An icon in his native city, Tsang Tsou Choi (1921–2007) covered the streets of Hong Kong with his graffiti for over 35 years, using a brush and ink to proclaim himself “the King of Kowloon”--heir to an imaginary birthright that fueled a lifetime of artistic output. With his signature style, Tsang wrote himself into the collective memory of a generation caught between British and Chinese rule, leaving behind an oeuvre that includes countless outdoor projects (the majority now extant only in photographs), myriad works on paper, board and cloth, as well as painted objects. This milestone publication documents Tsang’s influential art and enduring legacy. With over 100 reproductions, a foreword by Hans-Ulrich Obrist and critical essays by Hou Hanru, Ou Ning and others, The King of Kowloon is the first comprehensive survey of Tsang’s complex and fascinating artistic output.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Publisher's Weekly
Contemporary art lovers will find much to savor in this insightful book.
Bookforum
Christopher Lyon
This beautifully designed book...aptly represents [Tsang Tsou-Choi's] monomania.
"Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong" (1996-97), photographed by Lau Kin-wai, is reproduced from The King of Kowloon, the first monograph ever published on Hong Kong street artist Tsang Tsou Choi (1921–2007). In the April/May Bookforum, Christopher Lyon writes, "Over some 40 years, Tsang, who supported himself as a garbage collector, was a familiar figure in Hong Kong, but it was only during his final decade that he gained attention from the art and fashion worlds, and became a kind of mascot of the city, with his face and calligraphy seen on T-shirts and stenciled street art. This beautifully designed book—with boards, an exposed paper spine, and trimmed text-block edges all printed with reproductions of Tsang's lively calligraphy—aptly represents his monomania. Often taking the form of Chinese ancestral records, Tsang's calligraphy typically presented him as an emperor—of Hong Kong, perhaps, or all of China—or even occasionally as the Queen of England. A cleverly designed guide to key terms in his street works allows readers without Chinese to gain a sense of how Tsang's work may be decoded." continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 10.5 x 9.5 in. / 225 pgs / illustrated throughout. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $67.5 ISBN: 9788862082716 PUBLISHER: Damiani AVAILABLE: 2/28/2014 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of print AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
An icon in his native city, Tsang Tsou Choi (1921–2007) covered the streets of Hong Kong with his graffiti for over 35 years, using a brush and ink to proclaim himself “the King of Kowloon”--heir to an imaginary birthright that fueled a lifetime of artistic output. With his signature style, Tsang wrote himself into the collective memory of a generation caught between British and Chinese rule, leaving behind an oeuvre that includes countless outdoor projects (the majority now extant only in photographs), myriad works on paper, board and cloth, as well as painted objects. This milestone publication documents Tsang’s influential art and enduring legacy. With over 100 reproductions, a foreword by Hans-Ulrich Obrist and critical essays by Hou Hanru, Ou Ning and others, The King of Kowloon is the first comprehensive survey of Tsang’s complex and fascinating artistic output.
