[CURATOR-LED GUIDED TOUR] Extraordinary Encounters: Malou Hung’s Bookplates

Time | Language | Registration link
11:45am–12:15pm | English | https://bit.ly/33eN0gS
2:00pm–2:30pm* | Cantonese | https://bit.ly/3b5F0n0

Date: Sunday, 22 May 2021
Venue: Atrium, 2/F, Main Library, HKU, Pokfulam
Audience and Limit: Aged 18 or above, maximum 18 people per session
Registration & Enquires: Registration opens from 8 May 2021. Free of charge with registration. For enquiries, please contact Ms Jasmin Lin: jasminl@hku.hk / 2241 5500.
Speaker: Sarah Ng, Curator of UMAG, HKU
Deadline of application: 18 May 2021
*Participating artist Malou Hung will be present for a Q&A session after the guided tour.


Extraordrinary Encounters: Malou Hung’s Bookplates

The Hong Kong University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) and The University of Hong Kong Libraries will present Extraordinary Encounters: Malou Hung’s Bookplates from May 17 to June 6, 2021. The exhibition employs a cross-cultural perspective for visualising Chinese material culture through the bookplates of celebrated Hong Kong artist Malou Hung Oi Yee.

Bookplates are traditionally small, custom-made prints attached to the inside front cover of a book to indicate ownership. In an era in which the popularity of print media continues to decline, the practice of including bookplates is fast becoming a dying art. Extraordinary Encounters refers to the surprising ways in which we still encounter bookplates during the act of reading. Alternatively, it stands for the remarkable encounters that are possible when viewing Hung’s images, which go well beyond general expectations of a standard bookplate. These encounters have the ability to transport audiences across time and space, allowing for the appreciation of ancient artworks and diverse Hong Kong neighbourhoods viewed from the artist’s extraordinary perspective.

Bookplates have been appreciated for centuries as technically refined and beautiful artworks, as well as critical materials for learning about the history of art, printing, books and design. Many of the works on display here pay homage to everyday life in Hong Kong’s bygone eras—informed by elements of traditional Chinese culture—which forms an invaluable resource for the study of both Chinese art and Hong Kong heritage.

The exhibition also presents historical objects from UMAG’s permanent collection, and items displayed online as part of a complementary virtual exhibition.