肺炎肆虐之際，生活模式不但被改變，更沒有辦法出國旅遊。黃進曦亦只能透過Google Earth漫遊世界，看著螢幕展開一場「孤高」的虛擬旅程，帶我們走過馬丘比丘、馬特洪峰和富士山。
As the coronavirus is raging, life pattern is not only changed, but it is impossible to travel abroad as well. Wong can also only travel the world through Google Earth, watching the screen as he embarking on a virtual journey that would take us to Machu Picchu, the Matterhorn and Mount Fuji.
安全口畫廊呈獻黃進曦最新個展《孤高的旅程》。 展覽於 2021 年 7月 3日至 8月 7 日開放。開幕在7月3日（星期六）下午 3 時至 6 時舉行。
Gallery EXIT is pleased to present the solo exhibition “A Grand Tour in Google Earth” by Stephen WONG Chun Hei. The exhibition will open on 3 July 2021 and remain on view through 7 August 2021. An opening will be on Saturday, 3 July from 3 pm to 6 pm.
全新作品一貫地結合真實與虛構的景觀，呈現藝術家對風景創作的持續探索。2020年開始的全球疫症改變了我們一向習以為常的生活模式和規律。黃進曦雖未能如以往般外出旅遊寫生，卻在工作室以鍵盤和滑鼠代替雙腳，透過Google 地球在電腦熒幕前漫遊世界，盡情用畫筆紀錄各地明媚風光，足不出戶展開了一連串「孤高」的虛擬旅程。
The new series of works combine both realistic and imaginative depictions of scenery. They show the artist’s continuing exploration of landscape painting. The global pandemic has affected many aspects of our life. As a result, Wong is unable to travel and sketch as usual. He decides to embark on a series of grand virtual journeys around the world in Google Earth. The artist visits and paints sceneries of various iconic locations such as Mount Fuji, Étretat, and Machu Picchu without leaving his studio in Hong Kong.
展出作品包括一系列大型新作及多張旅遊明信片般的小型風景繪畫作品。黃進曦利用Google 地球的坐標定位系統和地圖資料庫，到達各個「目的地」作畫。當中包括各種各樣的風景，從自然環境到名勝古蹟。有別於現場寫生，藝術家利用360度全景功能，呈現現實世界中未能到達的位置和視角，一道道疑幻似真的風景躍然於畫布上。
The exhibition features a new series of entrancing large works and a group of smaller postcard-sized paintings. Wong uses Google Earth to reach various destinations worldwide to paint the breathtaking landscapes, from natural environment to historical sites. The artist references 360-degree panoramic images to present angle and perspective rarely seen in painting.
Stephen WONG Chun Hei, A Grand Tour in Google Earth, Machu Picchu, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 220 cm
《大樹步道》繪畫美國加州紅木國家公園高聳入雲的大樹。藝術家拼合全景畫面的不同部份，呈現出一幅無論在照片甚至現場觀看均難以看到的垂直森林景觀。
大型五聯屏作品《富士山》結合藝術家親臨當地旅遊與虛擬寫生時的記憶和體驗。畫面由不同時間和天色的富士山景觀建構而成，引領觀者感受上下山時的經歷。
“Big Tree Trail” illustrates towering redwoods in a national park in California. Wong combines sections of a panoramic image into a single frame to present an unusual vertical forest landscape.
The large five-panel work “Mount Fuji” is a result of the artist’s past travel memories and new experiences from this virtual tour. Each panel depicts the iconic scenery at a different time of the day, recreating the experience of ascending and descending the mountain.
Stephen WONG Chun Hei, Grand Tour in Google Earth, 孤高的旅程, Big Trees Trail, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 280 x 190 cm 
Stephen WONG Chun Hei Grand Tour in Google Earth, Faroe Islands 孤高的旅程, 法羅群島, 2021 acrylic on canvas 150 x 200 cm
Stephen WONG Chun Hei Grand Tour in Google Earth, Mount Fuji in summer, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 900 cm
作品《埃特雷塔》展現的法國北部海岸，是眾多十九世紀畫家包括莫奈、馬蒂斯和庫爾貝的繪畫題材。黃進曦一直嚮往到當地寫生「朝聖」，他從Google 地球的鳥瞰視角，盡覽海岸之地勢，將其最為壯觀的三座白石懸崖都收納於同一畫面中，創作出前人畫家未能呈現的海岸全貌。
《秋名山》則延續黃進曦對動漫和電玩作品景色的探索。作品呈現日本經典賽車漫畫《頭文字D》的「秋名山」場景。秋名山的賽道參照現實世界中群馬縣的榛名山五連髮夾彎。藝術家利用Google 地球的視角，讓觀者有如在夜間在陡斜的山陝和蜿蜒曲折的山道中賽車飛馳。
“Étretat” shows the famous white chalk cliffs on the northern coastline of France. These natural wonders have been featured in paintings by famous 19th century artists such as Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and Gustave Courbet. Wong has always longed for a “pilgrimage” to the spot. He uses Google Earth’s bird’s-eye view to put three of Étretat’s most spectacular cliffs in the same picture, creating a full view of the coastal terrain that previous artists could not show.
“Mount Akina” is a testimony to the artist’s continuing exploration of scenery in animation and video game. The work presents the famous circuit in the Japanese street racing manga “Initial D”. The location in the manga is based on the actual five consecutive hairpin turns of Mount Haruna in Gunma Prefecture of Japan. With the unique angle and perspective, viewers feel like racing through narrow and winding mountain roads at night.
Stephen WONG Chun Hei, Mount Akina 秋名山, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm 
Stephen WONG Chun Hei, A Grand Tour in Google Earth, Elcapitan, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 100 cm
同場展出的一百多張小型畫作，流露藝術家在虛擬旅途上偶然遇上各種好風光時的喜悅。某些在網上隨意搜尋到的景物可能名不見經傳，或許日後亦未必有機會重遊，黃進曦以擅長的寫生手法把當刻美好的風景留住，作爲到此一遊的紀念
Also featured in the exhibition are more than 100 postcard-sized paintings. They capture the beautiful moments of some seemingly unremarkable everyday scenes Wong encounters wandering around Google Earth.
Stephen WONG Chun Hei 黃進曦
A Grand Tour in Google Earth《孤高的旅程》
Date: 2021.7.3-8.7
Time: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00-18:00
Venue:
香港仔 田灣 興和街25號 大生工業大廈3樓
3/F, 25 Hing Wo Street, Tin Wan, Aberdeen
Courtesy to Gallery Exit and the Artist