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The "Hong Kong Graphic Art Fiesta 2007", comprising two exhibitions and a variety of educational and promotional activities, was opened today (November 2) at Tsuen Wan Town Hall.
The fiesta is a partnership project of the Art Promotion Office (APO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Hong Kong Open Printshop. It is supported by the Hong Kong Art Development Council, the School of Design (SD) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency Ltd. The project will introduce contemporary works of printing from different countries and regions, and aims to encourage local printmaking.
Speaking at today's opening ceremony, the Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, said the fiesta was the biggest event in recent years to promote printmaking through a series of exhibitions and activities. "They not only provide a glimpse of the latest local and overseas works of print, but also foster cultural exchange between artists, and raise viewers' interest and concerns in the creativity and education of print art," Dr Ng said.
"Printmaking has a long history in China, dating back more than 1,000 years to the Buddhist sutra of the Tang dynasty, where the earliest printwork was found.
"Printmaking, as a medium to produce and reproduce images, has entered an era flooded with digital technology, the Internet and electronic media, from which numerous images are being generated everywhere. This has created challenges and opportunities that are of great concern to printmaking artists," Dr Ng said.
The fiesta includes two exhibitions, "Crossing Boundaries: An International Print Exchange Exhibition" and "Hot Off the Press". "Crossing Boundaries" offers glimpses of international currents in printmaking through showcasing printworks that cross over national, artistic and cultural boundaries. It features works from 12 printmaking workshops in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Australia, England, Finland, the Slovak Republic and the United States. The exhibition is on at Tsuen Wan Town Hall from today until November 13 and part of the works are displayed at the exhibition area of Tsuen Wan Plaza.
"Hot Off the Press", showcasing recent print works by students of local universities and colleges, aims to encourage creativity in printmaking among budding artists. Participants are from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Design, the Hong Kong Art School, the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Academy of Visual Arts of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and the Visual Arts Division of the Department of Creative Arts and Physical Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education. The exhibition will run from November 30 until December 10 at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre and then move to the SD Gallery of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from December 19 to January 17, 2008.
A series of educational and promotional activities will also be held from this month to January. For details, please visit the APO's website www.lcsd.gov.hk/apo/ or call 2521 3008.
Tsuen Wan Town Hall is at 72 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan. It is open daily from 10am to 8pm. Tsuen Wan Plaza is at 4-30 Tai Pa Street, Tsuen Wan. Its exhibition area opens daily from 11am to 9pm. The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre is at 7A Kennedy Road, Central. Its exhibition hall is open from 10am to 9pm and is closed on Tuesdays. The SD Gallery is at room AG101, Core A, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is open from 10am to 7pm and closed on public holidays. Admission is free.
Ends/Friday, November 2, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:02
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