TGIF! At the end of a long workweek, this catchphrase is more than just a sigh
of relief and a welcome greeting to the weekend. There’s something significant
about the life that’s lived outside of office hours – a time symbolic for reasons
beyond the need for relaxation. In the space between an evening commute and
a Monday morning meeting, how is one’s time spent? Do activities of leisure,
various hobbies, and other personal pursuits shed light on the mask behind the
office persona? Do these activities reveal careers individuals wish they had?
Lives they wish they led? People they dream of becoming?

This idea of a separate life after work is the concept behind TGIF!, an exhibition
co-curated by local Hong Kong artists Ronan Leung and Emily Eldridge, which
features their artwork alongside that of fellow Hong Kong-based creatives
Catherine Grossrieder, Emilie Sarnel, and Jimmy Ming Shum. TGIF seeks to
explore the notion of the individual’s workplace façade; the mask one projects to
colleagues, superiors, and acquaintances – a pretense that infrequently delves
into the reality of one’s inner life. Through photography, illustration, and painting,
TGIF! investigates the private world of the authentic self.

BOOM, a new concept gallery/bar/café in the hip Tai Ping Shan Street
neighborhood, was the perfect location for TGIF! Previously a run-down,
forgotten shop, BOOM is the clever reinvention of a traditional workspace, new
life breathed into something old.