With the easing of the epidemic situation, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has been reopened to the public. A wide array of new exhibitions are being held to enable visitors to explore more stories that might have been out of the spotlight under the museum's four core collections.
The five new exhibitions are "In-Between", "Mastering Masterpieces: The Essentials of Chinese Landscape Paintings", "Wu Guanzhong: Sketching Vitality", "Beyond the frames: from perceiving frames of context to experiencing art in itself" and "Portrait Play". Another exhibition, "Shopping in Canton: China Trade Art in the 18th and 19th Centuries" will be open from May 20.
The "In-Between" exhibition showcases lesser-known works of well-known artists such as Wu Guanzhong, Irene Chou, Luis Chan, Hon Chi-fun and Tong King-sum from the museum's collection, letting visitors take a closer look at the turning points in the artists' creative careers. Local designer Choi Kim-hung was invited to be the lead artist of this exhibition, and he worked with seven contemporary local artists to create artworks in various art media in response to the in-between moments or the changes they are facing in life.
With art tech as the key, the exhibition "Mastering Masterpieces: The Essentials of Chinese Landscape Paintings" unlocks the secrets of the masters' Chinese landscape paintings and opens up paths to the appreciation of the traditional. Through multiple immersive and interactive digital experiences, traditional Chinese landscape paintings are no longer bounded by the 2D format while the audience is submerged into the world of Chinese landscapes.
Featuring the 3-metre-long "A sketch of Chinese cypresses, the original draft" by the Chinese painting master Wu Guanzhong, along with other selected sketches and paintings inspired by the sketch of cypresses from the museum's collection, the "Wu Guanzhong: Sketching Vitality" exhibition tells the story of an artist encountering his muse, which influenced him to create many masterpieces in his later years.
The exhibition "Beyond the frames: from perceiving frames of context to experiencing art in itself" displays a commissioned digital artwork by local artist Ng Tsz-kwan. Breaking through the predetermined ways of art appreciation, the exhibition enables the audience to explore the four core collections of the HKMoA beyond the frames through a set of interactive multimedia installation.
Created by new media artist Henry Chu, the "Portrait Play" exhibition is a juxtaposition of portraits from the museum's collections and selfies of the current era. Through interactions, visitors can deconstruct the visual elements of portraiture in the museum's collection and create their own self-images. Visitors can create their unique self-portraits using images of eyes, noses and mouths derived from the museum collection or even recreate their own faces.
The exhibition "Shopping in Canton: China Trade Art in the 18th and 19th Centuries", which will be opened next Friday, features a wide range of China trade art from the HKMoA and other local public and private collections. Drawing reference from the travelogues of the foreigners visiting the region in the 19th century, the gallery will be enlivened by an interactive shopping street reminiscent of old Canton, inviting visitors to embark on a window-shopping tour down the lane of history and art.
The other ongoing exhibitions, including "Touching: A journey through Chinese landscapes from the Xubaizhai Collection (Phase 2)", the phase II exhibition of "#popcolours: The Aesthetics of Hues in Antiquities from the HKMoA Collection" and the "Redefining Reality" outdoor artwork exhibition, have also renewed most of their exhibits from phase I and new interactive elements have also been added.
In addition, a new issue of the well-received picture stories family learning kit "Where's Grandpa Ofu: Dr. X's Plan" has been launched. The HKMoA invites parents and their children to explore the museum and collect stickers after the completion of tasks. Participants can use their stickers to redeem a free gift from the museum.
The HKMoA is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. For details of the exhibitions, please visit the museum's website at hk.art.museum or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.
In order to comply with the requirements stipulated in the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) and relevant requirements of administrative instructions, visitors are required to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR code with their mobile phones/other mobile devices before being allowed to enter the museum for necessary contact tracing if a confirmed case is found. In accordance with the Prevention and Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation (Cap. 599L) and relevant requirements of administrative instructions, all persons entering indoor venues under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department must comply with the relevant requirement of the Vaccine Pass.
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