Phil Hayes on HKHQ.tv: Artist Profile

Australian pop artist and Quiksilver designer Phil Hayes sits down with HKHQ.tv for an artist profile, discussing his factory worker portraits, surf art, and the 101 Dogs exhibition that grew out of a single sculpture trip to Bali.

In this HKHQ.tv Artist Profile, Phil Hayes, Australian pop artist and designer for Quiksilver, talks through the creative journey that unfolded during his three years living in Hong Kong, during which he produced three solo exhibitions.

Hayes speaks about the cultural collision between Australia and Hong Kong that inspired his work, mixing Chinese stencils, Australian photography and advertising aesthetics into a distinctive visual language. He also discusses his factory worker portrait series, where he photographed and spoke with individual workers in southern China, turning them into artworks to give them visibility as people rather than an anonymous workforce.

His surfboard series came next, using the surfboard as canvas, a shape he found perfectly suited to Hong Kong apartment walls. His third show was 101 Dogs, beginning with a single sculpture taken to Bali to be cast, and eventually growing to 101 pieces, with 69 painted by Hayes himself and the remaining 40 created by friends and fellow Hong Kong artists, making it a showcase of local creative talent.

Hayes is recognised throughout the Hong Kong art scene for producing eye-catching, colourful work with a consistent thread of wit and humour.