A Tribute to Irene Chou
– Presented by The Ink Society, Hong Kong
Irene Chou (1924-2011) |
Irene Chou (1924-2011) |
This exhibition is the third instalment of The Ink Society’s “Tribute” series which aims to celebrate the art and legacies of master ink painters. Irene Chou was one of the most prominent artists of the New Ink Painting Movement in Hong Kong. With a firm grounding in traditional Chinese painting, she recast tradition to develop her own unique visual language. Chou’s range was immense and her distinct abstract style evolved throughout her artistic career which spanned from the 1950s to the 2000s. By coincidence, this exhibition comes at a time when there have been an increasing number of shows around the world dedicated to female artists. Indeed, Chou defied social conventions and devoted herself wholeheartedly to creating art in the male-dominated genre of ink painting.
The exhibition presents 13 paintings from the early 1970s to the year 2000. Also featured—and certainly not to be missed—is the short documentary “The Universe of Irene Chou (Zhou Luyun) — In Her Own Words” (2004). The film allows viewers to see the artist at the age of 80 speak about her life and art, revealing the feisty yet warm character behind her paintings.
Ink+
– Curated by Eric Leung. Presented by Ink Asia
Carla Chan |
Xiao Yu |
To inspire innovation and broaden artistic vision in ink art, 9 artists from Hong Kong and China have been invited to exhibit their alternative ‘Ink’ works in the special project ‘Ink+’ organized by Ink Asia 2019. They ingeniously interpreted ink elements and ideas into inventive contemporary works that still contain the essence of literature by using refreshing and non-traditional media. These works include videos, new media and installations.
Ink art is constantly evolving over time; the New Ink Movement introduced numerous Western art techniques and ideas in the 1960s and 1970s; it even set off a revolution to abandon traditional brushstroke techniques. Contemporary art emphasises conceptual creativity, hence the adoption of a large variety of technology and lifestyle materials, enabling art forms to extend infinitely. The development of contemporary ink art is currently facing many new challenges as well as opportunities. Some artists continue to reform and enrich ink art; while others try to infuse the elements and spirit of ink art into other media. ‘Ink+’ aims to explore the limits of ink art by presenting various ink-inspired cutting-edge experiments.