Media

Art Totems Bridging East & West: Eddie Lui's Four Decades of Artistic Pursuit -- A retrospective display of juxtaposed media and iconographic themes

17 Jan 2017

(From left) Ribbon-cutting ceremony by participating artist Mr Eddie Lui, Associate Director of Curatorial Committee of the China Artists Association Professor Pi Daojian, Former Chair Professor of Fine Arts and Former Director of the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Kao Mayching, Research Fellow of Macau Ricci Institute Mr Cesar Guillen-Nunez, Chairman of the Taiwan Committee of Federation of Asian Artists Mr Koo Chung-Kuang and UMAG Director Dr Florian Knothe.

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) will present Art Totems Bridging East & West: Eddie Lui's Four Decades of Artistic Pursuit from January 18 to March 26, 2017. The exhibition will showcase over 60 artworks documenting the distinguished career of one of the city’s most celebrated contemporary artists. A successful banker, Lui began as a part-time artist before exchanging his corporate career for a full-time engagement with his passion for art. The public displays at UMAG, as well as the accompanying catalogue, follow a strict chronology and honour Lui’s artistic contributions.

An opening ceremony of the exhibition was held at UMAG today (17 January 2017). Officiating guests included participating artist Mr Eddie Lui, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Former Chair Professor of Fine Arts and Former Director of the Art Museum Professor Kao May-ching, China Artist Association Curatorial Committee Associate Director Professor Pi Dao-jian, Macau Ricci Institute Research Fellow Mr Cesar Guillen-Nunez, Federation of Asian Artists Taiwan Committee Chairman Mr Koo Chung-Kuang, and UMAG Director Dr Florian Knothe.

Eddie Lui is—as a draftsman, painter and sculptor—one of the founders of contemporary art in Hong Kong. His work is beautifully executed and eccentric, and his employment of form and colour continues to engage throughout the years. Few subject matters are particular to any one culture; his pictorial language is marked by the international and diverse influences found in Hong Kong. Lui’s familiarity with various materials and use of their distinct characteristics is embraced by his overarching topics and forms of visual expression that are common to several of his techniques and recognisable as ‘art totems’. The size and volume of selected artworks shows the artist’s ease with two- and three-dimensional artworks and the dialogue that he routinely creates between them.

Details of the Exhibition
Period: January 18, 2017 (Wednesday) to March 26, 2017 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Monday to Saturday)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sunday)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Venue: 1/F & 2/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.umag.hku.hk/en/

Connect with UMAG on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umag.hku
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMAG_HKU
Instagram: #EddieLui, #Totems, #EastMeetsWest
Weibo: @香港大學美術博物館UMAG

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.

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

Cockerel 2005
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture
47 (H) x 38 (W) x 18 (D) cm

The Apple of My Eye 2012
Ink and colour
170 (H) x 96 (W) cm
Private Collection

The Beginning 2003
Ink, mixed media and collage on linen
122 (H) x 183 (W) cm