All kinds in fact are in pairs interacting in a symbiotic relationship generations after generations. It not only applies to the man with the paintings, among people, but also a person with the surrounding environment. In this solo exhibition “Connection”, the local artist Claire Lau features paintings from her Hong Kong Banyan series, which uses banyan trees to illustrate the relationship between nature and the city at micro level. Imagine a 25-year old woman with a big backpack full of paints, carrying a 1-metre-large wet canvas in one hand and an easel in the other, packing into a crowded bus or a train compartment. This is what French-born Hong Kong artist Claire Lau does almost every day. Leaving the comfort of the studio, Claire completes her large canvases onsite from beginning to end, despite summer heat, winter chill, and insect bites. Claire finds plein-air painting not only relevant but also essential in today's digital age, when city dwellers are increasingly connected online but becoming more detached to their surroundings. Claire is intrigued by the space these trees occupy in the everyday urban environment: while some have room to breathe and expand, others struggle against the constrictions of surrounding concrete. As she closely investigates the trees, she often warps space around her, creating dynamic changing perspectives in her canvases. The many nuances of greens and earth tones mingle with bright-exaggerated colours to provide strength and life to the often overlooked corners of the city. The result is a unique metaphor for the power dynamics between man and nature. By setting up her easel outdoors, she invites the public to lift their heads from their devices, and to notice, observe, and build a relationship with their environment.