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Linking up Asia and Europe, the Silk Road has been providing trade routes between east and west since ancient times. Ever wondered what it will look like from the perspective of Hong Kong in the 21st century? Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and curated by ArtMap, "Reborn - The Silk Road Arts Exhibition" has invited some of Hong Kong and Macau's most influential visual artists to embark on a Silk Road journey.
"Reborn – The Silk Road Arts Exhibition" runs from today until November 8 at Harbour City, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Shatin New Town Plaza and City Hall. The touring exhibition showcases the talents of eight visual artists from Hong Kong and Macau - Konstantin Bessmertny, Fiona Wong, Ho Siu Kee, Kingsley Ng, Lau Hok Shing, Ray Chan, Sara Tse and Otto Li.
Konstantin Bessmettny is one of the most representative figures in the contemporary art scene based in Asia. It took him more than one year to conceive the Renaissance wooden horse sculpture "Monument to Anyone". Bessmettny also created a series of illustrations titled Travelogue with Marco Polo posted on a series of pillars. Participants can enjoy the humorous illustrations through the holes on the pillars.
Associate Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, Ho Siu Kee presents "Halo", an intricate work illustrating how scientists use the optical theory to explain the mystery of the Buddhist halo - the glittering light that resembles a Buddha appearing among the clouds seen in the deserts of Dunhuang.
Kingsley Ng, who furthered his studies in France after obtaining his degree in new media arts in Toronto, Canada, has created a site-specific "sound walk" piece, "Ambient 1: Music for Terminal". Participants are invited to download a sound clip onto their mobile device and listen to a stream of sounds made by various musical instruments from the historical Silk Road, interwoven with ambient sounds recorded at the site.
Sara Tse received the Fond Des Artistes Grant from Alliance Fran?aise and is now a doctorate candidate (ceramics) of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University. Inspired by the Sun Burial rituals in the Loulan ruins, Tse reconstructed an imagined artefact: ceramic boats that might have sent people to an oasis town vanished into the dunes thousands of years ago.
In his work "Amitabha", computer animation designer Otto Li used pixels - the basic unit in digital world - to replace the paints on the Dunhuang fresco. The different colour combinations formed by tiny little pixels re-creates the Amitabha fresco sculptures.
Chinese University Master of Fine Arts graduate Fiona Wong pays tribute to the Persian empire's oldest palace complex with her work "The Persepolis Ghazal."
Lau Hok Shing, a graduate of Master of Fine Arts in Australia, has prepared a heart warming "The Gift to Marco Polo" in view of the fact that historians have cast doubts over Polo's work Oriente Poliano in which tea leaves were never mentioned. Transcending space and time, Lau made this gift to show his sympathy for Marco Polo.
Ray Chan, who recently held a solo exhibition Lyndhurst 1900 (Aesop store at Lyndhurst Terrace, 2009), has created "Hidden" for this exhibition. His work was inspired by the early Dunhuang murals which were plastered and repainted over time. It explores the idea of hiding and revealing and is a re-creation of the process of searching through the use of layering of the artist's ceramics works.
"Reborn – The Silk Road Arts Exhibition", one of the highlights of the Silk Road Arts Festival presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will be held at various venues. Details are as follows;
1. Date: Today – September 9
Time: 10am - 10pm
Place: Harbour City Ocean Terminal Main Concourse
2. Date: Today - September 27
Time: 10am-10pm
Place: Harbour City Ocean Terminal Forecourt
(Selected exhibits)
3. Date: September 10 - 20
Time: September 10 : 3pm-10pm;
September 11 - 12, 14 - 19: 9am - 11pm;
September 13 and 20: 9am - 6pm
Place:Hong Kong Cultural Centre Foyer
(Selected exhibits)
(Presented by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra)
4. Date: September 21 - 27
Time: 10am - 10pm
Place: New Town Plaza Phase 1 L1 Entrance Arena
(Selected exhibits)
Remarks: Special tour sessions guided by artists will be provided on September 26 and 27
5. Date: October 30 – November 8
Time: October 30: 5.30pm - 8pm;
October 31 – November 7: 11am - 8pm;
November 8: 11am - 3pm
Place: Hong Kong City Hall Low Block Exhibition Hall
(Selected exhibits) (Jointly presented by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre)
For enquiries, please call 9478 5526 (Kit Ho) or 9263 2737 (Hyman Hui) of Artmap.
Ends/Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:22
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