In the exhibition ‘8 times 8. stories · series · systems in mythology & art’ works from the visual and applied arts contain serial narratives that respond self-reflexively to the artist’s oeuvre. The number 8 plays a crucial role in mythology. In Asian art this can be seen, for example, in the 8 trigrams of the I Ching, the 8 Immortals, the 8 Buddhist symbols and the 8 Auspicious symbols. These interrelated elements are often depicted as a group of 8 in the form of a serial narrative, which are supplemented by motifs of pairs, figures or scenes from stories, landscapes, plants, flowers, animals, ornaments and symbols. 

To illustrate this point, objects, each consisting of eight sections, were selected from the UMAG collection. These collection items, created with a range of techniques, demonstrate the diversity and richness of serial narratives in Chinese art and craftsmanship. These traditional works of applied art are juxtaposed by contemporary artists, so as to show that serial and systemic narratives are still used as artistic strategies. Systemic is used here in the sense that individual artworks are part of a larger overall system of interrelated elements. Participating artists: Arvid BOECKER (*1964 Wuppertal, Germany), Adrian FALKNER (*1979 in Basel, Switzerland), Daphne Alexis HO 何居怡 (*1975 in Hong Kong), Klaus MERKEL (*1953 in Heidelberg, Germany), YAU Wing Fung 邱榮豐 (*1990 in Hong Kong), and YU Hee 유희 (*1967 in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea).

Curated by Dr Harald P. Kraemer 

Curator Tour: 17:00-18:00

Opening Ceremony: 18:00-20:00

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

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong is thrilled to present David Clarke: Colour in Space, an exhibition displaying giclée prints of the artist’s own watercolour paintings. By presenting one medium as another, Clarke develops an abstract art that plays with scale and explores different materialities. The images capture both the translucency and opacity of the carefully applied watercolours, while the digital printing technology helps to represent or transfer the design into a scalable print form.

Beyond the multifaceted visual qualities of these works, Clarke is interested in the relation and transfer of words into images and vice versa. Where abstract art is less confined to representing definable subject matter, the ability of visual compositions to represent verbal content offers a tangible or readable dimension. Clarke, who has previously collaborated with composers and writers in response to his photographs, now invites a composer and visual artist to draw inspiration from the paintings central to his current project.

Venue address: 2/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong is delighted to announce Perckhammer’s Peking: A Photographic Documentation of China’s Capital City in the 1920s, an exhibition of work by Heinz von Perckhammer (1895–1965). A prominent South-Tyrolean photographer and photojournalist, who grew up in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Perckhammer travelled to various regions of China and documented daily life, rituals and architecture in images that display a Westerner’s curiosity for Chinese customs and culture. Today, the illustrations in Perckhammer’s publication are of great historical value since they document the beginnings of China’s modernisation and social change in Beijing during the early years of the Republic. For the aspiring photojournalist, the 1920s presented an era of transformation and the fifteen hundred photographs taken by Perckhammer constitute an archive of extraordinary scope and diverse subject matter. Although the publication includes only 200 images, Peking offers a compelling account of the artist’s fascination with various subjects, such as the Imperial Palace, religious architecture, city views, street scenes and glimpses of daily life. These subjects fascinated the artist and drove him to document his experiences.

Venue address: University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to present Japanese Printmakers of the Twentieth-Century Renaissance: Kurosaki Akira and Nakabayashi Tadayoshi. The exhibition highlights two of Japan’s most remarkable printmakers and their influence on a resurgence of printmaking in Japan. This cultural phenomenon grew as the artists underwent rigorous training while maintaining a robust interest in traditional printing methods, such as the world-renowned woodblock technique. Through their innovative experimentation, the two printers spearheaded a revival that further developed and expanded upon established printing techniques.

The unusual juxtaposition of two contemporary artists emphasises both Kurosaki and Nakabayashi’s masterpieces and their individual contributions to the ongoing development of Japanese printmaking. This pairing also highlights the distinctiveness, cultural relevance and novelty of their work. Both born in 1937 and similarly trained, Kurosaki and Nakabayashi pursued different topics and employed distinctive colour palettes. Despite these differences, they both excelled at abstract artmaking and are celebrated for their masterful storytelling.

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

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to present Sketching His Land and People: The Drawings of Eddie Chau, a retrospective exhibition of the late artist’s work.

Eddie Chau (1945–2020) was a Chinese painter born in Indonesia who made Hong Kong his home in 1992. Having taken art lessons in high school in Bandung, Indonesia, and receiving artistic mentoring from the painter Jiang Yudi, his training as a painter was primarily self-taught, relying on disciplined practice and the ability to see—and make others see—the beauty in life.

A talented water-colourist, Chau’s skill in depicting the lush natural environment was first recorded in the landscape paintings he executed as a young adult in the mid-1960s in Indonesia. Documenting the rural environment in and around Bandung, his work is exemplary in terms of his attention to detail and the colour palette employed to render the village scenes in a warm light. His naturalistic style gives Chau’s paintings a sincerity that is at once honest and beautiful.

Venue address: 1/F & 2/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong is honoured to present Abstract Evolutions: Sixty Years of Paintings by Fong Chung-Ray. The significance of Fong Chung-Ray’s artistic oeuvre lies in his contribution both to the global art scene and the representation of Chinese artistic traditions in late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century California. As an ambassador for art, he has played a crucial role in fostering cultural exchange between China and the West, and his artworks have introduced richly diverse artistic traditions, techniques and themes to international audiences, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture.

Fong was born in Henan province. He received his formal art training at the Political Cadre College in Taiwan and graduated in 1954. He developed his style while living and practicing in California. Most of his works are abstract paintings that blend influences from Chinese and Western artistic traditions, creating a unique form of cross-cultural expression. His works serve as a bridge between Eastern and Western art, incorporating elements from both traditions and fostering dialogue between various artistic perspectives. In so doing, he contributes to artistic innovation by bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas to the global art scene.

Venue address: University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The exhibition "Momentous Mountains: The Artistic, Philosophical and Cultural Engagement with Chinese Landscape Painting" invites visitors to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Chinese landscape paintings from the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong. This series of paintings spans from the early Qing dynasty (17th century) to contemporary times. The represented artists come from diverse backgrounds and employ various approaches to landscape art. They attest to the interdisciplinary nature and cross-cultural aspect of Chinese landscape painting, reflecting the influence of d schools, painting traditions and regional styles. The exhibition presents the depth and virtuosity of the development of Chinese landscape paintings, extending from the orthodox Four Wang Masters of the early Qing, the Nanjing School, the Jiangxi School and the Shanghai School of Chinese paintings. Rarely displayed in public, the paintings include iconic works by renowned masters and influential art educators, such as Liu Haisu (1896-1994), Fang Zhaoling (1914–2006), Wan Qingli (1945–2017) and Wesley Tongson (1957-2012)—outstanding contemporary artists who trained in the leading Eastern and Western art academies.

Venue address: The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Lung Fu Shan

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong is honoured to present COUPLET PAIR REBUS The Principle of Cause and Effect in Art. This exhibition explores the interplay of causality in art in multiple ways. From poem to poem, COUPLET presents itself as a place for reading, as a space of resonances. PAIR is dedicated to balance and symmetry. Here, pairs of artworks form a three-dimensional equilibrium. REBUS presents itself as a space of associations, forming a network of content-related references. The viewer’s task is to be inspired and to decipher the connections.

With poems, and works of art by:

Irene CHOU・David J. CLARKE・Christoph DAHLHAUSEN・DENG Chengxiu・DENG Shiru・DUAN Jianwei・Adrian FALKNER・FANG Zhaoling・FANG Zhiyong・Beat FELLER・Ian Hamilton FINLAY・FUNG Yee Lick Eric・HAN Wo・HUANG Shiling・JAO Tsung-i・JAT See Yeu・JIA Dao・Tobias KLEIN・LAI Jixi・LAM Man Kong・Robert LETTNER・LEUNG Kui Ting・Joseph LEUNG Mong Sum・LI Ki Kwok Victor・LI Jing・LI Zhanzhi・LIANG Qichao・LIAO Zenping・LIU Haisu・LU You・Thích NHAT HANH・Shirin NESHAT・POON Yeuk Fai・Mary Curtis RATCLIFF・Peter SCHLÖR・Debe SHAM・SHE Xueman・SHI Shuqing・Sim SHUM Kwan Yi・SONG Yonghong・Philipp STADLER・Herbert STAREK・SUN Xingge・TANG Yin・TING Yin Yung・TU Chen Tsui・WENG Tonghe・XIN Haizhou・YIK Yuet Sek・YUAN Jiagu・YUEN Hung Shue・ZHANG Huaqing・ZHANG Zhidong・JI Zigao・ZHU Ruzhen

and 88 generally symmetrical objects from the UMAG collection, ranging from neolithic earthenware to Nestorian crosses and wood carvings to papercuts.

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

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong is delighted to present Kings’ Inscriptions · Contemporary Interpretations, an unprecedented exhibition of calligraphic texts and their rubbings that juxtaposes historic and contemporary artworks. In Chinese history, inscriptions in stone, along with written copies and rubbings made to disseminate their meanings, frequently referred to the qualities and actions of kings. In our contemporary era, it is the work of self-proclaimed kings, such as the King of Kowloon and Frog King, among others, that captures our imagination.

The exhibition is intended to be both academic and playful. It emphasises the lasting significance of the written word, showcases the historic occurrences of important calligraphic texts and highlights the innovative contemporary use of Chinese characters to convey traditional values, cultural phenomena and personal expressions. The selection of artworks highlights various media, including the display of rubbings on stone, calligraphic works on paper and the incorporation of script on ceramics. Additionally, the contemporary art installations serve as carriers of both text and meaning.

Participating artists
Kwok Mang Ho
Lee Wing Ki
Prof. Lee Yun Woon
Prof. Leong Lampo
Dr Leung Kwan Kiu
Tso Cheuk Yim
Yeung Yuk Kan

Venue address: 1/F & 2/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) and the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, both of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), are delighted to once again be collaborating on a celebration of the highly personal and enduring artistic oeuvre of Professor Jao Tsung-i. A renowned Chinese literary scholar and artist, Professor Jao began his career at HKU in 1952, setting out to develop an international network of likeminded academics.

Embracing Landscapes: The Artistic Journey of Professor Jao Tsung-i, has been organised to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Petite Ecole. The exhibition displays twenty paintings and calligraphic works related to Professor Jao’s travels since the 1960s, as well as fifty vintage photos commemorating his friendship with artists, art historians and connoisseurs during the five decades of his distinguished career. Amidst contemporary painters, few individuals have explored the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia as extensively as Professor Jao. Poems he wrote along the way became the inspiration for his paintings of foreign landscapes.

The exhibition features interpretations of landscapes from different corners of the world, including large-scale paintings that depict well known sites in Hong Kong, China and overseas. Individual artworks reflect the distinctive character of each site and are represented through Professor Jao’s use of the traditional Chinese medium of ink and brush, as well as western painting techniques. The paintings are also a testament to the monumental effect of the various landscapes and exemplify the care he took in merging the essence of painted images and commemorative poems. Through these exhibits, the audience has the unique opportunity to retrace Professor Jao’s footsteps and experience his profound impressions of diverse continents across the globe.

Information on guided tours.

Gallery address: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong is honoured to collaborate with the French May Arts Festival on Pablo Picasso: Paintings in Glass — an unprecedented display of works by the world-famous twentieth-century painter. In the mid-1950s, the workshops of Roger Malherbe-Navarre expanded on the light boxes of French painter Jean Crotti by layering pieces of glass into pictorial depictions (gemmail, French for 'enamel gem') of several of Picasso's paintings. 

Impressed by the gemmistes' masterful assembling and fusing of carefully selected glass, Picasso declared 'A new art is born!' Made and exhibited to explore and display the medium's artistic possibilities, the results are simply astonishing. The selection of works on loan from a private collection, and on view at UMAG during the French May Arts Festival 2023, after a selective preview at the Landmark, shed a light on some of Picasso's most renowned painterly compositions.

Preview
LANDMARK
01 – 15.05.2023

Exhibition
University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
18.05 – 27.08.2023 

Gallery address: University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to present Across Time and Space: Re-visiting Twentieth-Century Chinese Oil Paintings. Highlighting the versatile aspects of Chinese oil paintings across a diverse spectrum of themes, styles, techniques, time periods, and regional and local characteristics, the exhibition presents a remarkable depth and virtuosity. Works range from intimate interior views to panoramic coastal landscapes; from collective and individual memories to urban scenes that activate dialogues of painting practices across cross-cultural and cross-media encounters.

The selected works represent various artistic styles and visual trends along with artists’ evolving perceptions and sensitivities about the changing face of twentieth-century China. These rarely displayed works include paintings by iconic masters and influential art educators, including Liu Haisu (1896–1994) and Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010), paintings by talented artists who trained in China’s leading art academies in the second half of the twentieth century, as well as artists who were crucial to the development of the modern art scene in Hong Kong, such as Lee Byng (Li Bing, 1903–1994), Ng Po-wan (Wu Buyun, 1904–2001) and Yee Bon (Yu Ben, 1905–1995).

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

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong, is thrilled to present Alberto Reguera: Homage to Aert van der Neer. Dazzled by the twilight of 17th-century painter Aert van der Neer’s (1603–77) Moonlit Landscape with a Road beside a Canal (1645–50), contemporary Spanish artist Alberto Reguera created a new series of paintings as an homage to the celebrated artist of the Dutch Golden Age. Each of Reguera’s paintings display an in-depth study of the representation of light and sky in the European tradition of painting, while engaging in a dialogue with Van der Neer’s Moonlit Landscape.

Aert van der Neer’s works exemplify the naturalistic renderings that are now recognised as one of the hallmarks of Dutch painting. Dating to the most productive period of the artist’s life (1640–60), aspects of this scene are typical for Van der Neer and his contemporaries, while the artist’s specific manipulation of twilight seeping through the clouds sets the work apart from other painters of his era.

The sensitive depiction of light in the night sky most inspired Alberto Reguera, in part because of the similarities to his own work. These new works examine and connect directly to Van der Neer’s masterpiece, and the important painterly achievements of the Dutch painter’s generation. While the Golden Age landscapes have been widely discussed and imitated over the past three centuries, it is Reguera’s particularly intense form of study and thoughtful application of style that has culminated in these highly personal and accomplished works. Reguera’s own depictions of the sky—both day and night—inevitably differ from the Dutch master, as Reguera incorporates his own sensibilities and experiences from throughout his internationally renowned career.

Gallery address: 1/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfula

The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong, is honoured to present Enduring Strength and Passion: The Chinese and Western Art of Ting Yin Yung, a retrospective exhibition of Master Ting’s multifaceted work in commemoration of his 120th anniversary. A native of Maoming county in Guangdong province, Ting Yin Yung (1902–1978) studied Western painting in Tokyo at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in the early 1920s. He returned to Mainland China in 1925 and emigrated to Hong Kong in 1949, where he further developed his artistic practice.

Ting’s painterly styles vary widely. He excelled at figure paintings and abstract depictions that are indicative of Western influence. His figures bring to mind his study of form and volume—a principal of Cubism—whereas other works are rendered in strong and contrasting colours—a characteristic of Fauvism. Master Ting consistently aimed to reconcile the techniques and characteristics of Western and Chinese approaches to painting.

Ting’s artistic style is noteworthy for its simplicity and nuanced saturation of pigments. The remarkable one-stroke technique showcased the mastery of Ting’s own style. His use of line, void and space exemplifies his contribution to the formulation of a modern Chinese style.
Gallery address: 1/F T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is thrilled to present Past and Present: Paintings by Brian Tilbrook, a retrospective exhibition of artworks by the renowned Hong Kong artist. Born in England in 1932, and residing in Hong Kong since 1965, Tilbrook is recognised first and foremost for the naturalistic paintings of historical buildings and antiquities in Hong Kong that he executed in the 1980s, as well as for his more recent abstract compositions.

Collected for years by such local stalwarts as Hongkong Land, Swire Group and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Tilbrook has fulfilled commissions of expansive mural paintings that count among Hong Kong’s most recognisably abstract artworks. Visually appealing, the subject matter of his more recent works often engages with global geopolitical issues, such as climate change, as a way to express his sense of concern. Tilbrook, a former head of the art department at the South Island School, has given purpose to his art by documenting local heritage buildings and by bringing awareness to ongoing global affairs.

Venue address: 1+2/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Rd, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong is pleased to present an exhibition of early glass vessels that display technological and stylistic influences from countries along the Silk Road. Objects have been selected from a recent donation to UMAG along with additional loan items, which are either of Western Asian or Chinese origin. Though the technique of blowing glass was first developed by the Phoenicians in the Roman Empire in the first century BCE, the design outline of many shapes relates to Syro-Palestinian forms of the first century CE, and to Islamic Persian models found in both ceramic and metalware of the sixth century CE. All of these examples show an eastward dissemination of glass-making techniques and decorative styles.

The international transfer of manufacturing practices, object types and design features make this particular collection of glassware a fascinating subject of study, as the knowledge transfer and trade along the Silk Road since the first millennium CE complicates the artefact’s origins and cultural influences. Interestingly, this fine and fragile artform has been treasured for centuries and excavated objects from tomb sites often include both imported and Chinese items.

Venue address: Study Gallery, G/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honored to present Noda Tetsuya’s Diary of Contemporary Japanese Prints, an exhibition of autobiographic work by the celebrated Japanese artist. Noda first specialized in painting at the Tokyo University of the Arts before turning to printmaking. Influenced by his upbringing in post-war Japan, and the ideological, social, economic and artistic transformations of the era, Noda started to build a diary of prints in the 1960s recording his daily life, mastering the challenge of documenting the reality around him in both true and artistic fashion.

Technically, Noda combines photography, traditional Japanese woodblock printing, mimeograph duplication and silkscreen printing in a self-invented and meticulously modulated process of production and layering. Thematically, he regularly features his family and friends, self-portraits, landscapes, gifts and a series of plants that double as a documentation of his life. These techniques and themes have remained largely unchanged throughout his career. The result is a life-long chronicle of intricately poetic prints where the private and everyday are given heightened significance and universal resonance.

Venue address: 1/F T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam (Please enter via the Fung Ping Shan Building)

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to work with photographer Chun Wai and the French May Arts Festival to present Adrift in Time, an exhibition of photographs taken by the artist in Paris in the 1990s. Born in Hong Kong and educated at the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Mulhouse, Chun Wai toured France on a quest for the beginning of time, understanding that everything he photographed had a finite start and end.  

This physical and philosophical journey caused the artist to realise that his insights into the relationship suspended between predestination and chance were leading to an expansive form of loneliness—a state he felt was similar to the torment experienced by the ancient Chinese poets. He wandered the streets and alleys of Paris discovering the collections of its great museums, art galleries and flea markets, along with the vast memories contained within, preserved and passed on through the course of time.

Gallery address: 2/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Rd, Pokfulam

Chinese reverse glass paintings have rarely been displayed in museums and few studies have considered their compositional elements and iconographic themes. Surviving eighteenth century paintings were often created for the export market and catered to the taste of western patrons in Europe and North America. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the production of reverse paintings became much more locally focused, with artists creating scenes filled with auspicious symbols and literary references that merchants sold mainly within China.

The subject matter of the current exhibition is the large and multifaceted phenomenon of the more indigenous paintings rendered in finely executed detail. Thanks to the fruitful collaboration with the Mei Lin Collection, we have been able to assemble a group of late Qing dynasty and early Republican period paintings. Some of these images are styled as mirrors and mounted as pocket mirrors or table screens that depict scenes from mythology or popular literature, auspicious objects, or portraits of women and children, as well as ‘reflected beauties’ in both intimate and larger sizes.

Venue address: 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

To coincide with the High Gothic: Christian Art and Iconography of the 13th–14th Century exhibition, UMAG will hold a number of guided tours. All are welcome. Please register by clicking on the date:

Cantonese:

Thursday, 30 September 2021 2:30pm-2:50pm:
https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y...

English:

Thursday, 30 September 2021 2:00pm-2:20pm:
https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y...

Speaker: Ms Tullia Fraser, Exhibition Curator

An upcoming exhibition at UMAG of HKU will showcase classic examples of statuary, stained glass, diptychs, textiles and caskets that were used in the expression of Christian devotion in Western Europe. High Gothic: Christian Art and Iconography of the 13th–14th Century, which opens on August 11 2021, will highlight selected objects from the McCarthy Collection. The exhibition aims to display the richness of Gothic artforms in both private and public spaces, while encouraging visitors to challenge the common perception that historical objects of art were monochromatic.

‘Gothic’ was originally a derogatory term coined by Renaissance scholars to describe the ‘barbaric’ medieval architecture that arose with the decline of the classical forms of the Roman Empire. The word is now understood to describe a style of buildings and objects created between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, which incorporated novel advances in stained glass production and architectural features such as the ogival arch.

The Gothic period saw an increased emphasis on the power of images, where vision became an active force for activating emotion and inspiring contemplation. The exquisite Gothic objects featured in the McCarthy Collection represent a broad spectrum of workshops and styles across Western Europe, dating between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, all of which contributed to the splendour we now associate with the aesthetic of the High Gothic.

Pre-dating the Neolithic period, ceramic wares are some of the earliest man-made objects to integrate science, technology and the arts. A close examination of ceramics can reveal the creative advances of individuals in various cultures and time periods, and reflect a society’s broader development and technical progress. 

With a long history of innovation and craftsmanship, celadon wares have provided a crucial reference point for the study of ceramic production in China. The term ‘celadon’ historically refers to specific types of ceramics coated with a green-coloured glaze. 

Constant advances in raw material selection, firing techniques and the shaping of forms have enabled celadon ceramics to develop continuously over the past two millennia. The UMAG collection of celadon spans a period of more than fifteen hundred years of celadon’s history, from the early lead-glazed pottery of the Han (202 BCE–220 CE) to the stunning Guan wares of the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE), providing a rich overview of the traditions and transitions of these widely-coveted objects.

Gallery address: G/F, Study Gallery, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong will present Painting Across The Threshold: Ng Lung Wai from March 12, 2021 to June 27, 2021 as the first exhibition of the UMAG_STArts series. Launched in 2020, UMAG_STArts explores the symbiotic relationship between science, technology, and the arts.

Drawing inspiration from the traditional art of paper folding, this exhibition presents Ng Lung Wai’s ‘folding paint’ technique. Creating works of great sophistication from seemingly naive and childlike experiences, these vessels made from folded paint transform the artist’s childhood practice of folding paper boats into a highly personal visual language. More than an investigation into his own heritage and cultural roots, his works eloquently speak to our existential experiences, while simultaneously inviting us to delve into our respective memories and feelings.

Venue address: Study Gallery, G/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

Colours of Congo: Patterns, Symbols and Narratives in 20th-Century Congolese Paintings displays a selection of Congolese work created from the 1920s to 1960.

Thanks to unprecedented access to extensive archives and art collections, the exhibition’s narrative presents a generous overview of paintings that were instigated when a single artist from Belgium began a painting workshop so as to collaborate with the indigenous population of Elisabethville (modern-day Lubumbashi). This first studio was followed by other workshops that assisted in developing a hybrid artform that remains a celebrated phenomenon.

The European influence of painting first began with Georges Thiry, who worked for Belgium’s colonial administration starting in 1926. In Elisabethville, Thiry had noticed a series of painted murals of crocodiles and birds. He inquired about the artist and was introduced to Albert Lubaki. Thiry was fascinated by the artist Lubaki, his wife, and the other community members who continued to document their connection to the natural world through wall paintings.

Venue address: 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

Prized by Chinese and foreign merchants as an essential commodity along a vast trade network, silk served multiple roles throughout the ancient world: as fabric for garments, as a form of currency and method of tax payment, and as a medium and subject matter for professional artists and the literati class. Over the centuries, silk fabrics have remained synonymous with beauty and are entwined throughout the history of Chinese art and literature.

Beginning in the Song dynasty (960-1279) and flourishing into the Qing (1644-1911), craftsmen took up shuttles and needles as their brushes and silk threads as their pigments, creating exquisitely woven and embroidered pictorial and calligraphic works. In the hands of the weavers and embroiderers, weft-woven silk tapestry (kesi) and embroidery (cixiu) evolved into an art form—a fusion of painting, calligraphy and hand weaving or embroidering for aesthetic appreciation. When viewed together, the interdisciplinary nature of these vivid depictions of images and text occupy a unique and unbroken place within the history of Chinese visual culture.

Gallery address: 1/F – 2/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam