Chinese New Year-inspired art from A.Wong x Gordon Cheung Studios

A.Wong, the two-starred Cantonese restaurant from celebrated chef Andrew Wong, has enlisted the creative talents of contemporary artist Gordon Cheung on an augmented reality art installation. The interactive work is themed around Chinese New Year, which in 2021 will mark the Year of the Ox.

Launching tomorrow (aka Chinese New Year Day) as a public-facing addition to the Victoria-based restaurant, 'The Year of the Ox by Gordon Cheung' has been created in partnership with Rémy Martin. A.Wong's terrace will be transformed with a striking vinyl mural depicting the form of an ox. For an extra visual surprise, viewers will be encouraged to unlock special augmented-reality effects via a QR code located on the mural, which will lead them to download a dedicated Year of the Ox smartphone app. This in turn will effectively bring the artwork to life on screen, complete with blossoming flowers - including peonies, signifying wealth, and chrysanthemums for longevity - peaches, which are symbols of immortality, and a glitching, glistening ox. Chinese lion dancers and bitcoins also move about the mural, helping to spread good health and prosperity. 

Both Wong and Cheung are British-born Chinese and wanted to use the collaboration as a creative platform for their shared knowledge and fondness for the annual Chinese holiday. As Cheung explains, "Andrew and I wanted to bring a smile to people. We both strive to express our passions and energy by channeling the stories within our souls from which beautiful food and art are created. Dim sum means 'touch the heart' in Chinese and to me means gathering with family to create wonderful memories united around tasty meals. For this project, we both thought it was important to give back to the community with a positive message of joy, good luck and to wish for health and prosperity for the new year.”

The A.Wong x Gordon Cheung collaboration marks the first in a planned series of exciting events, offerings and convivial activities that Rémy Martin plans to stage throughout the Year of the Ox.