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NO RM Y I P
葉偉誠
PORTFOLIO
Image Transfers
Paintings
Graphite
Photography
10.05.2015
Profile
Norm Yip’s work eschews any one medium or genre; it weaves
photography books - aptly named ‘the Asian Male’ - brought
in a constant circle around photography, graphite drawings and
a renewed sensibility to the Asian man as monuments of
paintings. The essence of his art permeates at several different
beauty, desire and pleasure.
levels; reflecting varying aspects of his mind and heart at play.
In 2012, Norm set out to combine his disparate interests;
Graphite drawings dominated his early repertoire and remains
allowing photography and painting to collide and fuse into an
some of his most philosophically and emotionally influenced
altogether different form of expression. Through a process
pieces today. Pencil and paper meet to inscribe his awakening into
of image transfers using an ink toner printer, paper and
the mysteries of life and death. At first appearing as symbols, the
acetate with animals and portraits as his initial subjects, the
drawings tend towards the formless - the ‘being-ness’ of existence
pieces that emerged were highly textural and tactile; vivid in
represented in a series of embryonic circles.
their raw emotional energy and vigor while tempered with
a tenderness and sensitivity born from years of observation
Where graphites provided glimpses into his deeper sub-conscious,
and experimentation.
it was acrylics that gave Norm’s thoughts full voice - a vocabulary
exciting and rich in both colour and form. His visual language of
choice is that of abstraction, with recent works inspired both by
nature and the malleability of the medium; using colour to capture
...................
movement and guide the eye. In another series, he uses the infinity
symbol ∞ to represent the unending consciousness of life; bound
Norm Yip was born on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada
neither by birth nor death.
to immigrant Chinese parents and ran an architectural
walking tour in Toronto. In 1994, he made the move to Hong
Norm further expanded his artistic repertoire when he began
Kong and started working as a project architect for 5 years
photographing the Asian male body. Inspired by the chiaroscuro
before finding his calling as an artist and a professional
aesthetic of Herb Ritt’s sculptural subjects, his series of
photographer.
Image Transfers
In 2012, Norm set out to combine his disparate interests;
allowing photography and painting to collide and fuse
into an altogether different form of expression. Through
a process of image transfers using an ink toner printer,
paper and acetate with animals and portraits as his initial
subjects, the pieces that emerged were highly textural and
tactile; vivid in their raw emotional energy and vigor ....
Lust by Norm Yip, 2013, Mixed media on canvas. 1000 x 1000mm.
Pride by Norm Yip, 2012, Mixed media on canvas, 1000 x 1000mm.
Envy by Norm Yip, 2013, Mixed media on wood. 900 x 900mm.
Greed by Norm Yip, 2013, Mixed media on wood. 600 x 600mm.
Sloth by Norm Yip, 2013, Mixed media on wood. 900 x 900mm.
Gluttony by Norm Yip, 2012, Mixed media on wood. 600 x 600mm.
Sinha is here by Norm Yip, 2013, Mixed media on canvas. 900 x 900mm.
I see you; you see me by Norm Yip, 2012, Mixed media on wood. 300 x 400mm.
Heaven is here by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood, 405 x 610mm.
Will you remember? by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 300 x 440mm.
Creation, not by chance, No. 2 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood, 440 x 300mm.
I know you; you know me, No. 1 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood, 440 x 300mm.
I know you; you know me, No. 2 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood, 440 x 300mm.
Paintings
Where graphites provided glimpses into his deeper subconscious, it was acrylics that gave Norm’s thoughts full
voice - a vocabulary exciting and rich in both colour and
form. His visual language of choice is that of abstraction....
Infinity, No. 4 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 917 x 917mm.
Infinity, No. 3 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 600 x 600mm.
Infinity, No. 1 by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on canvas. 700 x 700mm.
Petals from the Anointed by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 1520 x 960mm.
Symphony from the Divine by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 1520 x 960mm.
Visitation of Aurora by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 1000 x 1000mm.
Dance of the Halycon Birds by Norm Yip, 2015, Mixed media on wood. 1000 x 1000mm.
Lava Basalt 2 by Norm Yip, 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 1568 x 970mm.
Lava Basalt 3 by Norm Yip, 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 1568 x 970mm. 1568 x 970mm.
The Nature of Joy by Norm Yip 2004, Acrylic on Canvas, 2030 x 1058mm
Windows of Memory by Norm Yip, 2004, Acrylic on Canvas, 1260 x 1510mm.
Sacred Seed by Norm Yip, 2003, Acrylic on Plywood, 970 x 1220mm.
Beyond A Better Day by Norm Yip, 2003, Acrylic on Canvas, 960 x 910.
Graphite
Pencil and paper meet to inscribe his awakening into the
mysteries of life and death. At first appearing as symbols,
the drawings tend towards the formless - the ‘being-ness’
of existence represented in a series of embryonic circles.
One II by Norm Yip, 2000, Graphite on Paper, Image size: 510 x 510; Frame size: 740 x 790.
There II by Norm Yip, 2002, Graphite on Paper, Image size: 300 x 450; Frame size: 500 x 650.
Embryo of Perception IV, by Norm Yip, 2006, Graphite on Paper, ~ 480 x 480mm diameter.
Embryo of Exploration by Norm Yip, 2005, Graphite on Paper, ~ 480 x 480mm diameter.
Embryo of Perception II, by Norm Yip, 2006, Graphite on Paper, ~ 480 x 480mm diameter.
Zygote by Norm Yip, 2007, Graphite on Paper, ~ 600 x 700mm diameter.
Photography
Norm further expanded his artistic repertoire when he
began photographing the Asian male body. Inspired by the
chiaroscuro aesthetic of Herb Ritt’s sculptural subjects,
his series of photography books - aptly named ‘the Asian
Male’ - brought a renewed sensibility to the Asian man as
monuments of beauty, desire and pleasure.
Loren, No. 1 by Norm Yip, 2010.
Nono, No. 2 by Norm Yip, 2011.
Oscar, No. 1 by Norm Yip, 2014.
Feels like I don’t belong, No. 3 by Norm Yip, 2014.
Leo, No. 1 by Norm Yip, 2014.
Reclining Cyrus, No. 3 by Norm Yip, 2014.
Biography
Exhibition, Recognition & Events
Norm Yip was born in Canada on May 3, 1963 by Chinese parents.
May 2015, Selected artwork Spring rejoicing in curated collection
Bright Abstracts for under $2,000 by Saatchi Art (online), Los
Angeles.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in 1984 at
the University of Saskatchewan and his Bachelor of Architecture
degree in 1989 at the University of Toronto. In 1994, he moved
to Hong Kong where he worked as a project architect for Wong &
Tai Associates Ltd and RTKL International Ltd before pursuing his
greater interest in art and photography.
In 1999, he co-founded the art collective Meli-Melo Artists
Alliance (MMAA) where he curated several exhibitions with artists
such as Gavin Tu, Neung and Oksana Movchan from Hong Kong,
Thailand and Canada.
Shortly thereafter, he formed his own photography company
Norm Yip Photography, in addition to Studio 8, a semi-public
photographic and art space located in the district of Sheung Wan
-- where he hosted private and selected exhibitions in all three
May 2015, Selected artwork Heaven is here in curated collection
New This Week - 5-4-2015 by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
April 2015, Selected artwork Infinity, No. 1 in curated collection
All Things Abstract by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
April 2015, Selected artwork Will you remember? in curated
collection New Portraits by Saatchi Art (online), Los Angeles.
December 2014, Embryo, Solo graphite drawing exhibition, L’s
Where, Hong Kong
October 2014, The Asian Male, solo photography exhibition,
Gallery Box, Zurich, Switzerland.
October 2014, Andy Warhol X Absolut, group exhibition, Pink
Season Factor, Azure Restaurant, Hong Kong.
mediums of photography, painting and graphite.
As a photographer, Norm’s work has appeared in HK Magazine,
WHERE, Global Investor and American Express’ Centurion
magazine. Celebrities he has photographed include Zhang Yimou,
Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Destiny’s Child and Korean pop-star
Rain.
In photography, Norm’s work was first recognized when his
photographs of Asian men was selected to appears in publications
2Blue and Dreamboys 2, both special editions of aclaimed Blue
Magazine, known for its excellence in fine art photography. Since
then, his work has been featured in The Best of International Nudes
Photography III by Feierabend Unique Books and The Romantic
Male Nude by James Spada.
Norm has taught photography courses at The Open University
of Hong Kong and has been a guest lecturer at Hong Kong Art
School. In addition, he has been invited by the Cathay Camera
Club to act as a judge in their monthly photography competitions.
In 2008, he moved his studio to Chai Wan, an industrial
neighborhood, where he continues to photograph, paint and draw.
October - November 2013, Cool on the Inside; Hot on the Outside,
photography exhibition, Studio 8 HK, Hong Kong.
July - August 2013, The Narcissist, photography exhibition, Studio
8 HK, Hong Kong.
July 29, 2013, Collections, Selected artwork Greed in a group
online exhibition, Saatchionline, London.
July 26, 2013, Story of the Creative, Selected three artworks
transfer to appear in See | Exhibition Space, Angel Orensanz
Foundation, New York.
November 2012, Curator and exhibitor. Seven Deadly Sins, Voxfire
Gallery, Hong Kong.
August 2011: Group exhibition RetreAttack – RA Vol. 2, Selected
photographs of Janice, Dahlia Gallery, Singapore.
February 2011: Group exhibition Heat, Selected photograph and
painting, Charity Art Sale for Hong Kong Aids Foundation, Voxfire
Gallery, Hong Kong.
November 2009: Group exhibition. Selected graphite Verge V.
Zonta Club of Hong Kong II. Charity Art Sale. Rotunda, Exchange
Square, Hong Kong.
Exhibition & Events, continued.
May - June 2009: Oxford Pride 2009. Group exhibition to the
theme of 1969 Stonewall. Two bondage photographs were
selected to appear in the show. Oxford, UK.
December 2008: Group exhibition. Curated and participated in
the charity art auction Sexpression benefiting Horizons Group in
Hong Kong, Studio 8 HK, Hong Kong.
September 2006: Solo Exhibition, Skin Deep, Selected
photographs of the new male nude/semi-nude photography,
Baileys at the Fringe - Fotogalerie, Hong Kong.
June - July 2002: Solo Exhibition, Embryo of Intelligence, exhibition
of graphite drawings, Home Boutique, Hong Kong.
May - June 2002 Solo exhibition, Verge, exhibition of paintings
and graphite drawings, 5 opt Studio / Gallery, Hong Kong.
March 2002: Artist and curator of a group exhibition Buddha
Buddha. Other artists include Neung (Thailand) and Gavin Tu
(Hong Kong), Studio 8, Hong Kong.
November 2001: Solo Exhibition Navigation. Selected paintings,
drawings and photographs. Studio 8, Hong Kong.
November - December 2005: Group exhibition, Gay Artists: Gay
Art?, Selected photographs of The Asian Male, Art Statements,
Hong Kong.
March 2000: Solo Exhibition First Level, exhibition of graphite
drawings, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong.
August 2005: Solo exhibition, NudeNotNaked, Selected
photographs of the Male Nude, Three Boxes, Hong Kong.
January 2000: Co-curator/Exhibitor Light + Shadow, black &
white photography, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong.
April 2005: Group exhibition, Moonstruck, Acrylic painting
submission, Club 64 and the Venice Biennale 2005, Hong Kong
and Venice.
October 1999: Co-curator/Exhibitor Entanglement, group
exhibition, mixed media, Meli-Melo Artists Alliance, Hong Kong.
March-April 2005: Selected group exhibition, Nasi Campur,
exhibition of acrylic paintings, Gallery Taksu, Kuala Lumpur.
October 2004: Selected artist featuring selected graphite images
to appear in art book Eyes of the Soul – Exploring Inspiration in Art;
written and compiled by Philip Rubinov-Jacobson; foreword by
Ken Wilber. RRR Publishers, Germany, 2004.
August 2004: Selected Group Exhibition, Private Edge, selected
fine art photographs, B2G Gallery, Singapore.
June 2004: Solo Exhibition, Secret Constellations, exhibition of
acrylic paintings, Studio 8, Hong Kong.
November - December 2003: Group Exhibition, Art in The Winter
- Gardens Exhibition, selected paintings, Lee Garden, Causeway
Bay, Hong Kong
June - July 2002: Solo Exhibition, Persona of Spirit, exhibition of
new graphite drawings and paintings, Studio 8, Hong Kong.
May 2003: Solo Exhibition Intrepid Terrain, exhibition of paintings.
E&J Gallo Gallery, The Fringe Club, Hong Kong.
Publications by Norm Yip
The Asian Male - 3.AM, Hardcover, 112 pages, Studio 8 Hong
Kong Publishing Ltd. 2014.
Beaux, V1 - Vanity, Softcover, 96 pages, Studio 8 Hong Kong
Publishing Ltd. 2012.
The Asian Male - 2.AM, Hardcover, 68 pages, Studio 8 Hong Kong
Publishing Ltd. 2007.
The Asian Male - 1.AM, Hardcover, 48 pages, Studio 8 Hong Kong
Publishing Ltd. 2005.
Office & Studio
Room 809, 8/F
Hong Kong Chai Wan Industrial Building
26 Lee Chung Street
Chai Wan, Hong Kong
T: +852 2540 6267
M: +852 6838 8948
E: [email protected]
http://normyip.com
http://theasianmale.com