Media

HKU weekly notice

17 Nov 2017

 

HKUL Photo Exhibition - "Peru's Memory: 1890-1950"

In collaboration with the Consulate General of Peru in Hong Kong and Macao, the Main Library is pleased to present Peru's Memory: 1890 - 1950 photo exhibition at the 2nd Floor Atrium/Exhibition Area of the Main Library from November 13 to 30, 2017.

Thirty-three photographs have been selected from the "Fotografia Memoria del Perú" by photographers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (1890-1950) capturing the history and everyday life in Peru, including the best works of the "Golden Age of Peruvian Photography" ¹.

"Thanks to these images and to many others like those, Peru, as we know it today, began to emerge before itself as an apprehensible reality. The natural wonders of its territory, the great monuments of its pre-Columbian past, the ancestral customs interwoven with the modernizing aspirations, the advance of the capitalist economy, and the social conflicts of a national society in formation.

Peru's Memory: 1890 - 1950 photos allows us to revive some of the construction process and to value the talent of masters of the lens such as Max T. Vargas, Martin Chambi, Carlos and Miguel Vargas, Juan Manuel Figueroa Aznar, Sebastian Rodriguez, Baldomero Alejos, and Walter 0. Runcie, to mention only some of the most conspicuous in this selection."¹

Details of the Exhibition
Date: November 13 to 30, 2017
Venue: Atrium/Exhibition Area, 2/F Main Library, the University of Hong Kong
Time: During Main Library Opening Hours
Closed on Public Holidays
Admission: Free

¹Consulate General of Peru in Hong Kong and Macao

Media Contact: Mr. Gary Chin, Tel: 2859 2211 / Ms. Marina Yeung, Tel: 2859 8903

UMAG exhibitions
Fibres of Life: IKAT Textiles of the Indonesian Archipelago Following the footsteps of a vanishing craft

Period: Now till November 26, 2017 (Sunday)

Looking at Peter Ten Hoopen’s Pusaka Collection from a scholarly point of view, it is worth acknowledging how it illustrates the concept of ‘unity in diversity’, which the young state of Indonesia chose as its motto upon independence. Here, the interwoven-ness of styles from its islands matter, as do their marked individuality and idiosyncrasies. Moreover, it allows for the study not just of the people’s finery, but also of their daily attire, which is lamentably absent in most collections.

An ironic illustration of the effect of this collecting method comes from Ili Mandiri on Flores. As its dark red bridewealth sarongs have been prized and venerated by the local population, this is what most sophisticated collections have aimed to obtain. The simple but lovely indigo sarongs for everyday use have been almost entirely ignored by collectors. Hence they nearly always end up worn to shreds and very few survive — rarer now than the precious and respected, hence eagerly collected, bridewealth sarongs.

What knowledge is conserved about ikat textiles and their use in the Indonesian archipelago consists primarily of the records of missionary and scientific fieldwork, predominantly compiled by non-Indonesians. The coverage is thin— many weaving regions are covered by only one or two sources, and several regions have never been studied in any detail. Much traditional knowledge is being lost, especially in the more remote island regions in the Indonesian archipelago, which require concerted effort if any trace of their culture is to survive.

Venue: 1/F T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Monday to Saturday)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sunday)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free

Media enquiries:
UMAG Communications Officer Miss Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: elenac@hku.hk
UMAG Programme Assistant Miss Chelsea Choi, Tel: (852) 2241 5509, Email: cchelsea@hku.hk