Landscapes are also mindscapes and the heart's realm. In this exhibition, artist Danny Lee Chin-fai and designer Chris Cheung Hon-him demonstrate how creative minds can be inspired so much alike as they discover the dynamic spirit hidden in landscapes. The moment we enter the realms they create, we seem to be revisiting Nature in its most pristine state; we can share their insights into what is mountain and what is water, and stroll along the soulful paths paved by nature.

Danny Lee knows very well the inspirational empowerment of nature. He believes the infinite wisdom embodied in natural landscapes will enable busy urbanites to pause, take stock of themselves, and reset into the pristine world they once inhabited. His work Change of State, a sculpture consisting of multiple sets of mirrors, is akin to a three-dimensional landscape painting. As visitors approach the work, the stainless-steel facets reflect their face, as well as the people and objects around them, forming an image that signifies the inseparable nature between people and their surroundings. Similarly, our perception of nature may change with time and life experience. As the wise Song Dynasty Zen Buddhist monk Qingyuan wrote, "To see a mountain as a mountain, and water as water." (The extended meaning is that we will experience a revelation only after gaining a lot of life experience; only then will we finally see the world for what it is.) The artist invites the viewers to enter his realm to experience the joy of curated nature.

Since ancient times, the Chinese literati have taken nature as a transferred epithet in their poetic writing to express their thoughts and emotions. The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote, "Do you not see the water of the Yellow River pouring from the sky, rushing towards the sea and never coming back?" Chris Cheung realises that the grandeur of a flowing river may purge our troubled minds and even help us make peace with the past. Echoing the poem by Li Bai and inspired by the works of surrealist artist René Magritte, he uses water movement as the artistic concept in his art installation Fall from the Yellow River to express his insights into life. In a set of 16 glass wine jars, the sporadic whirlpool effect of the waterspouts cause the fantastic objects in the water both to come together and to separate. This is a metaphor for life's realities, where we face the inevitability of joy and sorrow, and coming together and separation. If we can live life to the fullest and accept whatever circumstances come our way, we may attain the consummate state of "being at peace, come rain or shine".

The exhibition is part of the "Hong Kong Week 2021@Guangzhou" programme