ART DAR

All forms of visual art may be associated with Hong Kong throughout its history and towards the present. The history of Hong Kong art is closely related to the broader history of Chinese art, alongside the art of Taiwan and Macau. Hong Kong art may include pottery and rock art from it’s prehistoric periods; calligraphy, Chinese ink painting, and pottery from its time under Imperial China; paintings from the New Ink Painting Movement and avant-garde art emerging during Hong Kong’s colonial period; and the contemporary art practices in post-handover Hong Kong today.

The consciousness of modern art and international art movements may be observed in Hong Kong in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The emergence of the New Ink Painting Movement during that period saw aspects of Chinese ink painting incorporated with the gestural brushwork of Abstract Expressionism.

Hong Kong ceramic art in the 1960s and 1970s was combined with both the Guangdong Shiwan and the Western traditions.   The Shiwan Tradition  Influenced by changes in the industrial landscape of Hong Kong during this period, the ceramics industry had diminished by the mid- to late 70s. Under these circumstances, many artists of the Shiwan tradition had to continue to make pottery and train their followers, working from home or in less well-equipped factories. Among those who remained active were Ho Ping-chung, Lai Chiu, Leung Sum and Fok Luk. Together with their followers, they were devoted to preserving and developing traditional Shiwan ceramic art in Hong Kong.

The Western Tradition – At about the same time, a number of artists returned to Hong Kong after studying ceramics overseas. Chan Ping-tim returned in 1965; while Tsang Hung-yu and Woo Ka-keung returned in 1978. Their works were strongly influenced by the western tradition and even included some appliances and sculptures. Moreover, the works of two foreign artists, Ruth Sulke and Wesley Potter, also enriched public understanding of western ceramic art in this period.

During the following decades, ceramic art flourished in Hong Kong. Ho Ping-chung, Chan Chung-kwong, and Chan Ping-tim were the three most active ceramic educators, and indeed, they were often called the pioneers of ceramic art in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is now considered a significant regional art market due to its unique historical development and geographical position.