Theme: Can we identify?

Leaded by Emil Herker, this painting shows different discarded PACKINGS of typical Hong Kong products, which everybody uses every day. Those packing are disposed of carelessly. This is a mirror of the behaviour of Hong Kong people: consumption, no separation of different discarded packing materials, no concern for the environment.

Next time, somebody discards one of the shown packing this PICTURE will briefly pop up in his mind and HOPEFULLY he/she will think twice.

This painting project twill take more than 46,000 grids within a canvas in a size of 4 meters x 2 meters to split up a painting by Emil Herker into a photo-realistic piece of art that has to be assembled again by the brain to create a life like painting seen from a certain distance. The up and coming girding painting event will be organized in German Swiss International School allowing hundreds students to participate this creative art event by group painting effort from Nov 20 through 28. And the resultant work piece will be launched and showcase during the School Bazaar on 2 Dec 2006.

The project is proudly supported by Consul General of Austria, Dr. Maria Moya-Gotsch, Dr. Helmut Sohmen of World-Wide Shipping Agency Ltd, GSIS and AutroCham.

Emil has developed this technique to illustrate his masterful skills and to let the viewer perceive a reality, which in fact does not exist but is only formed in the brain of the viewer. And every onlooker forms his unique picture in his mind, depending on his/her point of view and angle of vision. That is life. Life is what we make of it. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the simple truth Emil Herker is putting on the canvass over-scrupulously with vivid colours and subjects from our daily life.

Emil Herker shows us the reality but questions our senses. He wants us to look deeper than just the surface and his intriguing titles should give us some wake-up calls. His outstanding skills allow him to communicate with us in a brush technique, which is second to none and clearly recognizable by everybody. But his plain talking paintings hide a inner truth which everybody has to discover for himself and to try to see further than the end of one´s nose.

Emil wants to create works of art, which are easily accessible for everybody. So he loves to work with children and to create his special grid-painting projects with pupils. Children are open and not limited by preconceived notions. So children are the most honest critics (as they say: OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF VERY BABES AND SUCKLINGS). They say out loud what they think of it. They inspire Emil a lot and he has a lot to tell them. Because of his technique is so pure, so honest and perfect, it is easy understood by kids what Emil is doing. But what looks like a child´s play is tedious and hard labour. But Emil is a jolly chap and it is a lot of fun to join him on his crusade to make the world a better place.