Hong Kong’s Asia Society is aiming to welcome 40,000 visitors through its doors by 13 April 2014, with an exhibition that sees work by four Hong Kong contemporary artists hang beside one of the most famous paintings in the world.
Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio, ‘Supper at Emmaus’, 1605-6. Image courtesy Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
The Asia Society in Hong Kong is on a mission to reach a target of 40,000 visitors with a jewel of an art exhibition called “Light and Shadows: Caravaggio the Italian Baroque Master“.
At the heart of this stunning exhibition curated by Professor Frank Vigneron of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is the painting Supper at Emmaus by the seminal Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610). Hong Kong truly has a rare chance to appreciate the work of a master artist whose techniques have influenced generations of artists over the last 400 years.
Vigneron has masterfully illustrated how echoes of Caravaggio’s work can even be seen in the pieces made by Hong Kong artists working today. On display are artworks by four important Hong Kong artists: Chow Chun-Fai, So Hing-Keung, Tsang Kin-Wah and the illustrious old man of New Ink art, Wucius Wong.
So Hing-Keung, ‘South China Portraits’, photograph, 1995-1996. Image courtesy the artist.
Juxtaposing traditional and contemporary art is au courant in the abstruse world of curatorial trends, but it is a smart approach for the Asia Society in Hong Kong to adopt. Not only does this curatorial stance stimulate serious and useful academic debate about definitions of traditional versus contemporary art, it also broadens the appeal of the show for the general public. Newcomers find different points of entry to explore the art world. And, for those who have some experience of art, juxtaposition of the traditional and the contemporary highlights the links between the past and present and East and West, providing a gentle nudge to explore beyond the familiar.
“To be able to do exhibitions like this in the future we need to prove to the government that we can attract 40,000 visitors” says Executive Director Alice Kong. “Surely we can do that in a city of 7 million people.”
Today the visitor count stands at 7,500 with 24 days to go. So ask your friends, take your family and urge your colleagues to visit the show before it ends on 13 April 2014. Thanks to sponsorship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust there is no charge.
More information and opening times
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