Intimate Encounters — The Art of Handscrolls and Albums - MK lau Collection
Venue: Duddell’s , Central, Hong Kong
Exhibition Period: Long term
Duddell’s is pleased to announce they are hosting two exhibitions in their restaurant, which is co-curated by M K Lau Collection’s art advisor Catherine Maudsley. The first one is a long-term exhibition named “Intimate Encounters: The Arts of Handscrolls and Albums”, which locates on the 3/F; the other one is a special one-month exhibition called “Intimate Encounters and Beyond: Hanging Scrolls, Handscrolls and Albums by Wang Zhen and Pu Ru – Paintings from the M K Lau Collections”, which locates on the 4/F and staircase. These two exhibitions have displayed many rare and important artworks created by the 20th-century Chinese ink master.
The exhibition “Intimate Encounters: The Arts of Handscrolls and Albums” on the 3/F has showcased the most valuable handscrolls and albums among the M K Lau Collections, including the masterpieces by Zhang Daqian, Zhang Shanzi, and Jiang Zhaoshen etc. The ink masters execute different degree of strength in their painting, sometimes they would hold the brush in a gentle and relaxed manner, and sometimes they would hold it strongly and powerfully. In order to let the viewers enjoy the vibrant brushstrokes and every shades of ink in the paintings clearly, all handscrolls are unrolled and framed, while the album leaves are separated and framed. Besides, the “handscrolls” and “albums “are unrolled and separated are because they are the most common forms for mounting writings, calligraphy and paintings, the curators hope that the public can therefore understand the variations between them. More importantly, the viewers can gain a greater insight in Chinese culture through this inviting and interactive exhibition.
The 4/F “Intimate Encounters and Beyond: Hanging Scrolls, Handscrolls and Albums by Wang Zhen and Pu Ru – Paintings from the M K Lau Collections” is an exhibition complementing the longer-term exhibition on the 3/F, which featuring precious artworks of artists Wang Zhen and Pu Ru. The three pieces of their large-scale and rare hanging scrolls are the highlight of this exhibition. The viewers can stand directly in front of the art pieces, to inspect every small detail and brushstrokes of the paintings closely and intimately. Apart from this, the exhibition also provides the rather small-scale handscrolls and albums of Wang and Pu, including paintings and calligraphy, which made a huge contrast with the hanging scrolls. The audiences can thus understand these two multi-talented artists comprehensively and diversely.