Selected Group Exhibition

Nurturing Creativity – Exhibition and Auction for the 35th Anniversary of Friends of Art Museum CUHK 2016

Nurturing Creativity – Exhibition and Auction for the 35th Anniversary of Friends of Art Museum CUHK

Venue: Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong

Exhibition Period: 19 Sept - 7 Oct 2016


NUTURING CREATIVITY

One of the prime foundations of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is the Visual Arts. The University's Faculty of Arts actually pre-dates the formation of the University, being one of the three existing colleges that amalgamated to form the University in 1963. Founded in 1957, it was the first institution in Hong Kong to offer courses on studio practice and art history at tertiary level. Although the teaching has always been firmly rooted in Chinese culture, the faculty has developed a unique reputation for bridging the connections between Chinese and Western practice. Through undergraduate and Master of Fine Arts programs, students are well prepared for the pluralistic art world. Since the days of the founding fathers of Hong Kong modern ink painting, CUHK has been an incubating hive for artistic talent. The faculty has seen the majority of the most respected and sought after Hong Kong artists either graduate from or teach in the Department of Fine Arts. The interaction between the artists is at the core of the department's strength. Indeed, the student and master relationships have deep roots that started growing in the second half of the 20th century.

Wucius Wong has made an immense contribution as an educator. Initially trained by Lui Shou Kwan, he has organised art and design courses at CUHK as early as 1965. Wong was the first to bring Western Modernist theories and concepts to Hong Kong. Integrating the principles of Western design with abstract composition of landscape, he worked with classical materials to pioneer the contemporary renewal of ink.

Artist Leung Kui Ting also played a pivotal role in New Ink. Having trained with Lui Shou Kwan at the Extra Mural Department (1964), he went on to study under Wucius Wong, who influenced his experimental approach. Working with a variety of techniques and media, he combines traditional brushwork and geometric lines in his landscape paintings.

Many students have moved from graduate to lecturer, including some of Hong Kong's most established contemporary artists. Au Hoi Lam (BA 2001) whose practice includes both paintings and installations, and Chow Chun Fai, (BA 2003, MFA 2006) who dedicates himself to painting, are both teaching painting in the Fine Arts Department. Laam Lam Jaffa (BA 1997, MFA 1999) is known for harnessing community engagement to develop her large-scale sculptural installations made from re-cycled materials; and Mok Yat San (BA 1993) who notably revisits the Chinese tradition of shan shui, or landscape painting in sculpture, are both part-time lecturers specialising in sculpture. Man Fung Yi (MFA 1999), famous for weaving metallic sculpture, taught as a part-time lecturer from 1999 to 2001. The Hong Kong scene is in its vast majority active and gathering attention at an international level through the works of the aforementioned teachers. It has also reached international acclaim through the works of graduates.

Over many years the Friends has supported the Fine Arts Department through sponsoring annual student awards and funding post-graduate scholarships. In 2016, the year of our 35th Anniversary, we are consolidating our support of the faculty by hosting a major exhibition of the work of students and their masters. In total 35 works have been selected for the exhibition. The curatorial strategy has been to exhibit work in a range of media to pay tribute to the masters, their students and the diversity of skills taught at the University. Nurturing Creativity will be exhibited at the Rotunda from 20th September to 7th October 2016. This is an opportunity for us all to admire and acquire an iconic work of art, with the additional benefits of fostering Fine Arts students and supporting the Art Museum.

by Laure Raibaut & Belinda Piggott

Board members, Friends of the Art Museum, CUHK

2016








Sotheby’s presents: New Ink- An exhibition of Ink Art by post 1970 artists from the Yiqingzhai Collection 2013

Sotheby’s presents: New Ink

An Exhibition of Ink Art by post 1970 artists from The YiQingZhai Collection 2013

Exhibition Period: 7-28 June 2013

Exhibition Venue: Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery


FOREWORD

The Yiqingzhai Collection began acquiring contemporary Chinese Ink art in the early 1990s. It has been fascinating journey following the evolution of this genre over the past two decades.

The Ink tradition is the nucleus of Chinese culture. From calligraphy, painting to philosophy and religion, it lies at the heart of all objective and expressive thinking. More than a mere visual genre, Ink art transcends conventional boundaries to define a period, an identity and a way of life. It is the fabric of China's cultural tapestry. Indispensable and tightly woven, this tapestry continues to regenerate, renew and revitalize itself. It is a living tradition that continues to evolve and adapt in modern times. As a result of this evolution, the Ink tradition remains as relevant and pertinent to Chinese culture today as it did in the Song dynasty.

The time-honoured tradition requiring decades of training to master ink art remains the revered pinnacle of this ancient art form. But the ink tradition, like everything else, must evolve and adapt in order to survive and flourish. In the 1960s & 1970s, pioneers like Lu Shoukun (1919-1975) and Liu Guosong (b.1936) unlocked the tightly guarded door of tradition and empowered a whole generation of artists to explore the possibilities of new ink art with courage and confidence. Since China embarked on reforms in the late 1970s, the forefront of innovation has naturally migrated back to the mainland, led by the top art academies across the country. The strict norms of practice and judgment have since been expanded and redefined through bold experimentation. At times, the results even go beyond any perceptible reference to the roots of the ink tradition.

None of the artists in this exhibition were born when "contemporary" ink art made its early breakthroughs in the 1960s. While they may not yet have mastered the conventional skills of ink art with many years of apprenticeship, these young artists have tried to capture the essence and spirit of the ink tradition using their own vocabulary and tools. In so doing, they collectively exemplify and at the same time become a part of the ink tradition's on-going passage of evolution, adaptation and re-interpretation, bound together by their common passion to convey and liberate the spirit of ink.

We are grateful for Henry Auyeung's insightful essay which brings fresh analytical thinking to this genre, and for Harold Mok's foreword as all eight Hong Kong artists are graduates of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I would like to thank Sotheby's for presenting New Ink: An Exhibition of Ink Art by Post 1970 Artists from the Yiqingzhai Collection. It seems not so long ago that Patti Wong kindly introduced me to the experts at Sotheby's where I bought my very first painting at auction. Twenty years later, I am delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to exhibit a group of exciting young artists at Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery. New Ink would not have been possible without Sotheby's generous and whole-hearted support under the capable leadership of Kevin Ching. Many thanks to Patti and Kevin for their encouragement and advice, and to Angelika Li for making it all happen in just eight weeks!

We hope everyone will enjoy this exhibition as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

David Pong Chun-Yee

Yiqingzhai Collection

June 2013