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To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the University Library System will exhibit the works of renowned painter and calligrapher, Dr. Kan Kit-keung. Titled ‘Inspired by Waves and Streams: Kan Kit-keung’s Paintings, Calligraphy and Installations’, the exhibition will be held from 26 November to 23 December 2013. All members of the public are welcome. 

The exhibition will feature Dr. Kan Kit-keung’s preference for waterscape and his profound feeling for nature.  Dr. Kan’s aspiration for innovation and his attempt to reinterpret the traditional Chinese art form will be demonstrated in his calligraphic installations. Through this exhibition, it is hoped that the public could appreciate the essence of Chinese arts and culture. 

Dr. Kan will also present a public lecture titled ‘Kan Kit-keung: A personal narrative on creative work & demonstration of calligraphy techniques’ on Thursday, 28 November. Interested parties can register for the lecture online (http://tinyurl.com/kkkan). 

In this exhibition, Dr.Kan will showcase his new series of work named ‘Surging Waves’. He has composed poems for the paintings and inscribed on his work to combine painting, calligraphy and poetry. His calligraphy includes all the five major scripts in which he emphasizes fluidity and rhythms and develops a distinguished style by the dynamic use of wet and dry brush strokes. His installations will explore the three-dimensional aspects of calligraphy by taking into account the exhibition environment. With the impression of the spacious, newly renovated CUHK Library, Dr. Kan will show three scrolls of calligraphy that is over 10-meter wide and 25 meters in length. He will also make use of the space below the Grand Stairs to install a piece of more than twenty scrolls of calligraphy. 

At an early age, Dr. Kan Kit-keung studied traditional Chinese painting under Leung Pak Yu, Chow Yat Fung and Kan Maytin, and studied calligraphy under Au Kin Kung.  Dr. Kan’s painting evolves from the use of traditional techniques to study rural landscapes of Hong Kong to abstractionism. Later, he developed his painting vocabulary anew and embarked on paintings specialized on white water and waterfalls. His treatment is realistic, but often borders on abstractionism. In calligraphy, he has established individualistic styles in all of the five major scripts. He also works on installations with his calligraphy in the past ten years. 

He was twice the Visiting Artist at Chung Chi College, CUHK and a speaker at the College’s 50th Anniversary Distinguished Alumni Lectures. He has conducted many workshops in Chinese painting and calligraphy at Chung Chi.  His works have been collected by Hong Kong Museum of Art, CUHK, Shenzhen Institute of Art, Zhongshan Institute of Painting and Calligraphy, Anhui Museum, Xiamen Art Museum, International Monetary Fund, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Embassy in Moscow, Art Bank of the State Department, Copelouzos Art Museum in Athens, and many private and corporate collectors. 

Details of the exhibition are as below: 

Exhibition Period:     26.11.2013 – 23.12.2013
Venue:                    Exhibition Area, University Library,
                              The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Opening Hours:        8:20am – 10:00pm (Monday-Friday)
                               8:20am – 7:00pm (Saturday)
                               1:00pm – 7:00pm (Sunday)
Enquiries:                 3943 8571 

Details of the public lecture by Dr. Kan Kit-keung are as follows: 

Topic:              Kan Kit Keung: A personal narrative on creative work
                       & demonstration of calligraphy techniques
Moderator:      Prof. Harold Mok, Chairman, Department of Fine Arts,
                       CUHK
Date:              Thursday, 28 November 2013
Time:              11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Venue:            Learning Garden, University Library, CUHK
Language:       Cantonese
Registration:    http://tinyurl.com/kkkan
Enquiries:        3943 8571