Gift by Alastair Kwan

Alastair Kwan presents a work inspired by a pairing of objects gifted by a distant relative in Hong Kong — two jubilee mugs adorned with portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and her royal cypher, accompanied by a set of bright yellow plastic caps meant to keep drinks warm. The surreal juxtaposition of these items captivated the artist, evoking reflections on cultural hybridity, colonial memory, and the everyday absurdities found in transnational exchanges of material culture.

Product Information

Alastair Kwan
Gift
oil on canvas
25 x 20 cm
2025

About the Artist

Alastair Kwan (b. 1993, Leeds, UK) explores his experiences as part of the British Hong Kong diaspora, investigating its aesthetics, contradictions and digging into its colonial roots. As part of this excavation, he draws on the inherent confusions experienced by diaspora, showing how these can form their own visual language. His practice is socially-engaged, bringing a variety of disciplines together from sculpture and drawing to cooking and growing. He uses the process of making as a form of direct action within different systems, challenging their assumptions and creating ‘living’ environments that change and evolve.

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