Press Release

HKBU stages Art Basel Hong Kong parallel exhibition “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”

Friday, 15 March 2024

 

The Academy of Visual Arts (AVA) under the School of Creative Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is proud to become one of the Cultural Partners of Art Basel Hong Kong for the second consecutive year.

Alongside the HKBU representative booth at Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 28 to 30 March, AVA organised an Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 parallel exhibition at the University’s Kai Tak Campus, running from now until 10 April. The exhibition features the ink and multi-media artworks of the renowned Beijing-based ink artist Ms Peng Wei, engaging in dialogue with the creative works of six AVA artists including scholars, alumna and students.

When ink meets gender

The exhibition is titled “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”. The term "subversion" corresponds to the character “Guai” (夬) in the Chinese title. “Guai” is one of the 64 hexagrams from the Chinese classic Yijing or Book of Changes, a book which explores the principles of changes in the world. It represents a hexagram of "breakthrough" or "resoluteness".

The exhibition aims to discover innovative pathways in contemporary art that are deeply rooted in the Chinese ink tradition, while challenging Chinese gender stereotypes and the social constructedness. Women and their own subjectivity are the core subjects of this exhibition, and it also focuses on the complexity and fluidity of gender.

Traditional art reimagined through contemporary perspective

The exhibition is curated and coordinated by Dr Wang Yizhou and Dr Evelyn Kwok, Research Assistant Professors of AVA respectively. It presents new dimensions of contemporary ink art in the Mainland and Hong Kong, infusing participating artists’ individual responses to a range of gender issues in Chinese art, specifically ink painting and calligraphy, which has long been male-dominated.

In addition to ink painting and calligraphy on paper or silk, the creative works encompass a wide range of media, such as photography, performance art, video, animation, glass, and more. They borrow, reflect on, negotiate, or subvert the ideas from Chinese ink art and culture, pushing the boundaries of contemporary ink art.

Event details 

Event:

Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 parallel exhibition “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”

Exhibition period:

15 March - 10 April 2024

Opening hours:

12:00-18:00 (Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays)

Guided tour:

27 March 2024 (16:00-17:30)

Venue:

AVA Gallery, HKBU Kai Tak Campus, 51 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon 

Artists:

Peng Wei, Beijing-based ink artist, HKBU Institute of Creativity Distinguished Visitor 2023-24

 

Daniel Lau Chak-kwong, Associate Professor, AVA

 

Sunny Wang, Associate Professor, AVA

 

Yuki Liu Yee-kei, AVA alumna

 

Liu Xinyi, AVA PhD student

 

Scarlett Leung Tsz-yung, AVA undergraduate student

 

Ella Wong Shun-yu, AVA undergraduate student

Registration:

Free admission by online registration

In addition, Ms Peng Wei will engage in a panel discussion at the Exchange Circle of Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 in HKCEC, as well as an Artist Talk at HKBU's Kowloon Tong Campus, where she will share her insights on gender and ink art with the public. For more information, please visit the website.

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AVA organises an Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 parallel exhibition, titled “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”, at the University’s Kai Tak Campus.
AVA organises an Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 parallel exhibition, titled “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”, at the University’s Kai Tak Campus.
AVA organises an Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 parallel exhibition, titled “Ink Subversion: Through Gender Lenses”, at the University’s Kai Tak Campus.
In the field of contemporary Chinese art, Ms Peng Wei has long been involved in ink art from the perspectives of women and gender, exploring and discussing the aspects of gender, affection and family relationships.
In the field of contemporary Chinese art, Ms Peng Wei has long been involved in ink art from the perspectives of women and gender, exploring and discussing the aspects of gender, affection and family relationships.
Dr Daniel Lau Chak-kwong overlays the silhouette of Olympic gold medalist Lee Lai-shan with the transcription of Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess written based on traditional Chinese calligraphy styles.
Dr Sunny Wang reconsiders the definition and perception of women and deconstructs the unequal gender relations embedded in Chinese characters and components with her glass installation Fire Ink.
Dr Sunny Wang reconsiders the definition and perception of women and deconstructs the unequal gender relations embedded in Chinese characters and components with her glass installation Fire Ink.
Liu Xinyi works with mulberry paper, which resonates with the thin and silky quality of human skin. She creates works that metaphorically mimic the processes of treating wounds to heal. Through her "medical" manipulation, they become her "second skin."