Grotto Fine Art takes great pleasure in presenting a group exhibition of 11 Hong Kong artists, Angela Su, Wilson Shieh, Caroline Chiu, Wai Pongyu, Bovey Lee, Joey Leung, Castaly Leung, Wong Chungyu, Halley Cheng, Kwok Ying and Lam Tungpang. The Linear Dimension features the artist's interpretation of line or the linearity of their art in their respective medium. This exhibition forms the first part of Grotto's tenth anniversary program.

The exhibition concept stems from the different perceptions of line drawings in Chinese and western traditions. While the Chinese artist viewed it as an independent art form (because of its association with calligraphy), western artists perceived them as sketch or studies (because of their concerns with colors and shapes). This difference in perception became less obvious in the 20 th century when the two influences, and two cultures, became more integrated, resulting in lines and forms having attained equal status. In Hong Kong, between 1960s and 1990s, local artists tried to combine calligraphic lines with color shapes thus giving rise to a generation of definitive stylists who embodied design and landscape, and abstraction and calligraphy.

But perhaps the most interesting development came in the first decade of the 21 st century. In addition to Hong Kong's hybrid culture and history, artists were equipped with modern “materials” and through their usage a new definition of “line art” was born. This “linear” art form is more descriptive than calligraphy and substantial than a sketch.  The usage of line has gone beyond conventional application and two-dimensional surfaces. It is essentially more a concept than technique.   The “linear dimension” is the first step in the artist's creative thinking. The result is an indigenous style that transmits the innermost feelings of the artist and defines the most current trend in contemporary Hong Kong art.