French artist’s sea-life sculptures amaze and terrify in Hong Kong exhibition at Tai Kwun
- Jean-Marie Appriou’s exhibition in Hong Kong explores the links between nature, science and mythology, with lifelike sculptures that elicit conflicting emotions
- He says he picks up ideas when he travels, especially with regard to how different cultures view other species and integrate them into daily life
Three squid-shaped lamps emitting a mesmerising blue and purple light hang on the walls inside the Massimo de Carlo gallery in Tai Kwun. In front of them, giant eels undulate in mid-air, the lifelike sculptures gleaming with a metallic lustre, like wet skin.
Jean-Marie Appriou, the artist who created them, was born and raised in Brest, a coastal city in France, and has loved the ocean from a young age. He often goes diving to observe the lives of what dwells underwater.
“Magnetic”, his debut exhibition in Hong Kong, is an exploration of the intricate links between nature, science and mythology, and how little we really know about how seemingly opposing forces complement each other.
Appriou’s fantastical, hybrid creatures, made with materials such as aluminium and glass, are both marvellous and slightly terrifying.
He says one of the earth’s mysterious phenomena that he finds fascinating is how the magnetic field emanating from the two poles guides migratory animals as they move around the planet, informing them when and where to be at different stages of their lives.
