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The Olympic Games will soon begin in Beijing, with Hong Kong as the co-host city for the Olympic equestrian events. Though the athletes have yet to start vying for medals, local artists have already used their talent to create artworks to support the city and the Olympics.
From August 2 to 25, members of the public who want a foretaste of the vitality of the Games can visit the "Olympic Sport and Art Contest 2008" at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre to appreciate an exhibition of six short-listed works.
To celebrate the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing and in response to the call by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which organised the "Olympic Sport and Art Contest", the Leisure and Cultural Service Department (LCSD) teamed up with the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), to organise the "Olympic Sport and Art Contest 2008" with the dual aims of spreading the Olympic spirit and presenting the synergy between art and sport in Hong Kong.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held today (July 31). Officiating guests were the Deputy Director (Culture) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Chung Ling-hoi, the President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Mr Timothy T T Fok, and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, Mrs Jenny Fung.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chung said the IOC not only organised the Olympic Games, but was also keen to organise art activities to reinforce and heighten awareness of the synergy between the worlds of art and sport.
The contest involved a regional phase and an international phase, in which the IOC invited all regions participating in the Olympic Games to select works of art for entry in the contest and send the selected works to Lausanne, Switzerland, for judging. "Towards the Rainbow" by local artist To Shui-ming earned the admiration of the jury and was awarded a diploma as a Runner-up (Highly Recommended) in the contest's international phase. The artwork has been arranged for display at the Olympic Expo in Beijing.
Mr Chung said, "I sincerely congratulate Mr To and hope that athletes from both the Mainland and Hong Kong can break more records in the Olympic Games this year, bringing more honours to our country."
Launched last December with an open invitation for entries, the Hong Kong regional phase of the "Olympic Sport and Art Contest 2008", which was divided into a sculpture section and a graphic works section, attracted 70 entries from 68 participants. The adjudication panel for the contest comprised representatives from the SF&OC, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, local art bodies and advisers of the LCSD. The panel short-listed six artworks from the 70 entries in its first round of judging and selected two final winners in the second round.
After the adjudication, "Towards the Rainbow" by To Shui-ming in the sculpture section and "Colour Diagram of Kinetic Energy" by Canson Lau Kin-lun in the graphic works section were further put forward to represent Hong Kong in the international phase of the contest held in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The results of the international phase were released on May 20, 2008, with artists from Slovakia and the Philippines winning the first prize in the graphic works and sculpture categories respectively, while "Towards the Rainbow" was a Runner-up (Highly Recommended).
The exhibition, at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, will showcase "Towards the Rainbow" by To Shui-ming and "Colour Diagram of Kinetic Energy" by Canson Lau Kin-lun, as well as the other four short-listed artworks: "Peace + Harmony" by Chung Chi-kwai, "One World One Dream" by Aries Lee, "Culture, Art & Athletic" by Stephen Chung, and "Pitching" by Winnie Wong Wai-lim.
Admission to the exhibition is free. The Visual Arts Centre is located at 7A Kennedy Road, Central, Hong Kong. It is open daily except Tuesday from 10am to 9pm. For details of the exhibition, please visit the Art Promotion Office's website at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/apo or call 2521 3008 or 3101 2738.
Ends/Thursday, July 31, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:33
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