Exhibition in Three Universities

Newsletter - August 29, 2011

Dear Friends,

The Centenary of China's 1911 Revolution:
Paintings and woodcut prints by Fong So

The year 2011 marks the centenary of China's 1911 Revolution (the Xinhai Revolution).

You are cordially invited to the openings of the debut exhibition of Fong So's new series of brush-and-ink paintings and woodcut prints, entitled The Centenary of China's 1911 Revolution, to be hosted by three universities in Hong Kong.

Modern China began with the 1911 Revolution. Over the past 100 years, Dr Sun Yat-sen, his followers and many political leaders have endeavoured to create epoch-making changes in modern China, but their goals have not been achieved up to now. Fong So's new series is an artist's attempt to explore, through a series of artworks, what China has been through over the past century and what the future holds for Chinese people. Special emphasis is given to the unique role played by Hong Kong during this period.

Please take note of the exhibition venues, exhibition time and join us in the opening ceremonies. Please also extend our invitation to other friends. Your support will be most appreciated.

●The Main Library, The University of Hong Kong
5 September - 15 October 2011
(in support of the HKU Centenary Celebrations)
Opening: Noon (at 12), 5 September 2011 (Monday)

●Lobby Gallery, Chung Chi College Administrative Building,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
6-30 September 2011
(as one of the 60th Anniversary Celebratory Events of the College)
Opening: 4:30 pm, 6 September 2011 (Tuesday)

●The Center for the Arts, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
5-18 September 2011
(as one of the 20th Anniversary Celebratory Events of the University)
Opening: 1 pm , 7 September 2011 (Wednesday)

Members of the Task Group:
Chow Yung-ping, Hung Ching-tin, Mau Chi-wang,
John Chan Cho-hung, Fong So

*Please see location maps and public transports to the three exhibition venues.
**To make arrangements for public viewing, please contact the venue providers. It is free admission at CUHK and UST. As the exhibition venue at HKU is inside the library building, pre-arrangement is requried.

Enquiries:
Xinhai Task Group: Mau Chi-wang (96441260) ;mailto:mauchiwang06@gmail.com
Fong & Yeung Studio: Fong So (92202202) ;mailto:fong@fong-yeung.com
HKU: Ms Brenda Lau; mailto:bhwl@hku.hk
Chung Chi College, CUHK: Ms Ruby Ko; mailto:rubyko@eservices.cuhk.edu.hk
HKUST: The Center for the Arts, HKUST, Ms Mok (2358 6149); mailto:artsctr@ust.hk

Maps and Public Transports:
HKU: (www.hku.hk/maps/pop_maps.html?section=mc&checklight=u_drive), bus 23, 40 or green mini bus 10, 11, 31 from Admiralty.

Chung Chi College, CUHK: (www.cuhk.edu.hk/chinese/campus/cuhk-campus-map.html), MTR East Line to the University Station.

HKUST: (https://sao.ust.hk/aesthetics/images/art_hall_location/index.htm), bus 91, 91M from Choi Hung MTR Station, or 91M and the green mini bus 11,11M, 11S from Hang Hau MTR Station.

-----

各位老友：

辛亥百年現代路──方蘇水墨及木刻版畫

2011年是辛亥革命一百週年。我們以一個畫展作為紀念，展出方蘇新繪製的水墨及木刻版畫系列，名為「辛亥百年現代路」，其重點是中國現代化之路和香港的特殊角色。

辛亥革命是現代中國的開端。百多年來，孫中山先生等志士仁人致力開創歷史，但他們的心願至今尚未真正實現。際此辛亥革命百周年，我們呈獻這個繪畫及木刻系列，旨在探討百年歷程的波折，放眼過去、現在和將來。

這個百年系列的首展，將於今年9月在本港三大學府舉行，三校為香港大學、香港中文大學崇基學院及香港科技大學，展場、展期及開幕禮的安排如下：

●香港大學 圖書館大樓
2011年9月5日至10月15日 (同賀香港大學百周年)
開幕禮：2011年9月5日中午12時正

●香港中文大學 崇基學院 行政樓大堂展覽廳
2011年9月6至30日 (崇基學院六十周年校慶節目)
開幕禮：2011年9月6日下午4時30分

●香港科技大學 藝術中心
2011年9月5 至18日(香港科技大學二十周年校慶節目)
開幕禮：2011年9月7日下午1時正

謹此電郵邀約，懇請蒞臨指導及支持，並請轉發我們的邀約給各方友好。

工作小組成員：周勇平、洪清田、繆熾宏、
陳祖雄、方蘇

*三校展場所在及最便捷的公共交通工具見附圖及說明。
**查詢公眾觀賞時間，請與三校聯絡。中大與科大基本上是自由進場；由於港大展場設在圖書館大樓內，参觀者煩請預先通知。

聯絡人：
工作小組：繆熾宏/96441260/mauchiwang06@gmail.com

楊方創作室：方蘇 /92202202/fong@fong-yeung.com

香港大學：劉小姐 bhwl@hku.hk
香港中文大學崇基學院：高小姐 rubyko@eservices.cuhk.edu.hk
香港科技大學：香港科技大學藝術中心 /莫小姐/2358 6149/artsctr@ust.hk

地圖及公共交通:
香港大學 (www.hku.hk/maps/pop_maps.html?section=mc&checklight=u_drive) 由金鐘往港大，可乘坐 23, 40號巴士或10, 11, 31號綠色小巴

中文大學崇基學院 (www.cuhk.edu.hk/chinese/campus/cuhk-campus-map.html) 可乘坐香港鐵路東鐵線，於大學站下車步行前往崇基學院行政樓

香港科技大學 (https://sao.ust.hk/aesthetics/images/art_hall_location/index.htm) 可乘坐彩虹地鐵站之 91, 91M巴士, 或坑口地鐵站之91M巴士及11,11M, 11S 綠色小巴

更能消幾番風雨──讀辛詞，思華叔

朋友在互聯網上設了一個紀念華叔的專頁(http://thankyouunclewah.wordpress.com/)，傳來網址，要我寫點東西。我雖然曾經從事文字工作，但近年基本上是繪畫為多，甚少撰文。我作畫偏重人物，年前曾畫了一個肖像系列，其中最早讓我造像的就是華叔。如今睹像思人，想想還能寫些什麼。其實，關於華叔，我要說的，給他繪的畫像已經說了，重點在於畫像的取材或場景(見附圖)。
繪畫這幅華叔肖像，時間是2008年年初，而且可說是應一位朋友的要求而畫。事緣那年春節之前，那位朋友問我：「你畫人物，可有想過畫一幅司徒華的肖像？」我說：「華叔是個值得敬重的人物，很值得畫。他每年年宵期間都在維園寫揮春，就畫他寫揮春如何？」朋友說：「最好。」於是我到維園的支聯會攤位找華叔，略道來意，拍了幾張照片，新春期間的功課就是畫華叔寫揮春。畫成之後，交功課時，朋友說，他正在收集一些關於華叔並且有特殊意義的物品，結果他成了這張畫像的藏家。又因為在維園見華叔時，蒙他贈我八個字作為揮春，我覺得應該禮尚往來，其後就以一張他的肖像的水墨預習本回饋。
之後，這幅畫像曾兩次展出。第一次是群展，時間是2009年春節前後，我出畫兩張，其一是這張肖像。第二次是個展，展出我名為「我家我城」的人史系列，時間是2009年11月。「我家我城」這個系列展出前，我請參與造像的朋友每人寫點隨想，就寫三幾百字的小段或短文，出畫冊時可隨畫刊登。華叔是最早「交稿」的人，他寫來的一段文字是：「方蘇與我，相識於一九七三年的文憑教師薪酬事件。那時，他是中大學生會的幹事，來作訪問。至今，已整整三十五年有多了。他給我畫此畫時說：他不輕易為人畫肖像。這幅寫照，神態畢肖，我尤其喜歡那笑容和特定的場景──我在維園年宵市場的支聯會攤位寫揮春。他贈我稿本，謹向他致以衷心的感謝！」這段文字裏面就提到畫像的場景。
其他幾位應邀給畫冊撰文的朋友，都提到這幅華叔畫像，而早年曾擔任同人刊物主編的陳韜文(其後深造新聞及傳播，任香港中文大學新聞與傳播學院教授)，寫來的文章就特別提到畫像的取材：「方蘇畫華叔時取材的是他為支聯會年宵攤檔寫揮春籌款的景象。華叔握筆含笑，一副從容的姿態，跟他平常接受傳媒訪問或者在台上叫口號的嚴肅樣子很不一樣。跟華叔連在一塊的社會抗爭事件很難一時計算清楚。不過，方蘇已經在華叔人像的背景添上爭取民主的揮春，華叔的今生大概已盡在其中。」
雖然，對這幅畫像的取材和場景，其他人已經提及，連華叔本人也都說過，但我仍覺得有幾句可以補充。
華叔每年在維園寫揮春，給支聯會籌款，是八九年六四之後開始的。只要有空，每年他寫揮春時我都會去看一看。有一年，提到寫聯語時，他對我說，有副集句聯，他很喜歡，上句辛稼軒：「更能消幾番風雨」，下句姜白石：「最可惜一片江山」。從他提及兩位南宋詞人辛棄疾和姜夔的名句，我感受到他那種憂國傷時的心懷。之後，每有風雨如磐的景況，我就不期然會想起這副集句聯，想到有同感的人那種心懷。也正因此，朋友要我畫華叔，我第一時間就會想到以維園寫揮春為場景。
華叔曾一再說喜讀辛詞，而辛棄疾因所處的時代及本身的經歷，下筆率多撫時感事之作，故此我讀辛詞，也稍能感受到華叔的心境。華叔其中一本最後出版的文章結集，書名用了辛詞「水龍吟‧登建康賞心亭」其中四字：「欄杆拍遍」。這個書名，也使我想到，他就是要通過辛詞的裂竹之聲，發出他那憂愁風雨的感嘆。

RARELY TOGETHER

Like many Hongkongers, I have a family with members living in different cities on different continents. My big sister, from a different mother, lives in Edmonton, Canada. Her younger brother, my other brother or half brother, lives in Guangzhou, China. My elder and younger brothers, no.3 and no.5 of the family, live in San Francisco, USA. I stay in Hong Kong.
The family members had never had the chance to gather together after my elder brother and I moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in 1962. Even now, although my elder and younger brothers are in the US, I am seldom together with them. The last time I visited them was 2007.
For some special reasons, I did a woodcut of my elder and younger brothers and I myself early this year, before the Lunar New Year. When I finished the woodcut, I decided to entitle it 'Rarely Together'.

By order of birth, I am the no.4 child of my father and no.2 of my mother. My father met my mother in the 1940s during the war against the Japanese invasion. At that time, my father already had a wife and two children, a girl and a boy, in his home village. After the war, my father and mother settled down in Canton (Guangzhou). Mom gave birth to three boys. I am the second one, and hence the fourth child of the family. In the mid-1950s, my mother and my big sister left Guangzhou for Hong Kong to earn a living for the family. My elder brother (no.3 of the family and Mom's first son) and I joined them in 1962. My father, my other mother and two brothers (no.2 and no.5) remained in Guangzhou.
My big sister, some 15 years senior to me, married a car mechanic. She emigrated to Canada with her family in the mid-1970s.
My other brother, the no.2 child of the family, was already an adult when I was young. His mother, my other mother, moved from my father's home village to Guangzhou after my mom left for Hong Kong. For some years, the three little boys of the family were looked after by her, with the help of my other brother. He stayed with his parents all the time in Guangzhou until they passed away in 1998 and 2008.
My elder brother, the no.3 child of the family, was a surprisingly naughty boy but a born leader. He proved he had a particularly good sense of music in his primary school and was appointed the conductor of the school chorus. I always believe, given the opportunity to develop his talent, he would be a good musician, perhaps a great conductor. However, after moving to Hong Kong in 1962, he left school the next year to work as an apprentice in a mechanic shop. Like other apprentices, he had to board at the shop. The shop was located on the other side of the harbour and there was no cross harbour tunnel linking Hong Kong Island and Kowloon at that time. For several years, I visited him twice every mouth. Then, when he finished his apprenticeship, I went to the university and lived away from home most of the time. We saw each other even less often. My elder brother eventually became a car mechanic, first in Hong Kong and then in San Francisco, after marrying a Burmese Chinese. He emigrated to the US in the late 1970s. Mom joined him in 1987.
My younger brother was a cheerful and carefree boy when he was young. He stayed in Guangzhou when my elder brother and I moved to Hong Kong. He lived on the mainland through the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution. For years, he was excluded from the government's job allocation scheme. Instead, he was mobilized to leave the city and relocate to the remote rural villages. But he remained in Guangzhou. When Mom settled down in San Francisco, the first thing she did was to file a petition for him to join her in the US. Eventually permit was granted for him to leave China in 1990. On his way to the US from Guangzhou, he stopped over in Hong Kong and stayed with me for one week. At that time, I found him no longer the communicative and carefree boy I had known in the past. After making his landing, he went back to Guangzhou once to marry his fiancee and take her to the States. Mom was happy with what she had done. She repeatedly said she went to the States because she wanted to get her youngest son out of China. My father had dreamed of going to the US too, but he ended up dying in Guangzhou.

Nine years ago, I painted a childhood image of my elder and younger brothers and I myself. At that time, I was working on a series about children and I found my thoughts often drawn back to my own childhood.
When we were young in Guangzhou, life was quite difficult. Food and other daily necessities were mostly rationed. A pair of shoes for a child was considered a luxury. So nearly all children went barefoot most of the time except in winter.
I have a small photogragh, a 35mm contact print, of me and my two brothers taken when we were young. The photograph was taken in a winter day, while my mother and big sister were back from Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year. They brought us clothes made by them. And we all had shoes on. When I painted my childhood memory, I changed the image from winter to summer.
Of the three, my elder and younger brothers were always closer to each other even when we were young. At that time, my younger brother always followed the lead of my elder brother. They were always out having fun with other kids. I was somewhat autistic. I preferred to stay home alone. Now that they are living quite close to each other in San Francisco – my elder brother in Daily City and my younger brother in Sunset. I never intend to distance myself from them. But somehow I stay almost half a world away from them, with the Pacific in between.

All for Liu Xiaobo

Banner Portrait 布本畫像
北京作家劉曉波因參與起草和聯署呼籲中國進行憲政改革的《O八憲章》及撰寫六篇評論文章，被當局指為「煽動顛覆國家政權」，於2009年12月25日被判囚十一年。
一星期後，在香港2010年元旦大遊行中，市民上街爭取真普選，並要求立即釋放劉曉波。
這次元旦大遊行催生了巨幅劉曉波畫像。像高2.2公尺，用紅白油漆畫在黑布上。

Liu Xiaobo, a prominent Beijing writer, was sentenced on 25 December 2009 by the authorities to 11 years' imprisonment for 'inciting subversion of state power' by drafting and signing the Charter 08, a manifesto for constitutional reform in China, and writing six commentaries.
On the following new year day, in a pro-democracy march, people in Hong Kong took to the streets calling for the introduction of genuine universal suffrage and the immediate release of Liu.

A huge banner portrait of Liu Xiaobo was painted for the 1 January march. The 2.2-metre portrait was painted on the new year eve with red and white paints on black cotton cloth.

* * * * *
I am going to post the banner portrait of Liu Xiaobo onto my website. How did it come forth? I think a simple way to tell the story is to take the liberty of extracting a few lines from the exchange of emails among some friends before the new year march of 1/1/2010. -- Fong So

26/12/2009
An article about Liu Xiaobo. 11 years....

What a Xmas. The pope knocked down by a mentally unstable woman. Liu XB sentenced to 11 years by an even more unstable regime....

... an article from yujie, an intellectual who has signed the 08 charter, please distribute. make sure you finish reading if you think i am being "festively incorrect"....

... I am not a believer in God. Still, Yu's article makes me think of a quotation:
"Quos deus vult perdere, prius dementat." (Whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.)

... a lawyer friend sent me the same quotation....

28/12/2009
... we are walking for lxb on the new year day. What's the quickest way to get a banner done?...

... make a DIY one....

29/12/2009
... hay, someone is volunteering to paint a banner for us....

30/12/2009
... my artist friend is going to paint a big spreadsheet banner to be held by 8 people. i am now going to western to shop and manufacture with him this big piece of black cloth and his tools... a few of us will meet with whoever we know and trust on the way... do let me know if you are interested.

......

*please email friends to ask them to come to march for liu xb.

31/12/2009
... he has been hard at work since 7pm last night on the piece of black cloth we bought.... do you know how to post it on youtube? please advise.

... he's finished the painting 6ftx27ft, his best piece i've seen. do come to see it. tomorrow is chater road, not garden, you cannot miss us.

... I will look around for the banner, and if not, call your mobile. May I contribute to the cost of the banner or any other small flags/stickers, etc.?

通訊Newsletter – November 11, 2009

畫冊 ── 我家我城：人與歷史

歡迎郵購

你是否已看過
我家我城：人與歷史
這個繪畫和木刻系列的展覽？

無論你是否看過展覽，這本畫冊都值得保有。它是一個很特殊的歷史紀錄。

畫冊以中英兩文出版，內容包括：-
*整個系列三十件作品的彩圖
*參與造像的朋友撰寫的短文或隨感
司徒華 (退休教育工作者及工會領導，前立法會議員)
程翔 (資深新聞工作者)
崔少明 (退隱傳媒人，專欄作家)
麥洛新 (退休社會工作者，時事評論員)
洪清田 ( 評論員，香港學建構者)
莫昭如 (戲劇及文化工作者)
劉山青 (活動家)
黎則奮 (時事評論員)
陳培生 (退休出版工作者)
吳瑞卿 (翻譯，作家 -- 三藩市)
廖淦標 (大學教授，古風暴學開創者 -- 美國路易士安納州巴吞魯日)
趙仕鴻 (會計師 -- 紐約)
黃子程 (大學教授，專欄作家)
李怡 (資深新聞工作者，專欄作家)
楊森 (大學教授，前立法會議員)
劉慧卿 (立法會議員，民主黨副主席，中國維權律師關注組副主席)
尊子 (漫畫家)
周錫輝 (退休校長，太極師傅)
雷競璇、黃愛玲 (歷史學家及電影史研究員)
徐慈恩 (線上科學教育工作者)
陸恭蕙 (智庫成員)
畢浩明 (資訊科技公司東主)
吳崇文 (醫生)
吳文超、司徒華、李怡、馮以浤、陳爵、陳求德、潘天賜、黃達仁、夏兆彭
*前言
陸恭蕙 思匯政策研究所行政總裁
*特約文章
黃燕芳 香港大學美術博物館館長(歷史)
陳韜文 香港中文大學新聞與傳播學院講座教授
*回憶與隨想
方蘇 (家史及老朋友)

訂購辦法：(定價每本HK$60，郵購每本HK$50；訂購請郵寄支票及封套至「香港郵政總局信箱342號楊方創作室。)
*本港：請寄來HK$50的支票，抬頭付「楊方創作室」，並附可容A4規格印刷品的封套，貼上HK$8.20郵票及清楚寫上郵寄地址。
*海外：請寄來HK$85的支票(包括空郵郵費HK$34.10至37.10在內)，抬頭付「楊方創作室」， 並附可容A4規格印刷品的封套，清楚寫上郵寄地址。抱歉非港幣支票未能受理。如台端未有港幣銀行戶口，煩請通知在港友人代為訂購。

MY FAMILY and MY CITY: People and History
Full Catalogue Available／Mail Orders Welcome

Did you see the exhibition
MY FAMILY and MY CITY: People and History
Paintings and woodcuts by Fong So?

Yes or no, the catalogue of this collection is itself a collectable. It is a historical record that can be kept for a long long time.

It's a bilingual publication with:-
*Colour plates of all 30 artworks
*Short notes or reminiscences written by long-time friends portrayed in this collection
Szeto Wah (retired educator and unionist, former Legislative Council member)
Ching Cheong (veteran journalist)
Tsui Sio Ming (retired media worker, columnist)
Mak Lok-sun (retired social worker, current affairs commentator)
Hung Ching-tin (commentator, architect of Hongkongology)
Mok Chiu-yu (theatre and culture worker)
Lau San-ching (activist)
Lai Chak Fun (current affairs commentator)
Chan Pui Sang (retired publishing worker)
Sonia Ng (writer, interpreter, writer - San Francisco)
Kam-biu Liu (university professor, founder of paleotempestology - Baton Rogue, Louisiana)
Ricky Chiu See-hung (accountant – New York)
Wong Chi Ching (university professor, columnist)
Lee Yee (veteran journalist, columnist)
Yeung Sum (university professor, former Legislative Council member)
Emily Lau Wai-hing (Legislative Council member, vice-chairperson of the Democratic Party and vice-chairperson of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group)
Zunzi (cartoonist)
Chow Shek-fai (retired school headmaster, Taiji master)
Louie Kin-sheun & Wong Ain-ling (historian and film history researcher)
Chi-Yan Tsui (online science educator)
Christine Loh (think-tank member)
But Ho Ming (owner of IT firm)
Anthony Ng (medical practitioner)
Apollo Wu, Szeto Wah, Lee Yee, Fung Yee-wang, Christopher C. Chan,
K.T. Chan, Pun Tin Chi, Wang Tat-yan, S.P. Ha
*Foreword by
Christine Loh, CEO, Civic Exchange, Hong Kong's independent think-tank
*Catalogue essays by
Anita Y.F. Wong, Curator (History), University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
Joseph M. Chan, Professor of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
*Recollections and reflections
The artist's family and long-time friends

Mail order: (Retail price HK$60 per copy, mail order HK$50 per copy. Please send your order to Fong & Yeung Studio, GPO Box 342, Hong Kong.)
*Local (Hong Kong): Send a HK$50 cheque payable to Fong & Yeung Studio and an A4 size envelope with your postal address (please PRINT) and postage (HK$8.20 stamps).
*Overseas: Send a HK$85 cheque (airmail postage HK$34.10 to 37.10 included) and an A4 size envelope with your postal address. Sorry we can't proceed with non-HK$ cheques. If you don't have a HK$ bank account, please ask a friend in Hong Kong to do the mail order for you.

Newsletter

楊方創作室 e通訊
(2009年10月 29日)

藝展
我家我城：人與歷史
方蘇繪畫及木刻

全部寫真造像，實有其人
歷史縮影，為一個時代留痕
一個呈獻給我城所有人的展覽

這次展覽的展品全是寫真畫像，全部實有其人，整個系列可以分為大小兩組。較小的一組是家史，畫了家庭中的若干成員。較大的一組是為一些認識多年的朋友造像，這些人都可說是地道的香港人。每一個畫像中的主角，所設的場景都帶着背後的故事。總體來看，整個系列的故事在一定程度上可以視為一個時代的縮影。

家史
他的母親、舅舅、兄弟和姐姐，就有如我們的母親、叔伯、兄弟、姐妹，我們熟悉他們，因為他們已被轉化成香港眾多家庭共通的形象。
─ 陸恭蕙：思匯政策研究所行政總裁

這次展覽，方蘇透過人物寫真，以誌親情、友情、人情、世情 …… 處處有情......
─ 黃燕芳：香港大學美術博物館館長(歷史)

我城中人
這是在香港一群與眾不同的人物。如果說這些人物之間有一個共通點，那就是他們每個人都有說不完的故事。他們是知識分子、作家、政治人物和社會活動家......
─ 陸恭蕙：思匯政策研究所行政總裁

[他們]在人生很多重要的關頭都依從自己的理想選擇自己的道路......不管生在哪裏，香港對於他們從來都不是什麼「借來的時空」，而是自己的家園。
─ 陳韜文：香港中文大學新聞與傳播學院講座教授

展場: 太古廣場 香港金鐘道 88 號太古廣場
展期: 2009年11 月6 至9日(星期五至星期一)
招待傳媒: 11 月6 日(星期五)下午三時起
開幕: 11 月6 日(星期五)下午六時
主辦: 思匯政策研究所

查詢:
思匯政策研究所 : Iris Chan 2893 0213/www.civic-exchange.org
繆熾宏先生 (項目顧問): 96441260/mauchiwang@netvigator.com
楊方創作室／方蘇 : 92202202/www.fong-yeung.com

*這次展覽是非商業性質的活動。／*懇辭花籃。

Fong & Yeung Studio
Newsletter (29 Oct 2009)

Art Exhibition
My Family and My City: People and History
Paintings and woodcuts by Fong So

An Exhibition of All Portraits
An Epitome of a Period of History
A Show Dedicated to all Hongkongers

This collection of real-persons portraits are put in two groups. The small group tells the artist’s family history through his portrayal of some family members. The large group captures the lives and moments of some long-time friends of the artist. A few of them are public figures; while most are not. All the characters in these portraits are situated in the historical contexts that tell stories about them. Taken as a whole, this series of paintings and woodcuts can, to a certain extent, epitomize a period of history.

Family History
His mother, uncle and brothers and sister are our mother, uncle, brothers and sister too. We know them because they have been transformed into universal figures of Hong Kong families.
─ Christine Loh: CEO, Civic Exchange

Portraiture has been employed by Fong So in this exhibition to embody family love, friendship, human interest, and universal passion….

-- Anita Y.F. Wong: Curator (History), University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong

Long-time Friends
This is a special group of people in Hong Kong. If there is one thing that joins them it is that each one of them have a lot to say! They are intellectuals, writers, politicians and activists....
─ Christine Loh: CEO, Civic Exchange

[They] have followed their own beliefs and ideals, while making choices at the challenging moments in their life....Wherever they were born, Hong Kong became their home. For them, the city has never been “a borrowed place in a borrowed time”.
─ Joseph M. Chan: Professor of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Exhibition Venue: Park Court, Pacific Place
Level 1, Park Court, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong
Exhibition Date: 6 – 9/11/ 2009 (Fri-Mon)
Media Preview: 3pm, 6/11/2009 Friday
Opening: 6pm, 6/11/2009 Friday
Host: Civic-Exchange

Enquiries:
Civic-Exchange: Ms Iris Chan 2893 0213/www.civic-exchange.org
Mr.Mau Chi Wang (Project Advisor):9 6441260/mauchiwang@netvigator.com
Fong So (Fong & Yueng Studio): 92202202/www.fong-yeung.com

*This exhibition is a strictly non-commercial event.／*No floral decorations, please.

END

Put Something New to An Old Form of Art

給老舊的藝術形式一點新鮮氣息

(刊於「視藝掇英」專題展覽「香港‧水‧墨‧色──2009中國繪畫展」專刊)
----方蘇

我本來是從事文字工作的，近年才棄文從畫。開始時，有人問我：你是畫中國畫還是西洋畫？我說：用的主要是中國畫的工具和材料。跟着的問題是：那麼你畫的是山水還是花鳥？我說：不是，主要是人物。再下來的問題是：是羅漢觀音、高人逸士，還是......？我說：都不是，是今時今日現實生活中的人物。
看過我的作品後，人們的說法是：不中不西，既不像中國畫，又不是西洋畫。也有人說：畫本身是水墨，但離開了傳統水墨，也沒有走近現代水墨。還有人說：用傳統中國畫材料，但題材是今日的，意念是來自西方的，應是「古為今用」吧，卻說不清是「中體西用」還是「西體中用」。
大概是因為人們有這樣的反應，所以對我來說，「什麼叫中國畫」，「怎樣才算是中國畫」，這些問題已無太大意義。很多人說我不屬於現代水墨的品類，主要是因為我畫的仍是具象。聽來似較高深的「體用」之說，其實是個很勉強的二分法，工具和材料只屬於這個二分法之中「用」的層面。我們見過不少東方人用西方媒介去作畫，也見過有些西方人用東方媒介去作畫，但使用的媒介顯然並未能完全決定作品的精神本體。可是，用國族和文化身份去作為區分中外的依據，卻又變得愈來愈不合時宜。在現今的世界走向愈來愈全球化的情勢下，人們的國族和文化身份只會愈來愈模糊，並且在經濟、社會等各方面愈來愈不起作用。而在文化藝術方面，過於強調傳統和國族本位，只會變成固步自封和保守排外。
剛棄文從畫時，我也曾想過：繪畫已成了一種較為老舊的藝術形式。現代藝術的其中一個很重要的走向，就是發展和運用更新的形式和媒介，去探討和表達新的現象和觀念，故此裝置、錄像、混合媒體和行為表現等較新的藝術形式大行其道。反之，不論中外，繪畫從形式到媒介，都是老早已經開發和使用了的東西。尤其是中國畫，不但工具和技法源於傳統，往往連題材和意念也要沿襲前人，於是就給人更加老舊的感覺。因此，如果希望予人不那麼老舊的觀感，令人覺得還有點新鮮和現代的氣息，就必須尋求創新。
也就是這個原因，我雖然是年少學畫，技法上得力於師承，但近年重拾畫筆後卻背離了師承，盡可能畫前人沒畫過的東西。如果有人說這是離經叛道，我會承認，不但承認，還會再補充幾句：真正的創作都難免會離經叛道，這樣才能夠發前人所未發。有個說法我很同意：藝術上最偉大的風格就是表現最激越的叛逆。只可惜我的叛逆仍未足夠，仍然太過有限。