Sin Sin Fine Art is pleased to present the contemporary calligraphic works of Hong Kong artist Fung Ming Chip at the Hong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK) to be held from 26 to 29 May 2011 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.  An adjunct show of Fung’s works will also be held at the gallery spaces at Sai Street, Central from 26 May to 6 June 2011.  On Saturday 28 May 2011, Sin Sin will stage a special VIP program for ART HK at Sai Street - “Alchemical Alley”, a street music and dance performance curated by Kung Chi Shing, responding to the dynamic energy of Sai Street, where old and new Hong Kong blend in a constantly shifting movement, and to the works of Fung Ming Chip exhibited in the Sai Street spaces.
 
Born in a small village in China, Fung was only afforded a basic education.  His early years were a journal of long hours of odd jobs to make ends meet.  However, it was the trials of life that gave him the chance to pursue his interest in art.  He began with seal carving when he was forced to take a break because of lung disease in 1975.  Fung was not satisfied with only mastering the form and aesthetic of seal carving.  He felt that seal carving should be an art of its own, independent of painting and calligraphy.  To achieve this, one must understand the essence of Chinese characters and the inner logic of Chinese calligraphy.  With an inquisitive mind, Fung began his cogitative journey in Chinese calligraphy, going beyond the traditional paradigm.  He frequented art galleries and museums after he moved to New York in 1977.  The exposure to western art provided him a broader conceptual framework to contemplate on Chinese calligraphy.  He successfully brought new life to seal carving, mutated it into wooden carving and gave new meaning to calligraphic art.  He found that time and space were unique elements of Chinese calligraphy.  By deconstructing and reconstructing the inner space and time of Chinese calligraphy, he has, over the years, invented more than one hundred new scripts.  Fung is also a writer.  He composed most of the verses and prose in his calligraphic works, sometimes sensual, sometimes philosophical, imparting a seasoned view of the world with a sense of dry wit.  While the medium remain to be ink, brush and xuan paper, his calligraphic art brings an entirely new experience in various dimensions – spatial, temporal and even melodious.  

In his recent work Life/Death, Different Double Script, the character sheng 生 (life) was overwritten by a larger darker character si 死 (death) .  Britta Erickson remarked that “although death does indeed follow life, life is not extinguished: it shines on through death”.  This can also best describe the recent developments in Chinese calligraphy.  While Chinese calligraphy’s traditional function in day-to-day writing is diminishing, it has now emerged as a new form of contemporary art opening up an array of possibilities.  Fung Ming Chip is one of the early pioneers venturing into this territory.  His art speaks not only to those who can read Chinese characters, it reaches to the heart and mind of people of different cultural backgrounds.

Since 1986, Fung has been travelling among New York, Hong Kong and China. His works are included in major private collections and public institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard-Sackler Museum and Princeton University Art Museum. 

Hong Kong International Art Fair
3E01, Hall 3E
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
26 May 2011  12pm – 7pm Public opening
27 May 2011  12pm – 7pm Public opening
28 May 2011  12pm – 7pm Public opening
29 May 2011  12pm – 5pm Public opening