“How does one differentiate reality from dreamscape?” As a pertinent question raised by Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi, we may desire a more ambiguous boundary between the real and unreal, as the reality we live in—the climate crisis, war, political turmoil, economic hardship—could all be a dream. Yet, we can’t control our dreams, and our nightmares emerge as mirages of reality, absurd and fragmental. Confused, we might then suffer from madness, a syndrome caused by dementia, depression, sleep deprivation, and even emotional stress.
Mark Chung’s Calenture (2023), a wooden structure covered with plastic sheets, is an oddly accurate manifestation of such hysteria. Occupying the unlit main gallery space of Rossi & Rossi in Hong Kong, Calenture was a wall-sized installation with a curvature reaching the ceiling built for his solo exhibition “Splinter.”…