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Enjoying good tea served in fine tea ware makes tea drinking a pleasurable pastime. Enthusiastic local potters who took part in the large-scale "2013 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" competition have combined traditional concepts with innovative ideas to create tea ware items that emphasise both functional and artistic value while displaying new concepts and styles of local tea ware creation.
Held in April this year, the "2013 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" competition was organised by the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. A total of 105 outstanding works by 87 local potters were selected from the competition. They are now on display in the "2013 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" exhibition, which will be open to the public from tomorrow (September 4) until September 8, 2014.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held today (September 3) by the Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng; the Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Ms Eve Tam; and three adjudicators of the tea ware competition, Dr Tam Cheung-on, Ms Wong May-lee and Mr Tsang Cheung-shing.
The Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is dedicated to promoting tea drinking and ceramic art in Hong Kong. Since 1986, the museum has organised nine tea ware competitions to provide a platform for exchange and creation for local potters. The competition this year was well received by potters, with a record number of 335 tea sets submitted by 244 entrants.
The 105 outstanding tea ware items being shown in the exhibition include works selected from the Open Category, in which a wide cross-section of production and decorative skills can be found. The works cover diverse themes, ranging from nature to abstract forms inspired by everyday experience. Building on the previous competition, this year's event also included a Student Category. Selected works from this category show the unlimited creativity and vitality of young people, and also highlight the sterling efforts of their ceramics instructors.
Apart from showing selected works from the competition held this year, the exhibition also features a photo show of the winning works from past competitions. From the 1980s to the early 2000s, Hong Kong society has faced great challenges and changes. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see how, in the wake of these social changes over the past 30 years, ceramic artists have subtly infused their works with personal ideas about culture and customs, beliefs and values, and our lifestyles, bringing a new visual impact to tea ware design.
The results of the "2013 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" competition were as follows:
The first prize in the Open Category was won by "Water never leaps, will run deep" by Enders Wong. The second and third prizes went to "Liquid collection: drinking tea with morning dew" by Law Hon-wah and "Bird" by Winus Lee respectively. The winning entries for the prize of excellence were "Tough yet supple" by Yolanda Chan, "Red, white and blue" by Ku Siu-hing, "Dumb" by Ng Hoi-san, "Popular pastime" by Wong Chun-kit, "In pursuit of clouds" by Sita Wong, "Lotus root, support under the soil" by Yokky Wong and "Rhythm of clear stream flowing amid stones" by Wong Tsz-shan.
The first prize in the School Category was awarded to "Reminiscence" by Lee Ngo-cheung, while the second and third prizes went to "Home sweet home" by Chan Hiu-lam and "Be quick" by Choi Wai-yin respectively.
These winning entries are now on display along with other selected works. To complement the exhibition, an education corner with interactive games has been set up in the galleries to offer visitors insight into the production techniques of tea ware as well as the imaginative creations of local potters.
Located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong (inside Hong Kong Park), the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is open from 10am to 6pm daily and is closed on Tuesdays. Admission is free.
For more information of the "2013 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" exhibition, please visit the website of the Hong Kong Museum of Art at hk.art.museum, or call 2869 0690 or 2869 6690.
Ends/Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:45
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