This talk explores the types of imagery found in late Burmese murals and links the way in which they were depicted with contemporary religious and social trends. Through the standardized organization of the three sets of canonical stories, the murals express a number of different concepts, particularly the importance of hierarchy, kingship and the merit path to enlightenment (nirvana) to Burmese contemporary society, while the magical and protective imagery indicates the inclusiveness of Burmese Buddhism.
Speaker Dr. Alexandra Green has an M.A. and Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Prior to taking up her appointment as Research Assistant Professor at HKU, Dr. Green was Curator of Asian Art and Museum Director at the Denison Museum, Denison University, Granville, Ohio. Her catalogue of Burmese art at Denison, entitled "Eclectic Collecting: Art from Burma in the Denison Museum", was published in June 2008 by NUS Press. Further publications include "Burma: Art and Archaeology" produced by the British Museum Press in 2002. She has also lectured on Southeast Asian Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies and was Curator of the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, UK.
Originally built to house the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, construction of the Legislative Council Building started in 1900 and it was officially opened in 1912. After the relocation of the Supreme Court in 1978 and some internal conversion works, it was declared an historical building in 1984 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. In 1985, it became the Legislative Council Building.
During our visit, we will be given an introduction of the workings of the Council as well as a tour of the different facilities and highlights of the architectural features of this landmark building. We shall also meet Pauline Ng, Secretary General of the Legislative Council Secretariat, who is responsible for overseeing the support services of the Legislative Council. She also advises the President of the Legislative Council on all procedural and administrative matters. Pauline joined the LegCo Secretariat in 1994 after having worked in the Government for 20 years.
In 1999, Pauline received the Chief Executive's Commendation for Government/Public Service. She is currently the President of the Zonta Club of Hong Kong, Honorary Advisor to the Hong Kong Quality Management Association, Projects Director of the Action for Vision Eye Foundation, Director of the Project Vision Foundation and member of a number of charitable trusts. In her spare time, she is an accomplished painter and is also an art enthusiast.
Due to popular demand, we have decided to organize another adventurous dinner, this time at Dai Wing Wah Restaurant. Leung Man Tou (梁文韜) is the managing director of Dai Wing Wah Restaurant. He is like a walking Chinese culinary encyclopedia. Having written many books on food, he has been invited to lead gourmet tours to various countries in Asia. Raised in a Cantonese family in the seafood business, he started as an apprentice chef at the age of 19; now, he has over 40 years of cooking experience under his belt. The famous Dah Wing Wah Restaurant chain has recently branched out from its Yuen Long main location into the spacious new Kowloon Bay branch.
The food is mainly Cantonese provincial with a touch of fusion. Signature dishes are Five Flavors Chicken, Rice Fed Duck, Salty Dried Lemon Steamed Fish, Supreme Soya Sauce Prawn, Long Boiled Soup, Steamed Sponge Cake and a list of others.
For the foodies and for those looking for a change from the urban restaurant fare, this will be a pleasurable evening.
The Museum Society has organized a number of popular trips to exotic destinations in the past. Many participants have shown keen interest in photography. Seeing their enthusiasm, we have invited professional photographer Bobby Lee to give a talk and share his views on how to take more artistic pictures while on tours. Using visual illustrations, Bobby will first show us how to improve photography in general. Then, he will give suggestions to solve specific problems, such as taking photos in caves with dim lights and in museums with glass reflections, or on roads with moving targets. Do bring along your cameras, equipments and trouble pictures, and feel free to ask him during the Q&A session after his talk.
Bobby Lee, founder of Bobby Lee Photography Limited, works with major 4A advertising companies. His corporate clients include Cathy Pacific Airways, CLP, Hong Kong Electric, Town Gas, Hang Seng Bank, Sun Hung Kai Properties etc. A recipient of various international awards, Bobby is also a philanthropist contributing to Save the Children HK, Helping Hands and other worthwhile projects.
Let’s learn to capture better moments together.
While a great deal of historical attention has been focused on clothing worn by the Qing Emperors – quite notably, the twelve symbol dragon robes – some of the most beautiful robes from the period were in fact designed specifically for the ladies of the aristocracy. Among them, the most famous patron was the Empress Dowager Cixi, whose penchant for beautiful objects has been well documented.
The silk used for these imperial robes has always been a treasured commodity throughout China’s long history. It was only the wealthy few who could afford these very exquisite garments. They were so precious that they were often reused and, as time passed, altered to reflect current fashion trends of the period, sometimes even 50 to 100 years after they were originally commissioned.
A special visit is scheduled with K.S. Kuok, a private collector who started his collection of Chinese Qing robes 20 years ago. To this day, his enthusiasm for textiles still holds strong. His collection focuses on authentic robes in various styles of silk and embroidery – kesi and brocade knit. K.S. will display these unique pieces and share his knowledge regarding many facets of collecting textiles including, but not limited to, authenticating, caring and valuing.
Be ready to feast your eyes!
We will visit three UNESCO World Heritage sites on this tour: Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka & the Khajuraho Group of Temples.
Sanchi is famous for outstanding specimens of Buddhist art and architecture belonging to the period between the 3rd century BC and the 12th century AD. The most notable of all the Sanchi monuments is the Great Stupa which was commissioned by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC.
Khajuraho boasts the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples famous for their bold, sensuous and erotic sculpture. Made of sandstone, the temple complex was built by the Chandela Rajputs over a span of 200 years from 950 to 1150. Today, they serve as fine examples of artistic Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their depiction of sexual life during medieval times.
Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, is an important seat of Sikh history and culture. The architecture of the Golden Temple represents a unique harmony between the construction styles of the Muslims and the Hindus and has created an independent Sikh school of architecture in India. The shining gold facade is accentuated not only by hundreds of lights but by the faith and devotion of its followers, many of whom are not even of the Sikh faith.
Dharamsala literally means “Holy Refuge” and many monasteries have been established here by Tibetan immigrants in the past. In 635, Hsuan Tsang recorded 50 monasteries with around 2,000 monks in this region. Dharamsala pulsates with the characteristic sights and sounds of old Tibet and has become an important destination for scholars and pilgrims worldwide.
Andre Alexander will be the Resource Person of this tour. Since 1996, he is the Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Tibet Heritage Fund. Andre is responsible for managing conservation and development projects in Tibetan areas in India and China, including architectural conservation and urban rehabilitation, traditional construction skills as well as sustainable planning and design programs. These projects won several awards. Andre will share with us his knowledge of Tibetan culture and heritage and Buddhist architecture.
Optional Extension to Delhi, Agra & Jaipur (31 October – 6 November 2009)
We offer an optional five-night extension in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The highlights include six UNESCO World Heritage sites: Humayun Tomb, Qutub Minar and Red Fort in Delhi and Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
Saturday, 10 October: The Beauty – Women in Chinese Art
How is feminine beauty represented in art? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but “the eye” is also a socio-cultural construct. This lecture will consider the role of women in Chinese paintings, focusing on the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dr. Koon will be covering the figure in gendered spaces, the coding of landscapes as feminine, and way that images of women (an often marginalized genre of Chinese art) help to construct ideas of both femininity and masculinity.
Saturday, 17 October: The Beast – Eccentric Artists in the 18th Century
Beginning with the 17th century artist, Shitao and his “Ten Thousand Ugly Dots to Make Mi Fu Cry”, this lecture will examine the ways by which individuality and eccentricity were explored by the so-called Yangzhou Eccentrics in the 18th century. While individuality or eccentricity are often understood as forms of inherent talent, this lecture will open the parameters and look at how artists were influenced by external forces such as the market place, body politics, and intimate connections including love and friendship.
The speaker
Dr. Yeewan Koon is an Assistant Professor in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Hong Kong. Her previous research includes the use of art in Chinese diplomacy, Qing dynasty Guangdong collectors, and 18th and 19th century paintings including Luo Ping’s “Ghost Amusement Scroll”. Currently, she is investigating the art of Su Renshan (1814-c.1850) and the role of anger in Chinese painting.
The 4th annual Hong Kong International Art and Antiques Fair (HKIAAF 09) will be held from 3-6 October 2009.
Last year, HKIAAF 08 showcased some 2,000 superb works of art, exhibited by over 70 leading Asian, European and American galleries, and recorded sales of over HK$100 million. The Fair was attended by almost 18,000 visitors from all over the world. This year, HKIAAF 09 will again host leading Hong Kong and international galleries and will showcase a combination of both antiques and contemporary art. (For the most updated news, please visit their official website at http://www.aaifair.com.)
Overview:
The itinerary will follow the footsteps of ancient Buddhist priests along the Silk Road in Qinghai and Southern Gansu provinces. It includes a visit to a Neolithic site at Liuwan where 1,500 tombs were discovered, yielding a large quantity of attractive painted pottery.
Founded in the Hongwu period (1368-1398), Qutan Si is a well-preserved architectural gem near Liuwan. It houses a number of exquisite Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Buddhist statues. Its wall paintings vividly depict the life of the Buddha Sakyamuni.
Ta’er Si and Labuleng Si are the greatest monasteries in Qinghai and Gansu for training Lama monks. Both have important collections of Tibetan Buddhist tangkas and sculptural works made of various materials.
The focal spots to be visited in Southern Gansu are the earliest Buddhist sites in China. They are the cave temples at Maijisan, Wushan and Binglingsi. Their history can be traced back to the late 4th century. The colourful stucco figures in these caves are of exceptional historic value for the study of Chinese Buddhist culture.
Conducted in Cantonese, this tour will be lead by our own Museum Director, Yeung Chun-tong (???). He is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong with B.A. and M.Phil. Degrees, both in Fine Arts. He is currently Honorary Associate Professor, teaching Chinese material cultures and museum studies in the Department. With over 30 years of experience and an in-depth knowledge of Chinese art and history, Director Yeung is an invaluable resource for our visit to the sites in this part of the Silk Road.
Liu Guosong is a renowned pioneer of modern experimental Chinese ink painting. Born in Anhui, China in1932, he moved to Taiwan in 1949, and has also lived in Hong Kong for a period of time since 1971.
Liu was trained in both Western and Chinese traditional techniques. Imbued with the spirit to invent new ways to complement ink and colour on different types of paper, he founded the Fifth Moon Group of new Chinese painting in Taiwan. Highly acclaimed internationally, Liu has participated in many exhibitions and conferences worldwide. In 2004, he was invited to stage a retrospective of his works at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. He is also the Honorary President of the Modern Ink Painting Society in Hong Kong.
We are privileged to have a private tour with Liu to preview his exhibition just hours before the opening ceremony. It will be a unique opportunity to hear him talk about his insights and experimentations.
To add frosting to the cake, we have arranged a demonstration of modern ink painting techniques by three of Liu’s former students – Eddy Chan Kwan Lap, Chan Shing-kau and Anita Lau Kam Chi – who are prize-winning artists that have exhibited and published extensively.
Eddy Chan Kwan Lap is an international prize-winning MFA artist. He will be demonstrating his special techniques using crumbled paper and cardboard to produce metaphors of brushstrokes beyond brushstrokes, a signature of his mystically surrealistic paintings.
Chan Shing-kau is the Ex-Chairman of the Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society, an organization for cutting-edge experimental ink artists. He will show us his techniques using plastic sheets, detergents and spray bottles to produce textures that resemble different forms of nature, including snow scenes.
Anita Lau Kam Chi is famous for her unparalleled marbling technique ?teasing ink and water, in a fascinating controlled and yet uncontrolled manner – to create her highly popular and distinguished style of artworks which are found not only on paper but also on silk and cloth.
