2nd Edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong

Considered to be one of the leading international art shows for contemporary art, Art Basel in Hong Kong’s 2nd edition runs from the 14th May to the 18th May 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This newest edition of Art Basel will feature modern masters as well as emerging talents from both Asia and the West, with over 50 percent of the participating galleries from Asia and the Asia Pacific region.

This premiere edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong will trace twelve decades of art history across its four sectors: Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters. On display will be works from the 20th and 21st centuries by more than two thousand artists from Asia and around the world. For art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art lovers, Art Basel in Hong Kong promises to be a dynamic platform for cross-cultural exchange.

AXA ART, the official provider of VIP tours for Art Basel in Hong Kong, has graciously agreed to arrange a special tour of the fair’s highlights for the Museum Society. As an established market leader in providing specialty insurance coverage for private and corporate collections, the AXA ART team is comprised of dedicated international art specialists who will be expertly guiding us. AXA ART’s global in-house art experts have a range of expertise, from European Antiques to SE Asian Modern art and this particular tour will focus on contemporary Asian art.

Nature, Culture and the Divine: In Search of the Sacred Path with Professor Puay-peng Ho

Pilgrimage is the oldest human activity bringing nature, culture and the divine together in a journey in search for spiritual union with the divine. Along this journey, nature and the divine are revered accompanied by cultural manifestations, such as rituals, art, and architecture. The journey allows one to search for spirituality, to rethink one's relationship with nature and the divine, and to understand oneself. The land of the divine is usually magical, mythical, and stunningly beautiful. This is Kii Peninsula, to the south of the Yamato plain where early capitals of Japan were located. Some of the earliest sites for pilgrimage relating to Shinto deities are located in Kumano, in the region of Wakayama, with mountains rising to great height meeting the gushing sea.

This tour will explore the mystery and sacredness of the land of Shinto legends and gods in Kumano, one of the three sites in Japan designated as UNESCO World Heritage, and the Grand Shrines of Ise. The tour will also survey some temples, and monasteries in Nara and Kyoto for Buddhist interpretation of nature and the divine, expressed in garden art and Pure Land monasteries. Pilgrimage to contemporary art sites will allow one to reconsider one’s relationship with nature and the divine through art, installation and contemporary architecture in Naoshima and its neighbouring islands. This is a journey connecting the ancient past to the present, connecting one with nature, and interpreting such relationship through art, culture and architecture.

Resource Person
Professor Puay-peng Ho is Professor and Director of the School of Architecture and Director of the Centre for Architectural Heritage Research, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Ho received his First Class Honours degree in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Art History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His thesis was focused on Buddhist art and architecture of the Tang dynasty. Professor Ho is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Society of Architectural Historians. Currently, he serves on the Town Planning Board, the Antiquities Advisory Board and the History Museum Advisory Panel, and is Chairman of the Council of Lord Wilson Heritage Trust. His research interests and publications are in the areas of Chinese art and architectural history, vernacular architecture, and architectural theory. He is also involved in many architecture conservation projects in Hong Kong.

The Land Between Two Seas with Dr. Joseph Ting

Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan were important stops along the old Silk Road. This region also marks the boundary of Christianity and Islam. In conjunction with the Museum Society’s upcoming trip to the Caucasus region, Dr. Joseph Ting will give a pre-trip lecture with powerpoint presentation to highlight the importance of this area as the crossroads between the East and West. Dr. Ting will talk about the geographical location of the three countries, as they are sandwiched between major powers from prehistoric times to the present day, resulting as a melting pot of different cultures including ethnicities, religions, and languages.

Speaker
We are privileged to have as our guest speaker, Dr. Joseph Ting. He majored in Chinese Literature and Chinese History from HKU and graduated with a BA degree in 1974. He was conferred an MPhil in 1979 and a PhD in 1989, also from HKU. Dr. Ting joined the HK Museum of Art as an Assistant Curator in 1979 and was appointed Chief Curator of the HK Museum of History in 1995. He retired in 2007 after serving for 28 years. He is currently an Honorary Assistant Professor in the School of Chinese at The University of Hong Kong, as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

He is Honorary Advisor to many art and cultural institutions, including the University Museum and Art Gallery in HKU, the HK Museum of Art, the HK Museum of History, the Shenzhen Museum and Guangdong Provincial Museum. He is also a Member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust and the Education Bureau of Hong Kong, an Honorary Fellow of the HKU and Hong Kong Institute of Education, and was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre of Asian Studies.

Piano Recital by Rodolfo Matulich

"I write the soundtrack of life as I see it, from my observatory suspended between earth and dreams…"
"In the music page I write of courage and joy, sometimes about the obscurity, absence and the vertigo of researching…" — Rodolfo Matulich

Composer Rodolfo Matulich will be playing to us the first part of 4 pieces – Crytal's Dreams, Emotional Sadness, Improvisation and All'Infinito – from his new album, the last of which will be publicly performed for the first time.

Join us for an Italian night of live music under the alluring gaze of Botticelli's Venus! The recital will be followed by a wine reception with the Composer.

Matulich got his diploma in pianoforte at the Music Academy of Alessandria, before he received a doctorate in composition from Regis University and Berklee College of Music in Boston (USA). He studied Film Scoring with Ennio Morricone at the Accademia Chigiana in Sienna and orchestra conducting with Descev and Schumacher in Lugano. Matulich has transcribed music by Mozart, Gounod, Bellini and Puccini for the Tokyo Quartet, the cadence of Bonifazio Asioli's Concerto for flute and orchestra for Andrea Griminelli, and he has also arranged pieces from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana for the Symphonic Band within the Gianluigi Trovesi all'Opera project. He has conducted symphonies by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms, and with the Symphonic Orchestras of Plovdiv, Shumen and Sophia, and has contacts with the New York "Countdown Entertainment" society.

The event is co-organized by the Italian Cultural Institute, the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau, the University Museum and Art Gallery at HKU and the HKU Museum Society.

Arabian Days and Caspian Nights – Doha, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Baku in Azerbaijan

The University of Hong Kong Museum Society is pleased to present an exclusive tour to two of today’s most dynamic regions of contemporary art and architecture: the Arab Gulf states of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and the South Caucasus nation of Azerbaijan. This survey tour will be held in conjunction with programs specially arranged for our group at Art Dubai 2014.

Both the Arab Gulf states and Azerbaijan comprise of wealthy governing patrons who have conscientiously invested into growing the contemporary art scene in addition to having invited some of the world’s most renowned architects and designers to build an environment of amazing structures. In a seven day period, our group will meet key players in Doha, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including private art collectors, scholars, curators and artists, as well as see first rate art, architecture and design. We will be visiting the homes of private collectors as well as the regions’ highly acclaimed museums.

Similarly our four day visit to Azerbaijan, aptly labeled the Dubai of the Caucasus will consists of private visits to homes of local collectors and artist studios in addition to enjoying an overview of world architectural masterpiece structures within Baku. We will make time to visit the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the old walled city of Baku with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower as well as tour the oil fields outside of the city.

Our tour will correspond with Art Dubai, the leading international art fair in MENASA (Middle East, North African and South Asia), which over the past seven years has become a cornerstone of a booming, contemporary art community. In 2013, Art Dubai presented 75 specially selected galleries from 30 countries.

The Crossroads of East and West A cultural trip to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan with Dr Joseph Ting

Trip Overview

The forthcoming trip to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan is meant to be a continuation of our visit to Uzbekistan last year. We travelled as far west as Khiva which is not far away from the east coast of Caspian Sea, and this year we continue with our journey exploring the land west of Caspian Sea.

The three small countries, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan collectively known as Transcaucasia, are located south of the lofty Caucasus Mountains of Russia and north of the volcanic desserts at the border with Iran, and sandwiched by the Caspian Sea in the east and the Black Sea in the west. They are situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and have long been an important section of the Silk Road frequented by monks, warriors and merchants.

Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis have their own indigenes ancient origins, tracing back to pre-historical times and each had its own golden age in history when their boundaries were expanded, trade flourished, and their literature and art reached great heights. However, their strategic geographical position combined with their exquisite beauty have attracted invaders from the ancient times to the modern day, including the Hittites, Assyrians, Scythians, Greeks, Romans and Persians in the ancient times to the Arabs, Turks and Mongols in the middle ages, and finally the Russians in the last two centuries. They became part of the USSR from 1921 to 1990. They regained their independence in 1991. Although they share borders with each other, each country has its own unique distinctive culture. Throughout history, they were influenced and enriched by the different cultures introduced by the powerful invaders, traces of which can be found in their languages, religions, cuisines, dresses and in particular, their architecture like churches, mosques, monasteries, castles, old towns preserved to this day, some of which are registered as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.

These include ruins of the Zvartnots Temple, considered pearl of the 7th Century architecture in Caucasus, Echmiadzin Cathedral, one of the oldest standing churches in Christendom, both in Armenia. Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia with its architectural monuments, and the Bargrathi Cathedral and Gelati Temple are best examples of Georgian architecture at its height, just to name a few.

The three countries lie along the famous Silk Road which linked China with countries in Europe. Artashat, Tbilisi, Selim and Uplistsikhe were major stops in this important trade route and some caravanserai, built to accommodate travelers and merchants are preserved to this day.(Dr. Joseph Ting)

Resource Person

Dr. Joseph Sun Pao Ting was born in Guangzhou and raised in Hong Kong. He majored in Chinese Literature and Chinese History at HKU and graduated with a BA degree in 1974. He was conferred an MPhil in 1979 and a PhD in 1989, also from HKU.

Dr. Ting joined the Hong Kong Museum of Art as an Assistant Curator in 1979 and was appointed Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History in 1995. He retired in 2007 after serving for 28 years. He is currently an Honorary Assistant Professor in the HKU School of Chinese, and was an Honorary Research Fellow at the former Centre of Asian Studies.

He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Member, inter alia, of the Antiquities Advisory Board, the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust and the Education Bureau of Hong Kong.

Dr. Ting is an Honorary Advisor to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong University Museum and Art Gallery, the Shenzhen Museum and the Guangdong Provincial Museum. He is an Honorary Fellow of the HKU and Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Jardines – A Legacy of Change with Dr. Ritchie Bent

Since its establishment in Canton (Guangzhou) in 1832, Jardine Matheson has grown into a global multinational corporation, employing more than 380,000 employees, operating in 50 countries, spanning various businesses including engineering and construction, aviation and shipping, motor vehicle manufacturing and trading, property, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, e-solutions, insurance, and financial services (www.jardines.com). It boasts a history that has been the subject well covered by best-selling novelists, famous historians, and Hollywood films, including “Taipan” and “Nobel House”.

Dr. Ritchie Bent, Group Head of Human Resources for Jardine Matheson Limited, who has just completed a quarter of a century with the firm, will take us on a unique journey, tracing the fascinating history of the Jardine group, from its opium trading days, until now, and one that has played an integral role in the founding and subsequent development of Hong Kong.

Dr. Bent is an historian holding a PhD, M.Sc, and a BA (Hons) History degree from the University of Hong Kong. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at HKU; an Honorary Teaching Fellow at University of Leicester (UK); and Visiting Professor at Edinburgh Napier University Business School (UK). He is also a Chartered FCIPD (UK), Fellow and Council Member of the Hong Kong Management Association, and Chairman of the HRD Committee.

After his talk, Dr. Bent will give us a tour of the 48th and 49th floors of Jardine House, an area that is usually not open to the public. We will view Jardine’s artwork collection – an eclectic mix that ranges from George Chinnery sketches to various oil paintings by different artists.

It will be a morning mingling history, business, and art with Dr. Bent’s humour and wit.

Asian Art Hong Kong with Yifawn Lee

Asian Art Hong Kong (AAHK), a non-profit event organized and presented by Orientations magazine to celebrate Asian art, will take place on 3 – 12 April 2014. AAHK aims to promote high quality Asian art from the antiquities to the contemporary via a carefully designed series of events and programmes. With participation from the city’s foremost galleries, museums, institutions and auction houses, the week of talks, events, educational tours, and special exhibitions will bring together both public and professionals from across the globe. The varied educational programme will help raise interest and awareness of Asian art for a wider and particularly younger audience. (For details about the participants, please visit it www.asianarthk.com.)

In this special tour, Yifawn Lee, Founder of AAHK and Publisher of Orientations magazine, will take us to visit five of the participating galleries. Featured will be highlights of Chinese furniture, Himalayan art, Chinese jade carvings and Chinese contemporary art.

Yifawn Lee is the Publisher of Orientations magazine. She completed her BA at Columbia University with a double major in East Asian Languages and Cultures and Economics, and earned a Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She later moved to Hong Kong, working for a brief period in investment banking at Lehman Brothers. Having always been interested in Asian history, art and culture, she subsequently returned to London to study for a further MA in East Asian Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Now as publisher of the 45 year-old Orientations magazine, she combines her skillset with her passion for the arts.

The Hong Kong Heritage Project

The Hong Kong Heritage Project (HKHP) is the archive of the Kadoorie family, their business and charitable activities. It holds the business and personal papers of the Kadoorie family spanning 100 years from 1880 – 1980, including the records of China Light and Power and The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, operators of The Peninsula Hotel. The archive also houses the records of the Jewish communities of Hong Kong and Shanghai since 1934 as well as agricultural records related to the activities of the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association (today’s Kadoorie Farm).

HKHP is located in the new China Light and Power Head Office in Hung Hom, Kowloon, on the site of the company’s former Hok Un Power Station (1921–1991). Guided by Amelia Allsop and Clement Cheung, the visit will feature a presentation introducing the story of the Kadoorie family’s early years in the Far East, including their early charitable activities in India, China and the Middle East, their public and political work in Hong Kong, and details of their lesser known business ventures. The talk will be followed by a display of the project’s historic records, when HKHP’s archivist will be on hand to discuss the work involved in preserving and cataloguing these items. Materials on display will include records from various Kadoorie business interests as well as those related to the charitable, public and political activities of the family.

Resource Persons
Amelia Allsop is the Business Research and Communications Manager of The Hong Kong Heritage Project (HKHP). She has worked at HKHP since its inception in 2007 and is responsible for the project’s business related research, writing and communications. Prior to joining HKHP, Amelia worked as a researcher for a Member of Parliament and on a Legislative Bill team in London. She also worked as a researcher and writer for two external corporate history publications in 2012 – 2013.

Clement Cheung is the Manager – Repository and Librarian of The Hong Kong Heritage Project (HKHP). He has worked at HKHP since its founding in 2007 and is responsible for preserving the archive’s extensive collection and maintaining its daily operations. Before joining HKHP, Clement worked in the field of information management for many years in both the private and public sectors.

The “3 Art Worlds” of Chinese Contemporary Art with Examples from the Hanart 100: Idiosyncrasies Exhibition with Johnson Chang (Tsong-zung Chang 張頌仁)

Chinese contemporary art has captured international attention, with surging price tags and expanding collector profiles. Why such popularity in the past 30 years? Hanart TZ Gallery, established just when Chinese contemporary art took off, celebrated their 30th anniversary with a special exhibition of 100 pieces of idiosyncratic artworks. We have invited their Gallery Director Johnson Chang to speak to us on the phenomenon of the Chinese contemporary art.

In Hanart 100: Idiosyncrasies, 100 art objects were specially selected to reflect a particular interpretation of Chinese modern art history, exploring the structure of the “Chinese contemporary”. Chang presents the concept of “3 Art Worlds”, believing that China’s ideological divide of the past century does not mean separate “Chinas”, but rather alternative perspectives to see art today. These “3 Art Worlds” include the globalized capital world of contemporary art (which is often recognized as the only international platform), the world of literati art (often structured as “traditional”) and the world of socialist art (usually characterized by a political undertone). “3 Art Worlds” examines the core of creation – from art familiar to the global capital world to art that pays homage to tradition to art from the socialist world.

Speaker
Johnson Chang (Tsong-zung Chang 張頌仁) is a curator, guest professor of China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, director of Hanart TZ Gallery (漢雅軒畫廊), and board member of Asia Art Archive. He has been actively curating exhibitions of Chinese art since the 1980s. His current research projects include: the “Yellow Box” series of projects about Chinese space and contemporary art practice (since 2004); and “Jia Li Tang” projects on Confucian rites and aesthetics (since 2012). Recent curatorial works include: Co-curator of Guangzhou Triennial 2008 “Farewell to Post-Colonialism”, Co-curator of the 9th Shanghai Biennale 2012, the “West Heavens” series of India-China art and intellectual exchanges (first presented on the platforms of Shanghai Biennale 2010, Guangzhou Triennial 2011 and Shanghai Biennale 2012), “Inter-Asia” forum of Asian modern thought (since 2012), and recently “Hong Kong Eye” (Saatchi Gallery, London 2012).