HK Museum of Art Launches Three New Exhibitions, Featuring Wu Guanzhong's Works and Unique Chinese Art Collections

2025-12-23 14:50 Last Updated At：18:29

HKMoA launches three new exhibitions and mobile educational art bus

The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) today (December 23) unveils three new exhibitions based on its three major donations, showcasing the footprints of art master Wu Guanzhong around the world, intriguing figures from the Chih Lo Lou Collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, and folding fans from the Jingguanlou Collection, respectively. An educational art bus from the HKMoA will promote Wu's art to schools and engage with communities.

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HKMoA launches three new exhibitions and mobile educational art bus Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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HKMoA launches three new exhibitions and mobile educational art bus Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

"Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Thematic Exhibition Series: Wu Guanzhong: Encountering Landscapes" exhibition

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Wu (1919-2010) was a master of the Chinese and international art scene, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century art. He travelled around the world for sketching, leaving his footprints in over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and America. The exhibition features precious sketches, ink and oil paintings by Wu, including "City Night" and "The Night of Oslo", which illustrate the dazzling nightscapes of metropolises, with almost half of the artworks being exhibited at the HKMoA for the first time after their donation to the museum, such as "A Foreign Landscape (II)". Wu was particularly fond of Hong Kong, believing that the city's fusion of East and West resonates deeply with his artistic pursuits. The exhibition also showcases "Victoria Harbour", a unique piece Wu created in the rain at the HKMoA in 2002, the only sketch he ever publicly painted, as well as "Bird Street", which he created in 1990, depicting the beauty of old streets in Hong Kong.

Inspired by Wu's ink painting "The Window's Eye", Hong Kong artist Flyingpig (Wong Wing-shan) created an immersive installation called "Light Entry". The work combines moving images with paintings to capture thousands of windows across public estates lighting up one by one at night, illustrating the humanistic sentiment behind the urban landscape.

To allow the public to appreciate the works of this art master, the HKMoA also launches the "Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Education Series: Art Journey with Wu Guanzhong: Mobile Museum" educational art bus, which aims to visit over 140 local primary and secondary schools, as well as stations in transportation hubs, cultural venues and recreational spaces in various districts in the coming two years, promoting Wu's artistic vision and aesthetic principles through multimedia installations and interactive games.

"Mini-figures in Paintings" exhibition

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The exhibition invites audiences to appreciate the Chih Lo Lou Collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy from different perspectives, focusing on the diminutive and scantily outlined figures in Chinese landscape paintings. These fishermen, scholars, or travellers may seem insignificant, yet they are where the soul of the works lies. The exhibition explores their identities, stories, and cultural significance and incorporates animated elements to bring these figures to life. Highlight exhibits include Zha Shibiao's "The Fisherman" and Gong Xian's "Returning from Fishing".

"Fantastic Breeze: Selected Fans from the Jingguanlou Collection" exhibition

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A selection of over 150 folding fans from the Jingguanlou Collection is featured in the exhibition in two phases, complemented by Chinese paintings from the museum collection, leading visitors to appreciate the cultivated elegance of the Chinese literati. Highlights of the first phase include masterpieces by Northern and Southern School painters such as Ren Yi, Zhang Daqian, Pu Ru, Zhu Qizhan, Chao Shao-an, and more. The folding fan is an unparalleled art form that integrates poetry, calligraphy, painting, sealing, and carving, embodying graphic artistry and craftsmanship all in one fan. Through thoughtfully designed display methods, the exhibition overcomes challenges in displaying folding fans and highlights their dual-sided aesthetics with an exploration of their structural composition, offering fresh perspectives for audiences in appreciating this art form.

The admission to the three exhibitions is free. For details of the exhibitions and the mobile educational art bus, please visit the website at hk.art.museum.

Hong Kong's R&D Spending Reaches $35.8 Billion, Reflecting Strong Growth in Innovation for 2024

"Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics" shows continued increase in Hong Kong's gross expenditure on research and development in 2024

According to the report "Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics 2024" released today (December 23) by the Census and Statistics Department, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in Hong Kong has been on the rise and reached $35,772 million in 2024, representing an increase of 8.4 per cent compared with the corresponding figure in 2023 ($33,006 million). The GERD as a ratio to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also further increased from 1.11 per cent in 2023 to 1.13 per cent in 2024. In addition, the number of research and development (R&D) personnel showed a steady increase over the years and reached 47,210 in 2024 (compared with 43,403 in 2023).

A government spokesman said, "The country indicates clear support in the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong to develop into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre. Promoting I&T development has always been one of the key policy areas of the current-term Government. In recent years, the Government has been focusing on encouraging innovation activities, developing I&T infrastructure, strengthening basic research and promoting commercialisation of R&D outcomes, attracting and nurturing talent, supporting start-ups, etc. Moreover, since taking office, the current-term Government has been actively enhancing the local I&T ecosystem by consolidating our strengths in upstream basic research, accelerating the midstream transformation and realisation of scientific research outcomes, and supporting industry development in the downstream. Various initiatives have achieved good progress. It is encouraging to see that the GERD and the GERD as a ratio of the GDP have recorded satisfactory growth in 2024. With three major I&T parks and five key R&D institutions as the framework, we will continue to propel I&T development at full steam by proactively promoting the synergistic development among upstream, midstream and downstream sectors in Hong Kong.”

The spokesman also stated that a series of measures have been announced in the 2025 Policy Address, including expediting the development of the third InnoHK research cluster as well as that of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, HSITP), promoting the development of new industrialisation, launching the $10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, etc., to achieve high-quality economic development through technological empowerment. Since announcing the 2025 Policy Address, the Government has made strides in progressing various measures. For example, the HSITP has officially opened in December. The Government also promulgated the Conceptual Outline of the Development Plan for the Innovation and Technology Industry in the San Tin Technopole in November this year to advance the development of the Loop and San Tin Technopole San Tin area under the new strategic layout plan of "South-North dual engine (finance-I&T)".

"The Government will continue to take forward various policy measures to create favourable conditions for Hong Kong's I&T development, with a view to further promoting the development of I&T and new quality productive forces in Hong Kong, and realising the vision of developing Hong Kong into an international I&T centre," the spokesman added.

HK Museum of Art Launches Three New Exhibitions, Featuring Wu Guanzhong's Works and Unique Chinese Art Collections

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