Catalogue of "Wuon-Gean HO: Before I Forget"

 Is forgetting an innate part of human existence, or a conscious act of self-preservation? In the choice between remembering and forgetting, Wuon-Gean HO has chosen to preserve her memories as printed images, and delve into all of the joy and sorrow held within them.

 “Before I Forget” features one hundred multicoloured linocut relief prints by British printmaking artist Wuon-Gean Ho. The series is a visual diary documenting Ho’s everyday life since 2016. The images depict her interactions with animal patients as a veterinarian, with fellow swimmers in a pool changing room, and days spent alone at home during COVID lockdowns. Wielding her carving tools, Ho kept a record of her experiences and the changes she witnessed over the past seven years – using crisscrossing lines to mark the separations and reunions of loved ones, the passing of seasons, the ups and downs of daily life.

It is worth mentioning that most of the prints in the exhibition are colour trial proofs marked with notes written by the artist. These detailed records of Ho’s process of choosing paper and colours during her artmaking offer audiences a new perspective for reading and perceiving her work. 

The exhibition catalogue features 30 selected prints from the show, arranged according to the four themes of the visual diaries: dark humor during Covid lockdown, blood and sweat as a vet, funny anecdotes in the swimming pool, and comfort and joy from food. The other prints from the show are also included in this book as a spread, so you can revisit the exhibition at any time. The other highlight of the catalogues is the insight they offer into Wuon-Gean's creative process. You can see how Wuon-Gean creates her prints and how printmakers articulate their work. 

Make sure you don't miss this chance to own a piece of the exhibition and gain a better understanding of the artist's process. Get your catalogue today!

▎About Wuon-Gean HO

Wuon-Gean HO (何文津) was born in Oxford. Her parents were immigrants from Singapore and Malaysia. Following her father's wish, she studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University and learned art history to pursue her interests. Later, she was awarded a Japanese Government scholarship to learn mokuhanga, water-based woodblock printing, in Japan. In 2016, Ho graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Printmaking and became an etching fellow at the Royal Academy Schools.

Wuon-Gean creates a print series that invovles hundreds of linocuts, each measuring 15 × 20 cm, started in October 2016 when she was invited to be a fellow at the Royal Academy Schools in London. Each image, like a diary entry documents many of Wuon-Gean's experiences as a veterinarian, such as taking an ultrasound for a hamster, treating animals on the operation table, wrestling with animals, and being licked by a dog, many heartwarming and amusing stories, depicted by Wuon-Gean through printmaking, appear incredibly vivid and interesting. 

Whether the day is good or bad, Wuon-Gean captures her memories one by one in her prints. The splendid and vibrant colours and carving marks provoke our personal emotions and memories. Her black humour and amusing stories illustrated in the prints amused us.

▎Information
Publisher: Hong Kong Open Printshop
Publication Year: JUL 2023
Languages: Chinese and English
Dimensions: 210 x 210 x 60 mm
Page: 70 pages
Edition: 300
ISBN: 9789887733591