I KNOW KUNG FU｜Rex KOO Solo Exhibition Introduction

Everyone can become a master as long as they are Kung Fu Fighting! – Rex KOO

I KNOW KUNG FU, a new book by Hong Kong visual artist Rex Koo, recreates a selection of extraordinary martial arts skills from the Chinese kung fu cinema. In the book, Rex illustrated iconic kung fu stunts like ‘Shandong Iron Vest’, ‘The Magic Power of Toad’, ‘Mighty Steel Leg’, ‘Wing Chun’ and more, together with their background references and artist’s semi-fictional side stories, plotting an extensive and captivating kung fu fantasy landscape by Rex Koo.

As his fourth publication inspired by cinema, Rex themed the book around internationally acclaimed Hong Kong kung fu films. Protagonists in kung fu films are inspired and empowered when watching veteran’s showdown, hence are obsessed with pursuing all kinds of martial arts skills and sets; while in real life, Rex who is fascinated with kung fu films since he was young, has been practised his drawing skills for long so he can reproduce battles between kung fu masters with pen and paper. In his works, characters and actions are sharply and lively portrayed with his bold colour schemes. Rex wishes readers will never forget these action classics, no matter where and when.

I KNOW KUNG FU Films X Illustrations X Creative Writing — A Mix of Hong Kong Popular Cultures

I KNOW KUNG FU Exhibition features a variety of works – aside from illustrations of scenes from classic action films and portraits of martial arts stars, there are also a series of drawings of close combat and striking. In the originals and prints, visitors will see Rex portraying the posture and movement in a single frame, as well as detailed motion sequences of martial arts stunts. The exhibition also features the kung fu flip book making-of by Rex which shows the way how he ingeniously tells a story with correlated paintings, driving the narrative by flipping through consecutive frames. By hand-animating the illustrations, it creates motion and visual excitement as in those kung fu films.

Special highlights Rex’s specifically created large-scale wood painting, exclusive unpublished painting originals, and playful kung fu animated shorts.

To completely introduce the world of kung fu cinema of Rex Koo, Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base) is organising a series of book launch events, including I KNOW KUNG FU Exhibition, screening of Hong Kong kung fu classic Martial Club and Artist Talk, prize game ‘Make Your Own Flip!’ – presenting an intriguing clash between martial art stars and Hong Kong comics and animations.

Exhibition Details

• I KNOW KUNG FU｜Rex KOO Solo Exhibition
• Date: December 17, 2022 - January 29, 2023
• Time: 9:00-23:00
• Venue: Jockey Club Gallery, G/F to 4/F, Hong Kong Arts Center
• Address: 2 Harbor Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

About the Artist

Rex KOO

Rex Koo, a Hong Kong born visual artist, is enthusiastic about pop culture, particularly Hong Kong movies, since he was a child. His style is deeply influenced by pop art and the cultures in the 1980s. He has been devoting himself to graphic design and illustration works since the Millennium. In 2013, starting his career as an independent designer. In 2015, he released his first publication, Only You Can Take Me to Get Scriptures in The West, themed on Hong Kong movie. In 2016, he followed the same theme and released Once Upon a Time– Memory of Hong Kong Cinema. In 2017, he released his third publication Bleeding and Death are Two Different Things, a book themed with blood and death scene of Hong Kong movies.

Rex began to create comics in his spare time since 2018. After the attack from Typhoon Mangkhut, he began to conceive a fantasy story which using Hong Kong as a stage. It took about a year to complete the first episode of Strange Tales of Walled City. The book has won the Bronze Award at the 14th Japan International Manga Awards.

Source of the above information: Official Press Release