Gallery in the skies: in conversation with mixed media artist Sophie Cheung

Mixed media artist Sophie Cheung vigorously rubs an eraser across the page of a newspaper, transferring newsprint ink onto its surface to create a colourful stain. She arranges her ink-stained erasers into an intricate pattern.

“The creation of art gives me strength,” says Cheung, a Hong Kong native who describes her artistic journey as one of many “turning points”. While she enjoyed drawing as a child, she didn’t initially aspire to be an artist. As an adult, she worked in disability rights advocacy for a decade, following the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  

“I was dealing with many people and issues at that time, and life didn’t feel stable,” she explains. “It wasn’t until I returned to studying art and focused on my inner self that I found a way to express myself, and a place I could belong to.” 

Cheung’s artwork will be exhibited in our Boeing 777-300ER Business cabins as part of Gallery in the skies. The two pieces, entitled Erasing News: Time of Stone and Plant Under the Flyover 1 and 2, were inspired by the scenery near the artist’s home. 

“Under the overpass near my home is a park with many giant stones and plants,” Cheung details. “The large stones on the ground are neatly arranged, like a frozen river. In these two works, the plants and stones under the overpass are intertwined, growing and breathing together. 

“We often say 'crossing the river by feeling the stones,' which describes the process of dealing with uncertain situations step by step,” she continues. “The stones and plants in my work symbolise the difficulties in life. Hong Kong people often face challenges by ‘feeling the stones,’ but eventually, they will find their way. I deliberately leave white spaces in my work, shaping them into the forms of stones, clouds or puddles, giving the audience space for imagination.” 

During the initial stages of the project, Cheung visited the Swire Archives to study Cathay Pacific's history. She noticed a shift in our brand colour over the years: in the 1960s, aircraft bodies and logos were dark green; today, they’re the iconic Cathay Pacific jade. Similarly, cabin crew’s uniforms evolved from deep blue and turquoise to the current red. When she started creating these two works, she selected newsprint with similar colours of ink.

At first glance, erasers and newspapers may seem unrelated, however, Cheung sees things differently. “The existence of newspapers walks the line between yesterday's news and today's printing and publishing,” she explains, “while erasers [live in a similar space], between erasing and preserving [ink].  

“I love exploring these seemingly unrelated but interconnected objects, dealing with inner conflicts or contradictions through this creative process.

“I use this action of erasing newsprint to link erasers and newspapers together,” she says, “discovering that they both have a kind of ‘intermediary’. When I use an eraser to wipe a newspaper, it is both erasing newspaper ink and painting with the colours absorbed by the eraser, which is magical.” 

Erasers are extraordinary in her eyes – having worked in tutorial centres and children's art studios, she often saw piles of used erasers adorned with scribbles. She observed that when rubbed over a long period of time, they would toughen until they became almost stone-like. Then, she discovered that erasers could also absorb newspaper ink. 

Through this process of seeking common ground while preserving differences, Cheung discovered the possibility of transformation in things: “When erasing newspapers, I found that the ink colours of the newspaper would transform, turning into the colours of plants or retaining walls in nature and the city,” she says.  

Under her hands, industrial ink became a medium of great flexibility and creative possibility. And more importantly, while erasing and absorbing ink may seem contradictory, both happen simultaneously when rubbing newspapers; an action that made her realise that whether positive or negative, things can be transformed. 

“Like a coin has two sides, perhaps some so-called 'contradictions' are not contradictions themselves, but I have not yet discovered their other side,” Cheung ponders. She hopes that when passengers see her works on our aircraft, they will not only enjoy the unique urban landscapes of Hong Kong but also think about how to seek solutions in seemingly contradictory things.

While working in disability rights advocacy, Cheung realised that everyone needs to find a way to affirm their self-worth. 

“When I embarked on this journey of art, I understood that [it was] a way to explore myself. This year marks the seventh year of my art career.” Cheung pauses and smiles before continuing. “Sometimes, strangers come up to me and say they were deeply moved by my works and even shed tears. 

“This is done simply by connecting hearts through artistic creation.”