November 12,1921-July 15,2007
Born in Liantang Village,Zhaoqing city,Guangdong Province,China
Traveling to Hong Kong at the age of 16, he was a poor worker and was barely literate. He began to mark the streets of Hong Kong with his distinctive graffiti at the age of 35. He claimed that he had studied his ancestral tree and discovered that most of the land of Kowloon belonged to his ancestors. He said that Kowloon belonged to his grandfather, in particular. There are no records which back up Tsang's claim.
At the height of his graffiti career, his obsessive marking of territory made his graffiti an ever-present aspect of the streets of Hong Kong. The graffiti has been spotted at many places on the streets of Hong Kong, ranging from lampposts, utility boxes, pillars, pavements, street furniture, and building walls, to an occasional car. The contents of his calligraphic graffiti usually include his name, his title (Emperor or King of Kowloon, Hong Kong, or China).A Hong Kong magazine named him one of the city's ten least influential people. However, this supposed lack of influence does not extend to the art world. His typography has inspired many fashion designers, art directors, interior decorators, and CD cover artists.His style has also informed the work of traditional artists, such as Oscar Ho.
During his last years,he no longer wrote on walls. However, his poor health did not entirely halt his calligraphic efforts. He continued his work on paper, household linens, and other mundane items.
He received international recognition for his work. Photographs of his work have toured in shows, such as "Power of the Word", which began its US tour at Grinnell College's Faulconer Gallery on Oct 6, 2000. In 2003, he was included in the Venice Biennale. His first major commercial recognition came when Sotheby's auctioned a board, painted by Tsang, for HK$55,000 (USD $7,050) on October 31, 2004.
He died on 15 July 2007 following a heart attack in Hong Kong. He was 85. Art critic Lau Kin-wai said Tsang spent his final days at an elderly home surrounded by family members. He also said that Tsang's last wish was for another exhibition of his work.
"Colors magazine,issue 65"
“EMPERORS IN CHINA HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CALLIGRAPHERS.”
-TSANG TSOU-CHOI, 84
78-year-old Tsang Tsou Choi shows off his writings at a street corner
Tsang Tsou Choi grafiti on Hong Kong public bus
His typography has inspired many fashion designers, art directors, interior decorators, and CD cover artists
Mr.Tsang,died in 2007 at the age of 85,created an estimated 55 000 outdoor pieces....
No comments:
Post a Comment