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Kylie Knott

Art has long been used as a way to explore the complexities of human identity.
Frida Kahlo, for example, used self-portraits to delve into her Mexican heritage and explore personal struggles, while California-based Briton David Hockney’s paintings often explore how friends, sexuality and the natural environment shape his identity.
Similarly, Hong Kong television actor Karl Ting Tze-long is embarking on a journey of self- discovery with “Who Are You?”, a collection of his paintings currently on show at 13A New Street Art Gallery in Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island.
Ting, 27, was the first runner-up in the 2016 Mr Hong Kong contest and his talent for acting has found a home at Hong Kong television station TVB, where his roles in 2022 dramas Freedom Memories and Get On A Flat won him much acclaim – and 106,000 Instagram followers.












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A post shared by KARL TING 丁子朗 (@karl_ting)



It has not all been smooth sailing – being a celebrity means that he has to juggle being a son, a brother and a lover in his personal life while facing criticism for his public personae.
The internet trolls came out in force in 2023 when Ting was slammed for his bleached hair and heavy make-up when he joined a South Korean idol show in mainland China.
He had previously come under fire for excessive use of beauty filters on a TVB reality show.
“I got hundreds and thousands of comments – 90 per cent were negative,” Ting says. “They hurt a little at first but I bounce back really fast because I know who I am and what I want to do. If you believe in yourself then no one can judge you.”
Painting has been a cathartic way to deal with the negativity, he says.

It seems appropriate to be having a conversation about internet trolls while sitting in front of Ting’s piece Needle, which shows two tongues pressed together with a needle wedged between them.
The painting, he says, illustrates how words, when misused, can be sharp and piercing – even dangerous.
Other works have a more sentimental feel. In Pinky Promise, Ting reflects on the innocence of the childhood gesture made when two people hook their little fingers together and make a promise to each other.
In The Summer I Turned 17, Ting reflects on his carefree teenage years in Toronto – his family moved to Canada from Hong Kong when he was 14 – skating, hanging out at the beach and working in an ice-cream shop.
“I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, running around on the beach, eating ice cream and taking pictures,” he recalls.

Still, he has no regrets about moving back to Hong Kong in 2016 to pursue a career in entertainment.
“I’m goal-oriented,” he says, a trait reflected in The Last, which shows a person bending down to pick up a flower. It is a reminder to not lose sight of the wonders around us, even while pursuing other objectives.
“I also don’t want to have regrets … I don’t want to tell my grandkids that [their] grandpa had a chance of doing something.”
Strong support from his parents made it easier for Ting to pursue his celebrity dream.
“My parents gave me a lot of love and freedom, which was great because I was at a good university with a bright future and then suddenly I told them ‘I’m not going to study any more, I’m gonna work as a celebrity’.”
His gamble, thankfully, paid off.

The works in “Who Are You?” also touch on issues such as societal pressure and the pressure that Asian parents can exert on their children.
“In the process of raising their kids, they can become too protective, keeping their children under their wing even as they mature,” he says.
“While this nurturing environment allows children to grow, it also limits their self-discovery and development.” He illustrates this in Teddy and The Chair, which depicts a soft toy under a chair – is it being protected or is it trapped?
Love, however, is the loudest message the exhibition sends, and Ting best expresses it in a series of three paintings where honey is used as a metaphor for love.
“Sticky and sweet, honey is a good representation of love but [how] it could also slip away. It is a reminder not to take it for granted,” the actor says.
“Who Are You?”, 13A New Street Art Gallery, G/F, 13a New Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 9192 7013. 12-7pm (closed on Mondays, Tuesday). Ends August 31.
Headlines were written with the help of artificial intelligence.


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TVB actor Karl Ting’s art show explores identity, sticky-sweet love and societal pressure

Hong Kong actor and artist Karl Ting at “Who Are You?”, his first solo art show. His paintings explore identity, love and societal pressure. Photo: 13A New Street Art Gallery

Needle, one of the works on show in Ting’s exhibition. Photo: Karl Ting

Pinky Promise is among the works on show at Ting’s exhibition. Photo: Karl Ting

Cover Me With Love (Honey), Honey, and Honey Fetish are part of Ting’s exhibition “Who Are You?” at 13A New Street Art Gallery. Photo: 13A New Street Art Gallery

Chinese novelist Jin Yucheng on his Hong Kong art show, and not drawing for Wong Kar-wai

Writer and artist Jin Yucheng. Photo: Lu Yuanmin

Chinese novelist and artist Jin Yucheng recently had his book turned into Blossoms Shanghai by Wong Kar-wai. Now 41 pieces of his visual art are on show in his first Hong Kong exhibition, at Tai Kwun. Photo: Lu Yuanmin

Although 71-year-old Jin is best known as a novelist, he is also a master at portraying China through his visual art. Photo: Lu Yuanmin

A selection of works featured in Jin’s Blossoms exhibition. Photo: Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery

Jin’s 2018 piece Jing’an Temple, featured in the exhibition. Photo; Jin Yucheng 

Jin’s 2020 piece The Journey, featured in the exhibition. Photo; Jin Yucheng 

Horses are a common motif in Jin’s works, including in his piece White Snow, featured in the exhibition. Photo: Jin Yucheng

Jin’s 2016 piece Scene could be taken to foreshadow a dire future for humanity. Photo: Jin Yucheng 

The entrance to Jin’s Blossoms exhibition. Photo: Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery

Russian artist who has eaten a live bat, rats, roadkill shows his extreme art in Hong Kong

Russian artist Petr Davydtchenko. Photo: Petr Davydtchenko

Russian artist Petr Davydtchenko, whose performance work has seen him eat a live animal and roadkill, is collaborating with chefs from Hong Kong’s Shia Wong Hip snake restaurant during his residency at The Catalyst gallery in Sheung Wan. Photo: Petr Davydtchenko

For his work “Go and Stop Progress”, Davydtchenko survived on roadkill while living in the south of France from 2016-19. Photo: Petr Davydtchenko

Part of Rat Race, by Petr Davydtchenko. Photo: Petr Davydtchenko

Installation view of Davydtchenko’s exhibition “Death Book” at The Catalyst. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Photographer on the stars of ‘golden age’ of Hong Kong cinema and Cantopop in his show

Detail from a portrait of singer Faye Wong by Sam Wong from his exhibition. Photo: Sam Wong 

Sam Wong at his debut solo exhibition, “It’s About Time”, in Hong Kong. His photos of Cantopop and film stars helped immortalise the stars of the “golden age” of Hong Kong cinema and Cantopop. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Design Institute

“It’s About Time!” is an exhibition of portraits Wong took of famous Cantopop and film stars over a 40-year career Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Design Institute

Wong discovered his love for photography during his years at the ArtCenter College of Design in California. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Design Institute

A portrait of singer Danny Chan leaning against his new car, taken by Wong. Photo: Sam Wong

A portrait of actress Maggie Cheung by Wong. Photo: Sam Wong

A portrait of singer Jacky Cheung by Wong. Photo: Sam Wong

An exhibition poster featuring a photo of Leslie Cheung by Wong. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Design Institute

A portrait of Faye Wong by Wong. Photo: Sam Wong

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Painting was a cathartic way for Hong Kong actor Karl Ting to deal with criticism from online trolls. Some of his artworks are now on show


Hong Kong actor and artist Karl Ting explores identity, love and societal pressure in his first solo show of paintings, “Who Are You?”, on display at an art gallery in the city’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood.


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