a well-known cartoon or anime character. But when we begin to seek the visual details to confirm the character’s identity, we find nothing but: instead, Eric So presents us with the rear of the work, with its exposed back frame, stretcher, and many labels painted in ultra-realistic detail.

Storyteller No. 11, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 114 x 55 x 5 cm

“The further we search from the surface, the further away from the answer we are.” - Eric So

From conception to research to experimentation to execution, The Storyteller took 2 years to complete. Dissolving the divide between pop and high art, the series depicts the backsides (or the verso, in industry terms) of canvases with meticulous and exacting hyperrealism. Eric takes advantage of trompe l’oeil techniques to juxtapose an illusion of three-dimensional volume with the flatness of cartoon icons.

Turning the painting over in search of the painting's 'front' is futile; the answer lies on neither side. As we resort to our own memory to fill the canvas, the search for what is real becomes the search for what we think is real. This unique exhibition thus tells not only the story of these famous characters but also of our own memories, experience and emotions related to them, as we become our own storytellers.

Furthering his commentary on pop and high art's traditional divide, Eric So's depiction of institutional labels and historic-looking canvasses lend historic importance, high-art status and undeniable physicality to cartoons, evoking the oeuvre of legendary Pop Artists such as Lichtenstein and Warhol in a fresh and exciting manner.

Exhibition Details

• Eric So: The Storyteller
• Date: 1-21 Sep 2022
• Time: 10:00-18:00
• Venue: Bonhams Hong Kong Gallery
• Address: Bonhams Hong Kong Gallery, 20/F, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
• Booking viewing: exhibitionHK@bonhams.com

About the Artist

Eric So

Born in 1968, Hong Kong artist Eric So rose to fame in 1999 with a series of 12-inch Bruce Lee figurines, pioneering the concept of designer toys as art. The works also showcased So’s mastery of multiple mediums, covering painting, sculpture, woodwork, and technology. In 2005, his solo exhibition SOLOGY displayed his signature style and versatility, establishing him as a principal figure in Hong Kong's art and culture scene.

Information Source: PR