Artist Statement

​

Aside from painting, Ko creates mixed-media “Wearable” art objects exploring her inborn deep interest regarding personal memory, family and cultural roots.  

My Art Objects, or “wearables”, is a visual suggestion; a narrative expressing mood, emotions, humor, culture and point of views; and of course, telling stories. Since I was little, whenever my mother took me window shopping at the local jewelry stores; and whenever I looked at different types of jewelry, I saw possibilities, situations, color, atmosphere, drama projecting into my mind.  I am not interested in creating “pure” jewelry”, i.e. jewelry only made of precious materials.  The pieces are meant to be a fusion of old and new, romantic and critical, Chinese and western.  I use fabric, ornaments, artificial gems, hand-painted/found images and other assorted odd materials to create accessories and segments of clothing that are inspired by what people used to wear in my culture.

Artist Biography

​

Celia Ko graduated in Drawing and Painting from California State University of Long Beach, USA. After participating in a number of group exhibitions and several mural projects in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Ko held several solo exhibitions and numerous group shows both local and in overseas.

Aside from painting, Ko creates mixed-media “Wearable” art objects exploring her inborn deep interest regarding personal memory, family and cultural roots.  She was also the first artist to introduce the Southern California social public outdoor mural concept and technique into HK, created large public outdoor murals. She led numerous public mural projects and school education mural programs for HK Youth Festival, HK Museum of Art etc.  Ko teaches at HKU-SPACE, SCAD, School of Design of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and had taught at Lingnan University, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong City University, and Hong Kong Art School/HK RMIT, as well as other universities’ art and design programs in the last decade.

Ko is a recipient of the Freeman Foundation Fellowship. She was invited by HK Lingnan University as Artist in Residence in Fall 2008. Her work is collected by Hong Kong Museum of Art, also by local and overseas (USA, Australia, China) private collectors.