Gallery in the skies: in conversation with ink artist Koon Wai Bong

In a bustling Wong Chuk Hang studio, a flurry of activity unfolds as crew arrange lights and a backdrop for Koon Wai Bong ’s photoshoot. Under the watchful gaze of the camera, he calmly practices his craft, using a brush and ink to carve out a tranquil world on paper.  

Koon methodically sketches one bamboo leaf after another, saying, “I depict not only the form of the bamboo but also its dynamism.” As he paints, the emphasis on ink and the layers of brushwork becomes apparent – the overlapping bamboo leaves seem to flutter in the wind. 

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Koon pursued both his bachelor’s and master's degrees in fine arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong before earning a doctorate degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. He began exploring Chinese painting during his university days, explaining, “I find ink painting profoundly expressive of my sentiments and thoughts.” 

Bamboo frequently features as the main subject in Koon's work, including the two ink paintings he’s created for our Gallery in the skies. These artworks, titled Luxuriant Verdancy and Glistering as Stars, will be showcased in the Business cabins on board our Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.  

“Bamboo not only reflects my passion for traditional Chinese sentiments,” Koon says, “but also conveys a sense of harmony and peace, akin to the feelings of travellers flying to outbound destinations for rest.”

His artworks were created not with ink, but with traditional Chinese pigment. Though, he explains, the definition of contemporary ink painting is broad.  
“It encompasses any work that incorporates elements of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting,” says Koon, “as I have done using traditional materials like brush and water along with Chinese paint, and bamboo, a traditional subject.”

Despite his focus on long-established themes, Koon describes his creative process as “navigating between innovation and tradition,” possessing a blend of classical aesthetics and contemporary effects. “Contemporary art involves various experiments and breakthroughs, yet few delve into the essence of Chinese ink painting. My work focuses on exploring this while expressing modernity,” he says. 

His paintings often portray contemporary experiences of nature, shaped by how individuals nowadays interact with landscapes through different frames. “Unlike our ancestors, modern people ‘check in’ and take photos with their smartphones, often viewing nature from indoors through windows. My use of framed scenes in my paintings reflects this modern way of experiencing landscapes,” Koon explains.

The two pieces created for Gallery in the skies employ a dual-pane structure, akin to capturing a scene through two lenses and merging them. Furthermore, Koon underscores that his works also reflect the multicultural aspects of Hong Kong society, influenced by various Asian ways of life, including the Japanese aesthetics that prominently influenced him during his youth. 

"For these artworks, I chose Japanese paperboards and composed them with simplicity and decorative gold accents, reflecting Japanese aesthetic influences," he states. 

Koon's ink paintings emphasise the ephemeral moods and immaterial thoughts as infused into tangible objects. The two pieces are not depictions of specific real-world scenes but are reinterpretations of the artist’s impressions of nature, inspired by his experiences with bamboo at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and during his travels in Japan.

One piece features a golden background that creates a crisp and structured depiction of bamboo, reminiscent of a bamboo forest during midday under the summer sun. The other, set against a green backdrop, invokes the hazy, humid atmosphere typical of Hong Kong, with several layers of green paint underpinning the bamboo to enhance the blurred effect.  

"I experimented with various colours, but green best suited the theme, aligning with Cathay's brand colour," he smiles.

Alongside this recent work, he has been pushing the boundaries of traditional Chinese painting and exploring the limits of ink on paper through large-scale art installations that allow viewers to touch and enter the artwork, breaking through the conventional barriers of Chinese painting.

For Koon, Gallery in the skies gives passengers an intimate viewing experience that bridges the gap between artwork and audience. He hopes that his works will serve as windows into a vibrant internal world, offering tranquility to travellers. Reflecting on his artistic intentions, Koon concludes, “My bamboo series aims to depict a world of peace and harmony. If it can provide a moment of tranquility amid the chaos of life, I believe I have fulfilled my role as an artist.”