Chilai Howard

02/10/2026

[rotate your phone]
no video or photo can truly capture what it feels like to experience an exhibition in person, especially this one, where the works constantly transform over time. but I tried my best to document it.
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making art is tough. making art with almost no resources is tougher. but making art while trying to navigate whatever life throws at you is the toughest of all.
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poured everything i had into this exhibition, condensed into this 5-minute video. if you have 300 seconds, please give it a watch. but if you have a bit more time, i would love for you to see it in person, there are only 3 days left (saturday, monday, and tuesday).
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video length: 5 minutes* (= IG will not push to audiences)
please watch this, may be (probably not) better than everything you scroll though today.
*pause video and read texts
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thank you 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗚マニ− for leading this project and all the last minute drawing and experiments, Wu Dolphin for logistic and NNNNNNN. team

28/09/2026

{A Self-Portrait: The Process of Erasing}
a solo exhibition by Chilai Howard
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for the first time, text serves as the foundation for the structural design of this exhibition.
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{A Self-Portrait: The Process of Erasing} a solo exhibition by Chilai Howard, explores the natural cycles of rust and decay. By transforming memories and stories into tangible form, the exhibition experiments with erasing the past through physical decomposition. As chemical solutions continuously drip throughout the exhibition period, visitors experience rusting in real time, encountering a transformed space with every visit.
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this is a deeply personal body of work, where intimate stories are shared to bring audiences closer, if not in person, then mentally.
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Here are a few featured objects and texts.
this contains a substantial amount of text.
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swipe →

He wants to erase, but he archives.
He wants to let go, but he preserves.
He covers the object’s history, but monumentalises its form.
He questions memory, but constructs a self-portrait from it.
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A Self-Portrait: The Process of Erasing presents Chilai Howard’s solo exhibition as a personal journey through memory, objects, and the self. At its core lies a paradox: to let go of a memory, one must first give it a final form, while recognising the impossibility of ever possessing the past itself.
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The artist metallises objects associated with different stages of his life, giving fluid memories a rigid, continuous surface. Memories, regrets, attachments, and pain appear to be preserved, while traces of lived experience disappear beneath the same metallic skin. Metallisation becomes a ritual that simultaneously preserves and erases: the object remains, yet something of its former life is concealed.
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Can objects themselves be memories? Can memory ever truly be preserved or erased?
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The exhibition becomes an archive constructed around what can no longer be recovered. Paradoxically, erasure is achieved through preservation: to relinquish memory, the artist makes its remains permanent. Metallisation does not repair absence; it makes absence visible. Between holding on and letting go, the exhibition asks: How do we change our relatio

18/09/2026

【 ｜Step Into a Design Space That Breathes】

How do you transform a Swiss mountain cabin into an immersive design experience filled with wonder?

At this year’s , curator presents “Cabinets of Wonders”, inviting visitors into a design world shaped by space, collections and imagination. Inspired by a Swiss mountain cabin, the installation features an ever-changing wooden façade that opens and closes automatically, allowing light to filter through the gaps as if the cabin were breathing, bringing warmth and vitality to the space.

As you wander through the space, Swiss and Hong Kong design works are presented side by side, revealing new possibilities born from the exchange of different cultural perspectives and
creative visions. Move through the corridors, courtyard and media art cabins, and discover details and collections that invite you to see the stories, memories and imagination behind each
object in a new light.

“Wonder begins when the mind begins to wander.”
— Chilai Howard
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This November, step into “Cabinets of Wonders” and experience the unique life within every design creation.
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Register for free: https://bit.ly/4gRUbRK
DesignInspire: https://designinspire.hktdc.com/tc
Date: 18–21 November
Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
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The event is supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)

14/09/2026

keep seeking ________
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a self portrait:
a process of erasing
a solo exhibition by Chilai Howard
curated by
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O7 september — O6 october 2O26
Goethe-Institut Hongkong
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photography by judith

09/09/2026

60seconds timelapse, thank you to everyone who joined the opening. i’m endlessly grateful and won’t ever forget this evening. endless gratitude to 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗚マニ−, Wu Dolphin, NNNNNNN. and lun for bringing this to life. I hope these personal stories touch you in some small way. exhibition opens until O6 oct 2O26 Goethe-Institut Hongkong
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A SELF-PORTRAIT:
the process of erasing.
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a solo exhibtion by Chilai Howard
curated by
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O7/O9 - O6/1O/2O26
goethe-gallery & black box studio
14/f hong kong arts centre, 2 harbour road.

06/09/2026

01/09/2026

here’s the story behind the visual for
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a self portrait:
the process of erasing.

the calligraphy for ’the process of erasing‘ was written by Guit Cheng, my father.
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of course i didn’t tell him what it was for, and as a father who has always supported my choices, or most of them at least, he never asked. i’ve always admired his English handwriting, especially his signature, and I like to think i’ve adopted a similar style myself.

this is my father original handwriting.
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he has always been meticulous. he first drew guidelines on plain paper, then filled two whole pages to give me options — though, true to his rule-following nature, every line looked nearly identical. he used to tell me, ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’ that single phrase stays with me to this day is clearly reflected in my work.

“the calligraphy for ‘殘缺非白’ was written by YF Keung, my mother.
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just like my father, she never asked what it was for. my mother has always known I have my reasons, and she trusts that I will share them when I am ready. as a son who doesn’t open up easily, she still manages to find ways to understand what I’m going through — that is her superpower.

this is my mother original handwriting.
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she is a constant worrier — always worrying that she isn’t good enough, caring enough, or helpful enough. she was so anxious to support me that she even asked a calligrapher friend to write a second version, sending it over right after her own. that quiet tendency to worry is something I see so clearly in myself.

this photograph was taken Keung Ping Kin, my uncle (kau fu).
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I lived with my grand parents and my uncle in the early days of my childhood, this was taken in my grand parents home. as far back as I can remember, he has always been passionate about photography — or at least, he used to be, before life forced him onto a different path so he could provide for his family. he is a deeply loving person.

this is the original photography by my uncle.
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i was likely his very first model. without him, i wouldn’t have many pictures of my childhood. I miss every single second i spent with them in room 414 at ming wah dai ha — the texture of the tiles, the worn wooden cabinet

07/08/2026

Yes, retro setups are overused in Hong Kong—we know. But this isn’t about chasing a look. This is dedicated to my late grandparents, who always had the newest gaming console installed and ready for us kids while the adults played mahjong.
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the power of play exhibition
Indra and Harry Banga Gallery, CityUHK 般哥展覽館 City University of Hong Kong
O4 jul - 25 oct 2O26
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designed & built by NNNNNNN.

11/07/2026

will be curating deTour 2O26 this year,
we are now calling for creative proposals.
can’t wait to work alongside with you all.
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/ concept lab W E S L E Y H O Aron Tsang of Napp Studio & Architects
/ IRL Dennis Cheung of Studio RYTE
/ future track Chilai Howard of NNNNNNN.
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more details deTourhk