Castlefield Gallery Associates Spotlight: Mei Yuk Wong
Posted on 8 January 2025
This month we have asked Mei Yuk Wong to contribute to our Castlefield Gallery Associates Spotlight series, in which current Castlefield Gallery Associates share their thoughts on what the programme offers and how it has been useful for them.
Mei Yuk has been nominated for the Stockport Race & Culture Awards 2025 in the “Distinguished Service to Ethnically Diverse Grassroots Communities” category. Congratulations!
Can you tell us a little bit about your practice?
I am a visual artist and writer. Using mixed media is my way of expressing my ideas and thoughts. The themes that I focus on mostly are personal, social and political issues. For me art is more than just a beautiful landscape; it can be a force for change. Art is a tool and even a weapon to counteract brutal regimes. It can improve our mental wellbeing as well as making the world a better place for people. In addition, I write poetry, short fictions and plays. Similar to my visual art, I like to write about personal stories; characters that may not be prominent in our society but their lives can be significant.
How did you hear about Castlefield Gallery Associates and why did you want to join?
My husband, Ian, was already an Associate. After seeing him benefit from the membership, I decided to join. It offers me lots opportunities to show my work and learn more from others. With the support from the gallery, in 2022, I co-curated with Ian The Art of Protest – The Story of Hongkongers at Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces: Warrington. The project was funded by an ACE project grant. Apart from commissioning other artists, I also created new work for the exhibition. Without the free space and in-kind support from Culture Warrington, it would have been harder to fulfil my ambitions.
I also delivered a socially engaged project with Ian and a group of older people in Brinnington, Stockport, through a Castlefield Gallery GMCA commission. These were all valuable experiences. The 1:1 advisory sessions with Helen and Gass were very helpful. They offered me different kinds of advice. This helped me figure out how to further develop my practice and where to look for funding. A big thank you to the team!
What are you looking forward to most about your coming year’s membership?
I’m hoping to have support from the gallery to develop new projects in the coming year. One of the areas that I like to fulfil is my own memoir, A Seeker’s Journey, either in a printed format or an audio book. I would like to share my work with various groups of people in different venues. Apart from my personal development, I would like to support new artists, especially those who came from Hong Kong recently. Though we’re different generations we can create impactful work together.
Links
Website
meiyukwong.co.ukImages
Banner:
- Mei Yuk Wong, Rice Cooker & Lai Yung, 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.
From left to right, top to bottom:
- Mei Yuk Wong, Boot Power, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Mei Yuk Wong, The Air of Hong Kong, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Mei Yuk Wong.
