COPE2 X AFA ANNFA X CHINO LAM:

Time Travel, JPS Gallery, BELOWGROUND, Hong Kong

Afa Annfa ’s practice explored the intersections of contemporary figurative painting, pop culture, and street art influences, challenging conventional boundaries while seeking personal expression and identity within the broader flow of art history.

In the collaborative exhibition “Time Travel” (逆時車站), presented by JPS Gallery in partnership with BELOWGROUND at Landmark, Afa joined forces with Chino Lam and street art legend Cope2 to celebrate the enduring impact of graffiti and its evolution into mainstream contemporary art. Drawing inspiration from the 1980s classic film Somewhere in Time, the installation recreated a nostalgic New York subway environment from the late 1980s—a pivotal era when Cope2 dominated the city’s trains and stations with bold, rebellious tags.

Through seven large-scale collaborative paintings and murals, the artists symbolised cross-generational fusion: Afa ‘s introspective figurative language intertwined with Chino’s iconic character Jiro and Cope2’s masterful graffiti elements. From a modern perspective, the artists re-examined and revitalised that explosive period of street art history, highlighting how shifts in time, culture, and environment have propelled graffiti from subculture rebellion to global influence.

Deeply shaped by pop cultures, Afa Annfa ’s cross-media approach defied traditional art institutions’ rigid definitions of history. By converging artists from different eras, this project paid homage to graffiti’s core spirit—unyielding authenticity and defiance—while infusing it with fresh vitality for a new generation. Through these dialogues, Afa continued to locate individuality and selfhood amid the vast currents of artistic evolution.