Creativity Explored is pleased to present artist Hung Kei Shiu’s first solo exhibition in our gallery. One of the initial artists at Creativity Explored almost 40 years ago, Hung Kei Shiu took a break for a number of years before re-joining the studio community with his sister, Ka Wei Shiu, in 2006. 

Known for his layered fields of dashes, dots, circles and small color blocks, Shiu’s signature style is instantly recognizable throughout his long career. His delicate build-up of marks create  structured screens, often with layers of washed color behind. Reminiscent of Impressionism’s accumulation of dabbed paint or the angled marks pressed into wet clay on a Mesopotamian tablet, Shiu communicates an atmosphere and environment with a vocabulary of marks. He occasionally works from reference imagery and in his early works, the occasional animal, figure or Chinese character appears. But for the majority of his work, he embroiders a purely abstract and dense tapestry of color and gesture.

Hung Kei Shiu (b. 1962, Hong Kong) immigrated to San Francisco in 1983 and now lives with sister Ka Wai Shiu and family in the Excelsior District. Known for his quiet demeanor and consistent work ethic, Shiu has worked in collaboration with many of our Teaching Artists over the years including but not limited to Larry Morace, Eric Larson, Leeza Dorian, Paul Moshammer, Judith Larosa, Laura Figa, Alex Hernandez, Victor Cartagena and Quike Quintero. His work currently resides in the permanent collection at the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) and has been exhibited at the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland (2013), the Baer Ridgeway Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA (2011) and has been licensed for popular retail products by CB2.

Creativity Explored is an internationally celebrated progressive studio where over 140 adult artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art. Founded in 1983 by art and disability pioneers Florence Ludins-Katz and Dr. Elias Katz, Creativity Explored’s programs and person-centered culture serve as an organizational model worldwide.

Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Creativity Explored advocates for our artists’ work as a valid and increasingly important contribution to the contemporary art world. As a result, studio artists have seen their work exhibited in museums, galleries, and art fairs in over 14 countries and have directly earned over $2.3 million from their art. The recent acquisition by SFMOMA and OMCA included several artists from Creativity Explored and our sister organizations, NIAD and Creative Growth, illustrates the long-awaited cultural expansion of who is collected, who is discussed, and who is represented.

Image:

Hung Kei Shiu, Untitled, 2024, watercolor and ink on paper, 17.5 x 23 inches. © Creativity Explored