Media

HKU weekly notice (from February 14 to February 21, 2015)

13 Feb 2015

 

EXHIBITION: “Desiring the Real: Austria Contemporary Art”
The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) will be showcasing an exhibition of Austria contemporary art entitled “Desiring the Real: Austria Contemporary Art” from February 18 to March 22, 2015. This thematic exhibition presents contemporary artworks by twenty-five Austrian artists who investigate, through images and installations, representations of ‘the real’, and the subjective perception of reality by individual onlookers.

To tie in with the exhibition, a round-table discussion on the exhibition topic and contemporary art in Austria will be held immediately after the opening ceremony (February 17, Tuesday).

“Desiring the Real” is an assemblage of individual views of daily life and the environment, this exhibition presents a variety of ‘portraits’ documenting the status quo at the precise moment that each image was created. Reality describes the conjectured state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or be imagined, and it refers to everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. Reality is often contrasted with what is imaginary, delusional, or confined to the mind and dreams; with what is false, fictional or abstract. The desire to imitate ‘the real’ in artworks forms the core of this study as, traditionally, artists strive to epitomise reality truthfully. Beyond this tradition, in “Desiring the Real”, one medium, such as film or video art, can take on the artistic qualities of another art form, such as Chinese ink painting, as shown here in the fluid and expressive video installation Cluster (2010) by Rainer Gamsjäger. Through representations of the real, the perception of the receiving persons and their individual paradigms are critical to the understanding of the real and to the judgment of reality.

Date: February 18, 2015 (Tue) to March 22, 2015 (Sun)
Time: 9:00am-6:00pm
Venue: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building
Language: English & Cantonese

Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Communication Office Elena Cheung by email at elenac@hku.hk or by phone at 22415512.

The Vitality of the Year of Horse － Selected Works of Professor Jao Tsung-i
In the last month of the year of Horse, “The Vitality of the Year of Horse — Selected Works of Professor Jao Tsung-i” is launched by the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole of the University of Hong Kong, presenting his lotus painting and calligraphy accomplished in 2014.

In the Year of Horse, Professor Jao revealed tremendous creativity in his art creations, particularly in lotus painting. Professor Jao is capable of rendering the subject with a free mind without violating the principles of sentiment and appearance of the flower. Most of his lotus paintings in the first quarter of 2014 are included in the publication Opulence of the Jao’s Lotus, and those painted in the other three seasons are the major displayed works in this exhibition.

Though this exhibition displays only about twenty items, it demonstrates various types of Professor Jao’s lotus painting, and reflecting his profound observation of the principle, sentiment, and appearance of the flower.  Professor Jao always said that he is actually “realizing the images of lotus conceived in his mind”, and he especially puts emphasis on the spirit of lotus described by Zhou Dunyi of the Song dynasty as the “Gentleman among Flowers”. That is the reason why his lotus is different from that of Xu Wei, Chen Chun, Chen Hongshou of the Ming dynasty, Jin Nong of the Qing dynasty, and the contemporary masters, such as Qi Baishi, Chang Dai-chien, and Yu Feian.

The theme of this exhibition presents the spirit and liveliness of Professor Jao’s lotus painting, and therefore it is entitled “The Vitality of the Year of Horse”.

Date:           February 9, 2015 to February 27, 2015
Time:          10am - 5pm (Mon to Fri )
                    (closed on public holidays & university holidays)
Venue:        Jao Tung-I Petite Ecole, The University of Hong Kong (Tang Chi Ngong Building, HKU)
Telephone:  3917 5598

Exhibition “Silent Poetry: Chinese Contemporary Ink” UMAG showcases an imaginary sound of ink paintings
“Silent Poetry: Chinese Contemporary Ink” will showcase the latest Chinese contemporary ink paintings by nine artists from February 11 to March 17, 2015 at the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

An opening ceremony of the exhibition was held at UMAG today (February 10). Officiating guests included the Director of HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, Director of Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole of the University of Hong Kong Professor Lee Chack-fan; The Central Academy of Fine Arts Professor Zhao Li; independent curator Dr. Vivian Ting; Lecturer, General Education Centre of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Dr. Silvia Fok; Associate Dean and Professor of the School of Chinese Painting of Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA) Professor Liu Qing-he, participating artists and UMAG Director Dr. Florian Knothe.

“Silent Poetry” showcases Chinese ink paintings as if they are beautiful poems which contain no words and sound. Unlike so many of the mass-produced popular artworks today, these Chinese contemporary ink paintings differ from their traditional counterparts in terms of their form, style and techniques. Contemporary ink paintings challenge some concepts of traditional Chinese paintings and individual artists apply unconventional mediums, materials and tools to change the traditional painting practice and to break constraints while preserving their profound values at the same time.

Ink has long been a widely used medium in Chinese art, while ink painting is one of China’s oldest and best known art forms. From the May Fourth Movement to the 1990s, ink art has been reformed and transformed greatly. It attained substantial developments and has gradually attested to its maturity. Nowadays, Chinese contemporary ink paintings are appreciated internationally, in China as well as the global art world.

To tie in with the exhibition, a wide range of activities including workshops entitled “Drawing in the Gallery (Family Class)” and “Artistic Creation: From Photo to Painting” will be held on February 28, 2015 and March 7, 2015 respectively; while an academic lecture entitled “Chinese Contemporary Ink Paintings on transformation, curation and collecting” will be held on March 14, 2015 to enhance publics’ knowledge of and interest in contemporary ink paintings.

This special exhibition and the related activities are co-organised by the UMAG and Chinese Modern & Contemporary Art Document (CCAD) with the support of HKU, CAFA ART INFO, the Chinese Contemporary Art Promotion Centre (CCAP), Art Nova 100 and the Beijing Strategic Cultural Development Co. Ltd. Participating artists include Chen Jun, Du Xiao-tong, Hao Shi-ming, Li Wei, Pan Wen-xun, Sun Hao, Xu Hua-ling, Xu Jia-cun and Zhu Zheng-ming.

Details of the Exhibition
Period: February 11, 2015 (Wed) – March 17, 2015 (Tue)
Opening Hours:
09:30am – 6:00 pm(Mon to Sat)
1:00 – 6:00pm (Sun)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Venue: 1/F Fung Ping Shan Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Fees: Free Admission
Website: www.umag.hku.hk/en/

Media enquiries:
UMAG Communication Officer Miss Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: elenac@hku.hk    

Activities
Workshops/Lecture
Please click here for event details.

Guided Tours for schools
The exhibition will involve dedicated education and outreach activities. Our museum welcomes all school groups as well as tertiary institutions to request guided tours let by trained docents during our touring hours (Monday-Saturday, 09:30 – 17:00). Guided tours are available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. To request an appointment, please contact Miss Elena Cheung on 2241-5512 or elenac@hku.hk for booking and further information.

About University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UMAG)
UMAG was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. It was originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library in 1932 in honour of its benefactor. For more information on UMAG, please click here.

Discovering Art – Fa Po Po's World
Fa Po Po made a living and raised four children by selling flowers. When she retired, she picked up the paintbrush and discovered her talent. She did not learn painting from a school or a teacher, but flowers stem naturally from her mind. Apart from painting flowers, which is her best known signature, she also combines what she sees in her daily life with her imagination and produced works consisting animals, human portraits and episodes of her past experiences. The fact that she paints on abandoned furniture and household objects such as wardrobe, mirror, and fans, etc. connects her works with the environmental protection agenda.

Art has brought big fortune to Fa Po Po—not in the sense of financial gain but in terms of friendship and social recognition. Her work first caught the attention of a prestigious Hong Kong artist and then widely reported by mass media through television programmes, magazines and newspapers, including the RTHK TV documentary Artspiration. Young people and students also love to visit her and listen to her stories. Her grand-daughter started a Facebook page “Fapopo 花婆婆” with now thousands of “likes” from all over the world. In late 2014, a major shopping mall in Tsuen Wan featured her solo exhibition.

Exhibition:
Date: January 20, 2015 (Tuesday) to February 14, 2015 (Saturday)
Venue: MC³@702, The Jockey Club Tower, HKU Centennial Campus, HKU

Opening hours:
Mon - Fri: 10:30am - 6:00pm
Sat: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

For further information on Fa Po Po: https://www.facebook.com/faapopo
 For further information on MC³@702 Creative Space
Email電郵: socimccc@hku.hk
Facebook Page專頁：http://www.facebook.com/HkuMccc
Website網頁: http://www.sociodep.hku.hk/mccc.html

For enquiries, please contact Ms Connie Ko by email at connieko@hku.hk or by phone at 3917 2309.