An exhibition in memory of the late local artist Mr Ha Bik Chuen, who passed away on October 18, will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of Art from tomorrow (November 7) to January 24, 2010.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and organised by the Museum of Art, Hong Kong Sculpture Society and Artist Commune, the “Homage to Mr Ha Bik-chuen: Art of an Eternal Spring” exhibition features 12 works by Ha selected from the collection of the Museum of Art. They include “Explorer” (1971), “Politician” (1976), “Information of Leaf” (1986), “Purser” (1984), “Robot” (1999) and “Model of the Century” (2004).
The Museum of Art is planning another larger-scale retrospective exhibition to be held at the end of 2010 to review the art creation life of Ha.
Ha Bik-chuen (1925-2009) was born in San Wui District of Guangdong, China. He moved to Macau in 1949 and settled in Hong Kong in 1957. He began practising the art of sculpture since 1960. He excelled in making sculptures, prints, ink art and mixed media works. He was the Founding President of the Hong Kong Sculpture Society, a member of the Hong Kong Visual Arts Society, Hong Kong Sculptors Association and Hong Kong Graphics Society. His works were presented in the “Contemporary Hong Kong Art Exhibitions” and “Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibitions” at the Museum of Art from the 60s to the 80s and in the “Art Now Hong Kong Exhibition” which toured London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh in 1971. His prints were exhibited in Hong Kong, USA, Poland, Norway and Yugoslavia, including the “5th International Miniature Print Exhibition” of 1975 at the Pratt Graphics Centre, US. Ha received many awards including the Award for Arts Achievement (Visual Arts) by Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2003 and the Outstanding Award in the 10th National Exhibition of Fine Arts, China in 2004.
The Chief Curator of the Museum of Art, Mr Tang Hoi-chiu said Uncle Ha (Ha’s nickname) would not limit himself to any medium, but opened himself up to various forms of art. In his early prints, his favourite subjects were often trees, leaves and fruit, executed with a fine textural vocabulary, which delineated the lively, regenerative characteristics of the world of nature. His later prints were more figurative or scenic, with strong dashes of colour suggesting dynamic and vivid motion. As for his sculptures, he allowed his imagination to run free, using “found objects” such as old shoes, crushed tins, machinery parts, wood, stone and cut lengths of bamboo in a wonderful assembly that blended humour with unique insight into life and the ways of the world. He was able to laugh at the world around him while externalising his own thoughts and feelings with innocence and childlike charm. Towards his later years, Uncle Ha turned more to ink painting and developed a style of his own. Another aspect of his diverse interest was photography. But it was not the salon photography that he was after. Instead, he used it to capture the “moments of truth” which prompted him taking photos at exhibitions, and it was regarded as an integral part of every exhibition and art event. The pictures and photographic records Uncle Ha has left behind will be an important documentation of the art scenes in Hong Kong.
Image: Model of the century, Mixed meida, 2004
