Hui was born in 1993 in Hong Kong and grew up in the UK. He graduated from Chelsea College of Art in 2016 and has since had a steady run of exhibitions in London and Hong Kong. Hui draws inspiration for these works from the internet – and from Gen Z’s “nihilistic worldview” which has “made me care less about adhering to traditional economic and social rules and question the way I was taught to exist.”

Hui’s champion for The Wick is Trino Verkade, director of the Sarabande Foundation, where Hui is an artist in residence. “John Hui’s work is bold and accessible and it invites the audience in quickly, encouraging them to consume it. I feel like his work is a mirror on the world we live in, but it’s presented in a way that is engaging and disturbing in equal measures. John isn’t from a traditional art background so the energy in his work is raw and guttural. This allows him to question the industry itself.” This week, alongside Frieze and PAD, Verkade is running Sarabande’s collaboration with the Mount Street Neighbourhood Arts Festival. Their concept store, House of Bandits in Mayfair, showcases and celebrates the exceptional talent of its artists at 5 Carlos Place, open until 12 October.

Verkade recalls the work Hui exhibited at the Sarabande Foundation’s summer Group Show, titled Capitalism works for me LOL (the Game). “It was totally addictive. Built like an old school arcade game, it made the audience part of the art piece. And it managed to connect with each member of the audience in a different way. John’s work is both personal and global, he considers world issues, and there seems to be no end to the material he can use to highlight the perceptions we have of ourselves.”

Hui concurs that Capitalism Works for Me LOL (The Game) was a pivotal work. “It has been my most rewarding creative experience and that’s an achievement for me. The project took eight months of constant work, involving creative writing, graphic design, UX/UI design, character, and sound design. I managed a team of developers, writers, and artists, coordinating every aspect. It consumed my life but was immensely fulfilling.”

The work, Hui adds, “encapsulates who I am as an artist, a fashion content creator, a working-class gay Asian individual who grew up in the UK. For the first time, I have integrated all facets of my life into these works. It’s incredibly challenging because identity is in constant flux when closely examined. I’m still uncertain if these labels truly define me, but each work brings me closer to understanding myself a bit more. There are no words to describe how it feels; it’s like giving birth to a piece of yourself.”