Featuring 83 works by 78 local artists, the "Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards 2009" exhibition, to be held from tomorrow (May 21) until August 1 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, shines a light on the newest talent in Hong Kong art.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and organised by the Museum of Art, this open competition aims to provide a platform for the exhibition of excellent works by Hong Kong artists, and to survey the development of the Hong Kong art scene by showing the latest works of local visual artists.
The event was originally named the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition and was first held in 1975. From 1975 to 2005, fifteen biennial exhibitions were held and more than 100 award winners selected. Most of them have become accomplished artists who play a vital role on the Hong Kong art scene. Coming into its sixteenth event in the series, the biennial has been renamed the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards (HKCABA) and has become an important event on the calendar of local art circles.
The Chief Curator of the Museum of Art, Mr Tang Hoi-chiu, said that the event was renamed to highlight the unique nature of the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition, whose distinctive mission and identity are carried on by the HKCABA. Taking root in the local art scene, the HKCABA serves as an open platform to showcase Hong Kong art, encourage local artistic talent, review the most recent developments in the local art scene and explore Hong Kong's artistic creativity and cultural identity.
"HKCABA serves as a major showcase for local artists both locally and internationally in order to keep pace with the globalisation of the arts, and to present awards to recognise the outstanding achievements of local artists," said Mr Tang.
The HKCABA 2009 received 2,220 entries from 1,090 participants, outnumbering the figures in previous Hong Kong Art Biennials. The 10 artists whose entries were selected as best works will receive biennial cash prizes, as well as study awards sponsored by the Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Other new awards including the achievement awards (sponsored by the Ink Society) and the young artist awards (sponsored by the Take a Step Back Collection) are to commend the most meticulous artists and to boost creative and progressive young artists respectively. Visitors to the exhibition will also be invited to take part in this artistic extravaganza by voting for their favourite piece. The audience choice award will be granted at the end of the exhibition.
The 10 outstanding awards for HKCABA 2009 were presented to Ho Siu-nam for his work "Into Light" (photography), Alexis Ip Ka-wai for "Scene of Hong Kong: Fa Yuen Street" (photography), Koon Wai-bong for "Reworking the Classics" (Chinese painting), Lam Tung-pang for "Faith moves Mountain" (others), Kingsley Ng for "Light From +22 16'14"+114 08'48""(installation), Tang Kwok-hin for "The Photo Book of Mu Mu Dao" (sculpture), Tong Wing-sze for "City Memory. Memorise Hong Kong" (video art and digital art), Wong Hau-kwei for "Rocky Cliff" (Chinese painting), Xu Baoxun for "My response towards Chinese calligraphy" (Chinese calligraphy and seal carving), and Zhou Jin for "Fu" (Chinese painting).
The achievement awards were presented to Fung Yat-fung for his work "Spirit of nature" (Chinese painting) and Hung Keung for "Dao Gives Birth to One" (video art and digital art) , while Young Artist Awards went to Fong Sum-yu for "Stolen times for sale" (video art and digital art) and Lai Kwan-ting for "May, 2008" (Chinese painting).
To expand the scope of this important local event, the Museum of Art has established partnerships with various art organisations and institutions to organise nineteen exciting fringe programmes and activities. They include the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Para/Site Art Space, Friends of Shizhai, the Hong Kong Calligraphy and Seal-Carving Society, the Department of Fine Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Academy of Visual Arts of the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design, the School of Creative Media of the City University of Hong Kong, Osage Gallery, 1a space, Artist Commune, the Hong Kong Sculpture Society, the Art Promotion Office of the LCSD, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, the Hong Kong Glass Arts Development Society, Ingroup, the Photographic Salon Exhibitors Association, the Hong Kong Artist Society, the Organising Committee of Art Specialist Course Exhibition, the Alumni Association of the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society.
A highlight fringe exhibition, "Hong Kong Diary - Response Exhibition of the 53rd Venice Biennale Hong Kong Exhibition II" will be on display at the Museum of Art from June 12 to August 1. Artist Pak Sheung Chuen will reassemble his works exhibited in the Venice Biennale last June into a new exhibition.
A catalogue on the current biennial has also been published and is available at the Museum of Art's gift shop.
