Studio Visit: Sculpture and Poetry with Danny Lee Chin Fai (Conducted in Cantonese)

The HKU Museum Society is pleased to organise – Sculpture and Poetry, a visit to Danny Lee Chin Fai’s Studio. A seasoned sculptor in Hong Kong, Danny creates sculptures that are rooted in the traditional spirit of Chinese ink. Through the essence of “Mountains and Streams” with modern adaptations, his works express the beauty, simplicity and poetry of Eastern culture. Possessing the freedom and boundless creativity absorbed in the environment, his sculptures convey a uniquely creative but also inclusive and comprehensive art language. Danny Lee has been invited to participate in various art events. He represented Hong Kong in the commemorative sculpture park project for the APEC summit in Da Nang (Vietnam). His works has also been collected by Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and others.

李展輝是本港著名雕塑家,他的作品以傳統為本,散發中國水墨藝術的精神,藉「山水」意境及現代性手法,傳遞東方美學的詩意和樸素,與環境融合,卻亦擁有自由的領域及創作的無限可能性,構成其獨特且兼容並蓄的藝術語言。李展輝的作品曾代表香港參與亞太經合組織會議峴港雕塑公園紀念項目(越南) 等,亦為香港藝術館、香港文化博物館等收藏。

Photo credit: Danny Lee Chin Fai’s Studio

Gallery Visit: Reframing Strangeness: Ha Bik Chuen’s Motherboards and Collagraphs with Curator Michelle Wong

The Executive Committee is pleased to organise a visit to Para Site for a guided tour with the Curator, Michelle Wong, of ‘Reframing Strangeness: Ha Bik Chuen’s Motherboards and Collagraphs’, an exhibition that refocuses on Ha’s printmaking practice on the occasion of Ha’s 100th birth anniversary.

‘Motherboard’ is the term Hong Kong-based artist Ha Bik Chuen (1925–2009) coined for his collagraph plates. Unlike computer motherboards, Ha’s creations are decidedly analogue. They are assembled from wood and other found material through a highly labour-intensive process. Throughout his life, Ha created over 100 motherboards and kept them away from public view. He used these motherboards to produce over 3,000 editioned collagraphs mostly in the 1970s and 1980s.

About Ha Bik Chuen

Ha Bik Chuen (1925-2009) was a Hong Kong-based artist who made prints, sculptures, collage books, and was also a prolific photographer.  He publicly showed prints and sculptures, but kept most of his photographs and all his collage books private.  In the 1960s, Ha became an artist and an active participant of the Hong Kong art scene by documenting exhibitions and events through photography.  His collection of visual materials forms a crucial part of Hong Kong’s cultural and art history.  Ha’s archive has become one of the key resources of writing Hong Kong art history.

About Michelle Wun Ting Wong

Michelle Wun Ting Wong completed her PhD studies in Art History at The University of Hong Kong in 2024, exploring the modernity emerging from Post WWII Hong Kong. From 2012–20 she was a researcher at Asia Art Archive (AAA), focusing on Hong Kong art history and histories of exchange and circulation through exhibitions and periodicals. Her curatorial projects include ‘Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys’ at Tai Kwun Contemporary (2021), ‘Afterglow’, Yokohama Triennale 2020, and 11th Gwangju Biennale (2016). Her writing has been published in Ambitious Alignments: New Histories of Southeast Asian Art, 1945–1990 (2018), the journal Southeast of Now (2019) amongst others. Since 2022, she co-runs the independent art space New Park with artists South Ho Siu Nam and Billy HC Kwok. Wong’s PhD dissertation is an in-depth study of the work and life of Ha Bik Chuen and its relationship to the cultural modernity and artistic modernism emerging from mid-twentieth century Hong Kong. Before returning to graduate school at HKU, Wong was AAA’s lead researcher and part of an archivist team organising and digitising Ha’s archive, which has since become one of the key resources of writing Hong Kong art history. 

Please visit https://www.para-site.art/exhibitions/reframing-strangeness-ha-bik-chuens-motherboards-and-collagraphs/ for more information on this exhibition.

Photo credit: Para Site

Lecture: ” Dressed by Nature” 來自大自然的衣裳 with Lee Mei-Yin (Conducted in Cantonese)

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to invite Lee Mei-yin to present a lecture which offers participants a treasure trove of surprising materials used for clothing across cultures and history.

Dressed by Nature

The development of textile civilization has always been deeply intertwined with the utilization of natural resources. Beyond conventional materials such as silk, cotton, and hemp, many other animals and plants in nature can also be used. Different civilizations have shown remarkable adaptability in clothing materials. Ancient China mastered silk-making, while the Inuit in North America used seal intestine membranes for windproof and waterproof garments. In Jiangnan, palm fibers were used for raincoats, and in Madagascar, golden orb-weaving spider silk was woven into fabric to make capes and scarves.

After the lecture, join Ms. Lee and volunteers for a hands-on silk reeling workshop. Please allow sufficient time to participate.

「來自大自然的衣裳」

服飾文明的發展始終與自然資源的利用密不可分。除傳統認知的絲、棉、麻等材料外 ,大自然界中,還有很多動、植物都可以被利用。

全球各地文明都展現出適應性智慧:從中國古老的蠶絲工藝到北美洲北部的因紐特人(Inuit) 利用海豹腸膜製作的防風防水服飾;又從江南蓑衣使用的棕櫚纖維, 到非洲 馬達加斯加的金色球蜘蛛之金色蛛絲 ,可織成衣料 ,制成斗篷和圍巾。

講座完畢後,在老師及義工的帶領下,大家將體驗「繅絲」(或稱「抽絲剝繭」)的實作活動。敬希各位預留充足時間參與。

Speaker

Lee Mei-Yin’s areas of research include the history, art and costumes of the ethnic minorities of China, Buddhist art, Dunhuang art, silk and embroideries. She previously served as HKUSPACE guest lecturer (2000-2010), as well as a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. She is currently a specially appointed research fellow of Dunhuang Academy, and Vice President of the Friends of Dunhuang (Hong Kong). She also serves on the Board of Dunhuang Grottoes Preservation and Research Foundation of China, and as an expert advisor to the public museums of Hong Kong.

講者簡介

李美賢女士的研究範圍包括中國少數民族(民族史與服飾)、佛像藝術、敦煌藝術、絲綢與刺繡(歷史與賞析)。曾任香港大學專業進修學院導師(2000-2010),香港非物質文化遺產諮詢委員會委員。現任敦煌研究院特聘研究員、香港敦煌之友副主席,也是中國敦煌石窟保護研究基金會理事、香港博物館之專家顧問。

Photo Credit to Lee Mei Yin

Guided Viewing: Designing Jewels: 200 years of French Savoir-Faire (1770 – 1970) with Dr. Florian Knothe at UMAG (Members Only)

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to present a guided viewing of the exhibition Designing Jewels: 200 years of French Savoir-Faire (1770 – 1970) with Dr. Florian Knothe at UMAG.  This exhibition, supported by the French May Arts Festival, is dedicated to jewellery design, exceptional masterpieces, and the artistic process of transforming precious metals and stones.  UMAG, in collaboration with L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, presents rarely studied, published or exhibited jewellery drawings that remains largely unknown to the public.

Supported by the Van Cleef & Arpels Patrimony Collection and the Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry Culture Fund—established in 2019 for research, presentation and educational purposes— along with loans from the Lalique Museum in France and private jewellery collections in Hong Kong, the exhibition showcases a remarkable selection of nearly 100 drawings alongside 13 exquisite jewellery pieces. It illustrates France’s long and influential tradition of jewellery making and highlights individual achievements by tracing the creative journey from initial sketches to gouaché renderings to finished masterpieces.

Speaker

Dr. Florian Knothe is the Director of the University Museum and Art Gallery and an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities, HKU. He serves as the MA in Museum Studies programme director and has taught Museum Studies at undergraduate and post-graduate level for more than 15 years. Florian trained in conservation, art history and heritage law, and lectures and teaches internationally. With the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, he held a Mellon Foundation grant to investigate and initiate Museum Studies at HKU.

Image Credit: French May Arts Festival

 

 

Gallery Visit and Lunch at Sin Sin Fine Art: Artist Michelle Fung & Guided Viewing of “2084-The World in Fifty-Nine Years”

Sin Sin Fine Art focuses on contemporary art from all over the world that is spiritual and inspiring, cultivating a collection of works by selected international artists.  The Founder, Ms. Sin Sin Man presents artists not based on their market value but on a genuine appreciation of their vision and talent.  She believes that art should be seamlessly integrated into our daily life as we will learn over lunch in her gallery.

About the exhibition:
“2084” features over thirty whimsical artworks across mediums, including woodcut paintings, ink paintings and drawings by local artist, Michelle Fung.

With five imaginary countries, “2084” is the world in fifty-nine years created by Michelle, which she has been developing for the past decade. This exhibition marks an important milestone of Michelle’s ten years of research and hard work; and a focus on her continuing chapter on two fantastical realms: Contradictoria (Polluta) and Northlandia. With thorough research, creativity, and the ability to articulate, each of these countries offers some in-depth and multi-dimensional narrative. Blending irony, imaginary fiction, and complex visual metaphors; “2084” is both a reflective tale and a whimsical re-imagining of the future, challenging our perceptions of reality, environmental crisis, and human agency.

About Michelle Fung:
Hong Kong Canadian interdisciplinary artist Michelle Fung’s lifelong interdisciplinary oeuvre revolves around a grand dystopian world-building narrative in year 2084. In recent years, she has focused on woodcut drawings and paintings of imagined future worlds. Made with detailed carving and layers of rendering, these sculptural paintings on wood feature surreal landscapes, dotted with magical animals, with intricate texture and carved pattern. These imagined worlds offer a glimpse of how our future would look had we continued a path of unfettered consumption.

Photo credit: Sin Sin Fine Art

2025 Annual General Meeting

Please join us for the Fifteenth Annual General Meeting of the University of Hong Kong Museum Society Limited on Tuesday, 3 June 2025, 18:00 at the Biblioteca (Library) on the 23rd Floor of Club Lusitano, Printing House, 16 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong.  After the meeting, the Executive Committee is pleased to invite members to join a lecture presented by Professor Marc Walton, Museum Studies Program, The University of Hong Kong.  This lecture will be followed with dinner at Salao Nobre De Camoes (Ballroom) on the 27th Floor of Club Lusitano.

Lecture: Towards a New Future for Art Conservation at The University of Hong Kong

Synopsis:
This lecture will present Art Conservation and Conservation Science as disciplines at the forefront of investigating the materiality of cultural objects across time and space. Case studies will be presented from a variety of different conservation and scientific projects undertaken by the speaker across the world and will culminate in a discussion of the new activities that are now underway at The University of Hong Kong in this area, including the establishment of a MA course, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, as well as plans for laboratories at the University Museum and Art Gallery dedicated to conservation treatments and analyzing art objects.

Guest Speaker:
Marc Walton is a professor in the Museum Studies Program at The University of Hong Kong.  Prior to this, he held senior leadership positions at Hong Kong’s M+ (Head of Conservation and Research) and in academia as co-director of Northwestern University’s Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts where he was also Research Professor of Materials Science.   He has led numerous scientific projects investigating art objects in collaboration with cultural heritage institutions representing a broad range of disciplines (from anthropology to contemporary art) and geographical reach (both U.S. and internationally).   He has also held positions at the Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) after receiving training in art history, conservation and archaeological science at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts and the University of Oxford. Professor Walton’s most recent research is on developing and using imaging technologies in the field of conservation science to better understand how artworks were made and deteriorate.

Tranquil Walk at the Garden of Stone with Mr. Yau Tai Lai 石苑逍遙遊 (Conducted in Cantonese)

We are delighted to continue our exploration of Chinese classical gardens incorporating elements of artificial hillocks, ornamental rocks, water features, timber structures and meticulously maintained bonsai (penjing) and mature trees.  Mr. Yau Tai Lai, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Penjing and Artstone Society will guide us on a tour of the Garden of Stone highlighting the designs of bonsai that convey harmony with nature.
        
「石苑」位於上水古洞金錢村金錢南路DD92地段,作為香港盆景雅石學會的會址,是本港盆景雅石文化的勝地。「石苑」依江南園林概念構建,盆栽石景、小橋流水、亭台樓閣等,皆有韻味。全程由香港盆景雅石學會副主席邱泰來先生引領講解。

Photo credit: HK01

Guided Viewing: “Ravishing Blue” – Imperial Porcelains & Other Objets Extraordinaire at Christie’s Spring Sale with Pola Antebi

HKUMS is delighted to present a guided viewing of Ravishing Blue: Imperial Porcelains and other extraordinary Chinese works of art at Christie’s Asia Pacific headquarters at The Henderson. These exquisite and extremely rare masterpieces spanning close to four centuries feature three of the finest examples of blue-and-white porcelain from three remarkable eras for the category: Yongle (1403-1425), Yongzheng (1723-1735), and Qianlong (1736-1795).

Join us as we immerse in the unparalleled beauty and learn of the historical significance of these masterpieces that epitomise the technical mastery, artistic innovation and imperial patronage that extend over three remarkable eras. 

Speaker

Pola Antebi is Deputy Chairman and International Director of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at Christie’s Hong Kong. Her areas of expertise include imperial ceramics, jades and works of art from the Yuan to the Qing dynasties. 

Photo courtesy of Christie’s Hong Kong