Hangnail

2024
6’53”
Single-channel video, HD, with sound

Written and created by
Hou Lam Tsui

Music & Sound Design
Sky Kung

3D Animation
Zhang Riwen

2D Animation
Hou Lam Tsui
Florence Yuk-ki Lee

Voice
Hayley Wu

Editorial Support
Tsz Wai Pun


Full version available upon request.

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Spanning film photographs, scanned images of pages and book covers, 3D animation, and 2D animation, Hangnail critically explores the fetishisation and romanticisation of feminine death, delving deep into the complex legacy of fictional heroines across various art forms and within the digital realm. The work exposes the pervasive occurrence of the deaths of young girls and rethinks the unrealistic portrayals perpetuated by late male literary and artistic figures. The artist examines society’s fixation on the concept of “reality” and its perception of “truths” and how the dominant systems of power have historically exploited the concept of “fictionality” to fulfil fantasies and fetishisations.

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Official Selections:
Beijing International Short Film Festival (China)
CUT! Experimental Film Festival (Macau)
Proyector Video Art Festival (Spain)
[Best Student Experimental Award] Tirana International Film Festival (Albania)
Videoex Festival (Switzerland)