Private Viewing: “Eternal Enlightenment: The Virtual World of Jiajing Emperor” with Collector Anthony Cheung Kee Wee and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: “Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday Life” (Conducted in Cantonese)
The HKU Museum Society is delighted to be extended a private viewing of Eternal Enlightenment: The Virtual World of Jiajing Emperor with Collector Anthony Cheung Kee Wee and Curator Hilda Mak, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday Life with Assistant Curator Amy Chan.
Eternal Enlightenment: The Virtual World of Jiajing Emperor
2022 marks the 500th anniversary of the Jiajing Emperor, Zhu Houcong’s (1507 – 1567) ascension to the throne. During his reign, the Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal strife and foreign threats. In the 21st year of the Jiajing period (1542), the emperor moved to West Park and lived there until his death in 1567. After retreating to the West Park, built to resemble an immortal land on earth, the Jiajing Emperor devoted himself to pursuing immortality and building temples and palaces. The imperial porcelain designs during this reign were greatly influenced by his Daoist belief. A total of nearly six hundred thousand pieces were produced during this period. The forms and patterns of these wares reflected the hopes and wishes of the Jiajing Emperor and mirrored the predicament and uncertainties of reality at the time. Through his design of the West Part, usage of vast quantities of wares, and practice of Daoist rituals, the emperor was seemingly building his idealized immortal world just like a virtual world nowadays, where he could one day transcend the temporal realm and achieve immortality.
Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday Life
As one of the most renowned Spanish artists of the 20th century, Joan Miró’s love for all kinds of everyday objects and their intrinsic poetic qualities is apparent throughout his long and fruitful career. Linking art to life was one of his greatest aspirations, which was realised by his unique ability to perceive the poetic qualities possessed by the most humble of objects. This exhibition presents 94 artworks (including paintings, sculptures, drawings, textiles, lithographs, posters) and audio-visual materials, many of which come from the Fundació Joan Miró, an institution founded by Miró himself in 1975.
To complement the exhibition, the Museum has invited local artists GayBird and Leelee Chan to create installations in response to Miró’s art, and local illustrator Zoie Lam to create Miró-inspired illustrations for an education booklet and a special display with elements of augmented reality effects. Artworks from the Museum’s own collection are also showcased in juxtaposition with Miró’s art to create a unique dialogue between the East and the West.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Museum of Art
Charger with the Three Friends of Winter and fu character design in the underglaze blue
Ming dynasty
Collection of Hong Kong Museum of Art
Sobreteixim 6
Collection of Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona