Drawing / Painting

“Xiàtiān xiàtiān qiāoqiāo guòqù liú xià xiǎo mìmì” (19/10/1996 8:05 a.m.-11:45 a.m.) (2024)

The MORTAR BOARD® Exercise Book (2023)

THE CRYING WALL (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII) (2022-2023)

Black Earth (2022-2023)

An Imitation of Albrecht Dürer‘s male portrait (2022)

An Imitation of Albrecht Dürer‘s female portrait (2022)

Zurab (2022-2023)

Kígyóvőlegény (The Serpent Bridegroom) (2022)

Elegy Never Sings (I and II) (2022)

Aśvattha (in the coffin) (2022)

Amnesiac Room (2021)


Black Earth (2022-2023)


Soil, Charcoal and Ink on paper; Hemp Fiber, Linen, Rebar and Rock | 2130 × 1740 mm (size variable)

Exhibited in The Books of LOVE DIVE 愛潛水書 (2023), marked as Event IV. Photo credit to Ho Ting, at New Asia College, Hong Kong.

Black Earth (2022-2023) is a historification of drawing. Ho is finding the missing body of representation during the inter-war era, looking into how theology responded to the modern atrocity. Technically, Ho began to conquer the materiality of "ink" and "paper" in different continental contexts. The simplicity in the use of materials speaks volumes about history itself.

EVENT IV

Defense of Van

(Armenian: Վանի հերոսամարտ)

38°30'07" N 43°25'00" E

19* (կիր) ապրիլի, 1915 թ

*19 Անահիտ; Anahit (Armenian goddess)

On April 15, 1915, Armenians gathered the gendarmerie forces in Arjesh (Ardjish). Earlier, tax collectors accompanied by gendarmes had gone to the northern part of Van Vilayet to count the sheep of the villagers and determine the tax rates. Erciş was an administrative unit with 80 Armenian villages north of Van. The tax collectors claimed to have received an order from the Sultan regarding the assessment of the tax value. Disagreements arose between the villagers and the tax collectors, which escalated into a conflict and spread to the gendarmerie forces in Bitlis and then to other centres.

On April 19, 1915, rural violence reached its peak, with 2,500 males being killed in one day in Arjesh. Van's governor, Jevdet Bey, demanded that Van immediately provide him with 4,000 men, citing conscription as the reason. The Armenians suspected foul play and refused to comply. Prior to this, Jevdet had already carried out massacres in nearby villages under the pretext of searching for weapons. The Armenians proposed initially handing over 500 individuals and paying a ransom to exempt the rest, in exchange for time.

Jevdet Bey then accused the Armenians of "rebellion" and declared that he would "crush" them at any cost. He stated, "If the rebels dare to fire a shot, I will kill every Christian man, woman, and child as tall as this (pointing to his knee)."

[Translated version]

Original exhibition documentation @the_books_of_love_dive

Photo credit to Ho Ting, at New Asia College, Hong Kong.

Text and image by Ho Ting..