大館兩大新展聚焦香港 | DUAL EXHIBITIONS IN TAI KWUN ABOUT HK

大館在今年初夏同時舉辦兩場以香港為主題的當代藝術展覽，其中「墨城」以水墨藝術探討當代生活的衝擊，呈現一代香港及內地人面臨社會轉變的故事，而「咫尺之內，開始之前：隨意門及其他足跡」就從已故香港藝術家夏碧泉的私人文獻庫出發，深挖文獻庫作為創作及探究的空間。兩大展覽網羅多位本地及海外藝術家的重要作品，將為觀眾開拓更廣闊的藝術視野。

From 23 April to 1 August, Tai Kwun Contemporary is going to showcase two art exhibitions – INK CITY, and Portals, Stories, and Other Journey – that in their separate ways take Hong Kong as the point of departure. Visitors are invited to delve into different perspectives through an artistic lens to make sense of the historical and current climates in Hong Kong.

墨城
INK CITY

「墨城」由唐凱琳及Tobias Berger策劃，展出多件畫作、書法、藝術家書籍、藝術裝置及錄像作品，創作時期跨越五⼗多年，參展藝術家來⾃內地各省及香港，亦有少數藝術家現居海外，呈現了不同時代、不同背景的視⾓。這些藝術家都熱⼼探討社會議題，他們以⽔墨為媒介，向觀眾展⽰其如何理解並詮釋世界，體現出⽔墨藝術的充沛活⼒。

Curated by Katherine Don and Tobias Berger, with a selection of paintings, calligraphy, artists’ books, installations, and video works spanning over fifty years, INK CITY showcases the diverse perspectives of artists from different generations and backgrounds, artists who live in Hong Kong, in other provinces in the Mainland, as well as a few artists who now reside in Europe or North America.

「墨城」基於傳統⽔墨藝術，聚焦於相對公開地運⽤這種表現⼿法來回應當今社會議題的藝術家。香港具有豐富多元的歷史文化，城市變遷與發展源遠流⻑，有利於觀眾發掘當代⽔墨藝術的廣闊天地，故是次展覽以香港為切入點，擴展⾄全球的華⼈世界。新展亦著墨於香港等擁擠城市所⾯對的問題，部分參展藝術家探討環境惡化、過度物質消費等複雜的城市問題，其他則審視疏離、個⼈掙扎等切⾝感受，亦有對性別、⾝份、慾望和幻想的共同經驗作出反思。

While recognising the legacy of the ink tradition, INK CITY focuses on selected artists who tackle present-day social issues relatively more overtly through ink art. The exhibition finds its
starting point in Hong Kong and extends across the global Chinese diaspora; in many ways, Hong Kong offers an ideal vantage point for viewers to see the conceptual breadth of contemporary ink art, thanks to the city’s multifaceted heritage and its history of change and growth.

「墨城」匯聚了多位風格各異的藝術家，他們志於⽔墨創作，並將多元化的當代視⾓融入作品之中，有對城市轉型的深刻洞察和尖銳諷刺，亦有對性別、文化⾝份等社會主題的深刻反思和幽默詮釋。居於阿姆斯特丹、巴黎、溫哥華、紐約、北京或香港的參展藝術家共同發起⼀場超越地域界限的藝術對話，並為觀眾帶來難得的機會，親⾝⾒證整個時代⾯臨社會轉變⽽構成的集體敘事。

INK CITY brings together a dynamic range of artists with an inclination towards ink and whose visual art offer a gamut of contemporary perspectives—from penetrating insights and trenchant satire of urban transformation to profound reflections and playful humour around social themes such as gender and cultural identity.

咫尺之內，開始之前：隨意門及其他足跡
Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys

「咫尺之內，開始之前：隨意門及其他足跡」由亞洲藝術文獻庫呈獻、黃湲婷策劃，從已故香港藝術家夏碧泉（1925–2009）收集所得的海量文獻出發，探討文獻資料對現今藝術史及文化論述的作用，並邀得多名當代藝術家創作全新委約作品，回應夏氏的文獻收集實踐與藝術創作。是次展覽將為香港藝術生態寫下更豐富的敘述，揭示香港不易瞥見的文化世界。

Presented by Asia Art Archive (AAA) and curated by Michelle Wong, Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys takes the extensive personal archive of the late Hong Kong artist Ha Bik Chuen (1925–2009) as a starting point, exploring what this archive does in contributing to today’s art history and discourse and additionally inviting contemporary artists to respond to Ha’s archival and art practice with new commissions.

這個展覽以已故雕塑家和版畫家夏碧泉為切入點。夏氏離世後遺下一個龐大的文獻資料庫，當中的底片、相辦、相簿、圖文雜誌及拼貼書本等視覺材料猶如他的「思考工作室」。夏氏記錄了他在三十年間參觀過的2,500多個展覽，書寫香港文化和當代藝術史的重要一頁，破除了「香港沒有藝術史」這個普遍誤解。

The starting point of Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys is the late sculptor and printmaker, Ha Bik Chuen, who left behind a vast personal archive—his “thinking studio”—of visual materials such as negatives, contact sheets, photo albums, as well as illustrated magazines and book collages.

是次展覽源自夏碧泉的檔案收藏，展出一系列由圖像、物件和故事精心組成的「場景」。其中部分「場景」屬全新的委約作品，獲邀參展的藝術家在作出提問與介入的同時，亦模糊了藝術品和紀錄的類別分野，訪客可親身步入這些場景探索嶄新境地，發掘不一樣的可能性；其他「場景」則以新角度表述文獻資料和歷史物事。文獻庫就如隨意門，可帶人們到達已知或未竟之地，紀錄留下的文字和物件，以至藝術家們的新作，都挑戰訪客對比例、自我、歷史的理解。無論是因藝術創作、學術研究或策劃展覽而接觸檔案庫，其併發出的知識均在此並置呈現。

Stemming from Ha’s archive, Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys features a series of “sets”, a carefully composed assemblage of images, objects, and stories. Blurring the line between artwork and archives and placing them on the same plane, the “sets” work together to create an environment where guests can experience portals into new surroundings and possibilities. Some “sets” are newly commissioned works, and present inquiries and interventions by artists. Other “sets” re-stage documents and historical objects in new contexts made possible by research into Ha’s archive.