Media

Hubert Lobnig
From the series Živomir the
Collector, Series I
1998/1999

Desiring the Real: Austria Contemporary Art” from February 18 (tomorrow) to March 22, 2015. This thematic exhibition presents contemporary artworks by 25 Austrian artists who investigate, through images and installations, representations of ‘the real’, and the subjective perception of reality by individual onlookers.

An opening ceremony of the exhibition was held at UMAG today (February 17). Officiating guests included the Consul General, Austrian Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau Dr Claudia Reinprecht; Associate Professor, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong Dr Harald Peter Kraemer; guest curator Mr Bernhard Rehn and UMAG Director Dr. Florian Knothe. To tie in with the exhibition, a round-table discussion on the exhibition topic and contemporary art in Austria was held immediately after the opening ceremony.

“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.

This remarkable concept was originally commissioned by the Federal Chancellery of Austria in 2012, and has since been shown in modern and contemporary art museums in Serbia, Mexico, Cuba, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Macedonia and France. UMAG and the Federal Chancellery of Austria, with the support by the Austrian Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao, have jointly organised this large and innovative presentation in Hong Kong which also marks its East Asian premiere.

Details of the Exhibition
Period: February 18, 2015 (Wed) to March 22, 2015 (Sun)
Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Mon to Sat)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sun)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Venue: 1/F T.T. Tsui 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.hkumag.hku.hk

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

Activities

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 led by trained docents during our touring hours (Monday-Saturday, 09:30 – 17:00). Guided tours are available in English, Cantonese or Mandarin. To request an appointment, please contact Miss Elena Cheung on (852) 2241-5512 or elenac@hku.hk for booking and further information. General enquiry:（852）2241 5500 or email museum@hku.hk .

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.