The Liu Kuo-sung Archives and The Ink Society are delighted to present the Liu Kuo-sung Ink Art Award 2022. This is a special one-off edition to celebrate Liu Kuo-sung's 90th birthday. The Award recognizes young Hong Kong artists who contribute significantly to advancing contemporary ink art. We have focused on Hong Kong artists for this Award in recognition of Liu Kuo-sung's 21 years of teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The two decades in Hong Kong was an important chapter of Liu Kuo-sung's lifelong dedication to nurturing young artists.
After two rounds of judging, The Liu Kuo-sung Archives and The Ink Society are delighted to announce that the Gold Prize with cash prize HK$99,999 goes to Hung Fai, the two Silver Prizes with cash prize each of HK$33,660 are awarded to Yau Wing-fung and Chan Kwan-lok, and the two Bronze Prizes with cash prize each of HK$18,000 are awarded to Shum Kwan-yi and Cheuk Ka-wai.
Dr. Raymond Tang, member of the jury, comments:
“Hung Fai has been exploring and developing his own artistic language over the years and is determined to take on the journey of abstraction. In terms of technique, he constantly studies the repetition generated in the process of image transformation, and how to employ repetitive images to inspire creation through various experiments. From his early symmetrical ink seepage printing method to folding pad printing, Hung has been exploring new possibilities of ink, staying true to modern ink painting’s emphasis on experimentation and originality. After a long period of trial and error, he has mastered the use of materials, fully displaying the effects of pad printing, folding, and ink blurring. The straight and meticulously executed lines and the free-flowing ink intertwine and form ever-changing images. Rather than creating a sense of rigidity, the repetitive features in the image adds the element of time-lapsing, providing the audience with the metamorphosis in the creative process. More interestingly, Hung not only explores his practice from the level of techniques and material, but more consciously combines his thoughts with the contemplation of the traditional and contemporary in the process of experimentation; this has a proactive effect on the continuous exploration and experimentation of the 21st century ink spirit.
Yau Wing-fung’s abstract landscape reflects the observation and perception of the natural world from a generation that grew up with the widespread application of technology in life. Inspired by satellite remote sensing images of the earth’s climate and geography, the way he divides the composition of his image breaks the traditional Eastern and Western perspectives and human imagination of natural landscape, and creates a visual impression that is both familiar and strange. However, Yau chooses not to employ any technological tools when painting. On the contrary, he expresses landscape with traditional and meticulous brushstrokes, and tries to understand the coherence between void and solid through studying the composition of Taihu stones, thereby establishing his unique landscape pictorial form.
Among the winners this year, three of them follow the traditional gongbi style, and Chan Kwan-lok is one of them. He demonstrates a great affection and confidence for the line in Chinese painting in his work. Although Chan laid his foundation from figure paintings in the Tang Dynasty, Dunhuang frescoes, and the plain drawing (baimiao) of Li Gonglin, he has never been fettered by tradition. On the contrary, he extensively draws inspiration from Japanese Ukiyo-e and European illustrations to enrich the expressive power of his strokes and to pursue new ideas in subject matter and composition. He accurately captures the expression of the subjects with plain drawing brushstrokes, expressing their sense of movement, texture, and spatiality. Complex but methodical, images full of visual impact are generated through the intensive expression of intertwining lines, creating a highly original and magnificent ocean of fantasy.
Both Shum Kwan-yi and Cheuk Ka-wai show their fascination for Song paintings. Shum embeds Hong Kong landscape and ships in the composition of panoramic Song Dynasty landscape, using traditional brushstrokes and pictorial form to counteract the dislocation of time and space. In addition, she also tries to collage her paintings with Sulphur-treated silver leaf. By adding strange and fantastical metallic clouds to the ancient landscape, she not only breaks the peace and calmness of the image, but also adds a sense of historical vicissitude that reflects the artist’s various imaginations of contemporary society. Cheuk’s skillful, heavily coloured style of gong-bi and meticulously executed brushstrokes re-presents the naturalism of the gongbi paintings in the Song Dynasty. However, she brilliantly introduces surreal content and composition, juxtaposing contemporary toys with traditional flowers and birds to construct a world in the painting where fantasy and reality coexist, establishing her gentle and delicate way of storytelling.
Sincere congratulations to all the winning artists! We hope that with the encouragement of the Liu Kuo-sung Ink Art Award, the artists will jointly promote the development of ink art in the 21st century and discover more possibilities.”
We extend our warmest thanks to the three Observers: Ms Tina Pang, Ms Leona Yu and Kingsley Liu; and the three Jurists, Prof Liu Kuo-sung, Dr Anita Chung and Dr Raymond Tang.
Gallery
Liu Kuo-sung was unable to attend in person in 2022 and 2021 due to travel restrictions. On 7 October 2023, Liu Kuo-sung presented the awards to the 11 awardees of 2023, 2022 and 2021.
