University Museum and Art Gallery
Faceted Symphonies. The exhibition includes 30 works from Ma’s latest stone series in acrylic, and his earlier woodblock prints and ink paintings, dating from 1979 to the present. The full and imposing images reflect his interest in sculptural forms and the traditional ink convention of contrasting void and solid areas.
Faceted Symphonies. Paintings
As a part of le French May, the Museum will be presenting an exhibition of
paintings by the Chinese artist Ma Desheng who resides in Paris. The
exhibition includes 30 works from Ma’s latest stone series in acrylic, and
his earlier woodblock prints and ink paintings, dating from 1979 to the
present.
Born in Beijing in 1952, Ma worked as a draughtsman during the Cultural
Revolution. He was a leading proponent of the Stars (Xingxing) group of
artists who first exhibited in Beijing in 1979, the year China started its
open-door policy. This art group pioneered individualistic and expressionist
art forms leading to China's modernist art movement. Ma's woodblock prints,
created mainly during the Stars Movement, are characterised by their
hard-edged cuts and bold black-and-white contrast inspired by the Realist
and Expressionist manner of the West. Ma's ink painting began in 1982, and
feature abstract landscapes and female nudes.
The full and imposing images
reflect his interest in sculptural forms, ink rubbings of pictorial on Han
bricks, and the traditional ink convention of contrasting void and solid
areas. Ma's ink paintings were first introduced to overseas audiences in
Lausanne, Switzerland in 1983, and have been widely presented in museums and
galleries in Japan, Europe and the USA ever since. Ma moved to Paris in 1986
and was one of the first Chinese ink painters to be sponsored by the French
Cultural Department to exhibit in France. In 2002, Ma began creating
gigantic stone motifs in acrylic on canvas. The stones are depicted with
snow-like textures as from sacred Chinese mountains, yet whimsically
composed as human figures and gestures to prompt the question of whether "a
stone is a stone" from the audience.
Ma is also a poet whose works are often performed in public and several
published in Chinese and French. A fully-illustrated catalogue will
accompany the exhibition.
Mr Jean-Pierre The'bault, Consul-General of France in Hong Kong, Ms Catherine
Kwai, sponsor and curator of the show, and Professor Kam Louie, Dean of the
Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong will officiate at the opening
ceremony on Friday 12 May at 6 pm. Members of the press are warmly invited
to meet the artist.
University Museum and Art Gallery
University of Hong Kong - Hong Kong
Hours: Monday to Saturday 9.30 am to 6.00 pm; Sundays 1.30 to 5.30 pm. The Museum is closed on public holidays.
Admission is free