Chung Tai Fu and Emily Hung: Imprinted Enchantments

EVENT DESCRIPTION

a|n Gallery is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition entitled “Imprinted Enchantments: Print Art by Chung Tai Fu and Emily Hung”.  This exhibition will showcase the exceptional print art styles and creative concepts of renowned artists Chung Tai-fu and Emily Hung. Featuring various forms of printmaking, including Intaglio and Serigraph, the exhibition will highlight their innovations and explorations in the art field. A total of 18 captivating artworks will be on display from 18th July to 4th August, 2023.

Chung Tai-fu and Emily Hung, who share a master-apprentice relationship, each brings their distinct styles and techniques to this collaboration, creating a diverse and enriching visual experience for the audience. Chung Tai-fu, a renowned printmaking artist in Hong Kong and a lecturer in the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, specializing in teaching printmaking. His outstanding talent has been recognized with numerous international art awards, including the Printmaking Award at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial 1989, the Honorable Mention Award at the 6th Soul International Print Biennial, and the Silver Award at the Tokyo International Print Exhibition 1993, among others. His works are highly regarded by renowned private collectors as well as art museums, and have been exhibited worldwide. 

Chung Tai-fu’s works beautifully blend the characteristics of Chinese and Japanese printmaking, particularly incorporating the gradient colour techniques of Japanese prints.  This fusion results in compositions and tones that are rich and layered. Notable series include “Blue Ripple,” which weaves reality and illusion, light and shade, to portray the transparency and fleeting nature of ripples and water droplets. “Full Moon” resembles monochrome prints in Japanese ukiyo-e, with clear and distinct ripples appearing as branded marks, while the gentle reflection of the round moon adds a touch of tranquility and poetic meaning. His latest works, such as “Three Graces,” “Flower Halos,” and “Blessing of Flower” utilize gradient colors in combination with gold and silver, perfectly capturing the vibrant hues of flower petals. Chung Tai-fu’s passion for printmaking, along with his unique artistic style, showcases his profound understanding, distinctive perspective, and unique Eastern aesthetics.

Emily Hung learns intaglio from Chung Tai-fu and specializes in this art form. She passionately appreciates the unique lines and details in her surroundings and transforms them into intaglio prints to express her emotions. Under her strokes, everything comes to life, and the magnified details are filled with imagination, inspired by her wondrous world. Within the intricate lines, her thoughts and emotions are hidden, sometimes melancholic and lonely, other times filled with romance and hope. The process of intaglio printing, with its repeated engraving and printing, aligns perfectly with her way of observing things. Each inking and printing is her reflection on the world, shifting her emotions. When new images appear on the paper, her inspiration emerges before people’s eyes. The multitude of lines represents the culmination of her complex thoughts, and the imaginative details embody her unique perspective.

A poet once wrote, ‘Tears are the smallest oceans created by humanity.’ So, one evening, Emily Hung, as a intaglio artist, shed tears that fell onto the copperplate and transformed into an ocean of healing composed of little dogs. In this exhibition, she will showcase her latest series of six intaglio prints titled ‘Ocean of Little Dogs,’ including “Midnight raindrops on you,” “My passion, My loneliness under clear moonlight and silent mountains,” “It’s the Year of Rabbit!,” and the “Healing Tears”, which are romantic and poetic in nature.”

Emily Hung has participated in various exhibitions, showcasing her exceptional talent in the field of printmaking, including her solo exhibition “Mirrored Divinity” held at the Hong Kong Print Studio in 2020, as well as joint exhibitions in Paris, London, and Romania. She was also the recipient of the Hong Kong Open Printshop Award in Printmaking 2019-20, and is an emerging star in the Hong Kong printmaking scene.

While the artistic styles of these two artists may differ, they resonate with each other, presenting the charisma of printmaking art. The audience will experience the collision and exchange of different styles in this exhibition, embarking on a rich, diverse, and unforgettable art journey. Printmaking, as a unique art form, offers a wide range of possibilities and variations based on the artists’ demands and innovations, making it worthy of careful appreciation and collection.