University Museum and Art Gallery
Universe of the Mind. The retrospective exhibition will present over fifty paintings by this artist dating from the 1950s to the present tracing her artistic evolution. These will include her early experiments with ink and colour as well as transitional works from the late 1960s.
Universe of the Mind. A retrospective exhibition
Irene Chou (Zhou Luyun) is hailed as one of the most innovative artists of
the New Ink Painting Movement that emerged in Hong Kong in the late 1960s,
of which Lu Shoukun was the pioneer. Born in Shanghai in 1924, Chou moved
to Hong Kong in 1949. She did not begin to learn painting formally until
1954 when she became a student of the Lingnan master Zhao Shao'ang. She has
been painting ever since.
This retrospective exhibition of Irene Chou's work will present over fifty
paintings by this important artist dating from the 1950s to the present
tracing her artistic evolution. These will include her early experiments
with ink and colour from when she was a student of Zhao Shao'ang, which
adhere to more traditional formats, as well as transitional works from the
late 1960s after she met Lu Shoukun. The exhibition aims to trace the
development of Chou's uncompromising mature style of the 1970s onwards.
These works are typically monumental both in scale and concept. Chou's
interest in universal themes and the human condition are evident in her
abstract cosmic images that include symbolic and often metaphysical
combinations of elements derived from natural and astral forms. Daoism and
Chan (Zen) Buddhism, which offer reflections on the nature of things and the
cycle of life, are often seen as important influences on her work.
This exhibition is a timely review of Irene Chou's unique and considerable
contribution to Hong Kong art. The artist currently lives in Brisbane,
Australia. A fully-illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
The opening ceremony will take place on Wednesday 8 March at 6:00 pm. Mrs
Lisa Kuo Tang, Professor Mayching Kao, Professor Norman W. M. Ko, and Dr
Michael Lau will be the officiating guests. Members of the press are warmly
invited to attend.
University Museum and Art Gallery
University of Hong Kong - Hong Kong
The opening hours of the Museum are 9:30 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Saturday
and 1:30 to 5:30 pm on Sundays. The Museum is closed on University and
public holidays.
Admission is free