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"Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012" exhibition showcases vitality of local art (with photos)
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     The latest exhibition of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, "Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012", to be held from tomorrow (October 4) until January 5 next year, will feature 97 awarded and selected works that demonstrate the talents of Hong Kong artists and the vibrant development of local art.

     Formerly known as the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition, the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This large-scale open competition has been organised 17 times since its inception in 1975, providing a platform for local artists to show their talents and accomplishments and for promoting wider understanding of the distinct quality and characteristics of Hong Kong art. From 1975 to 2012, the number of artists taking part in each competition has increased from 269 to 935 and the number of entries has also increased from 747 works in 1975 to 1,963 works in 2012. The figures alone show the tremendous growth of the number of artists and give a sense of the vibrancy of local art.

     The award presentation and the opening ceremony of the exhibition were held today (October 3) at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The officiating guests included the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung; the Chairman of the Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Mrs Nancy Lee; the Chairman of the Art Museum Advisory Panel, Mr Vincent Lo; and the Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Ms Eve Tam.

     Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Tsang said that the awarded and selected works were submitted by local experienced and young artists. The works display strong local consciousness and an international art perspective, while some show traditional cultural values and others reflect the faces of local society, he explained. The artists used various media to share their ideas and create their works, fully showing the uniqueness of Hong Kong art in the international art scene.

     The Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012 was well received, with submission of artworks from nearly 1,000 entrants. After two rounds of judging, 97 works were finally selected for the exhibition including 10 Hong Kong Contemporary Art Award-winning works, two Achievement Award-winning works and two Young Artist Award-winning works.

     In addition, the Laurence Tam Memorial Art Award, sponsored by the Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, has been specially introduced in the latest Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards to pay tribute to Mr Laurence Tam, the late Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, for his outstanding and selfless contributions to the promotion of local art and the development of museum services in Hong Kong. The winning artwork for this award will be determined by the votes of exhibition visitors, who are invited to choose their favourite artwork from the 83 selected entries on show in the exhibition (the 14 artworks already awarded are not included). Result will be announced after the exhibition is closed. The winners of Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards and the Laurence Tam Memorial Art Award will be sponsored by the Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art for an overseas visit to learn about the latest developments of contemporary art.

     The 10 Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards were presented to Chan Keng-tin for his work "Cloud and Sea" (Chinese painting), Max Chan for "Unfolded" (photography), Chu Hung for "Messages" (Chinese painting), Ho Sin-tung for "Hong Kong Inter-vivos Film Festival" (installation), Huen Siu-chan for "Legend of Shen Can Bai Xue Ge In Running Cursive Script" (Chinese calligraphy), Ip Yuk-yiu for "Another Day of Depression in Kowloon" (digital art), Lai Kwan-ting for "Car Compartment" (Chinese painting), Ng Ka-man for "Album of Calligraphy - Lee Tien Ming's Poetry" (Chinese calligraphy), Kacey Wong for "Sleepwalker" (installation), and Stanley Wong (anothermountainman) for "Impermanence" (installation).

     The Achievement Awards were presented to Hector Rodriguez for his work "Gestus: Judex" (video art) and Wong Hau-kwei for "Gathering Cloud" (Chinese painting), while Young Artist Awards went to Chui Pui-chee for Wyman Wong's Lyrics "TourBillion" in running script (Chinese calligraphy) and Ma King-chu for "Cambodia/ Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum/ Numbers Standing Still" (mixed media).

     The Hong Kong Museum of Art has also introduced a small-scale curated show making use of a small portion of the selected entries for a longer-term display in the museum. The selection brings together works that are related to local social issues or that tell a distinctive Hong Kong story.

     In order to promote artistic talents and to encourage more cultural exchanges among local people, the museum has also organised a series of fringe programmes for the exhibition, including talks, art demonstrations and sharing by award winners, fun tours for parents and children and guided tours. For details of the "Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012" exhibition and fringe programmes, please visit the museum's website at hk.art.museum, or the new fan page "Art Map x Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/artmaphkcaa. For enquiries, please call 2721 0116.

     The Hong Kong Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is open from 10am to 6pm daily, and from 10am to 7pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). Standard admission is $10. Full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above and people with disabilities can enjoy a half-price concession, and a 30 per cent discount is available for groups of 20 people or more (standard rate). Admission is free on Wednesdays.

Ends/Thursday, October 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:54

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