Preface

 

Since relocating to Sai Ying Pun last year, Sun Museum has embraced a diversified operational strategy to actively engage with Hong Kong’s 21st-century art ecosystem. Central to this mission are three distinct curatorial initiatives: "Sun Delight" spotlighting individual artists or themes, "Sun Salon" transforming gallery for assembly of artistic discourses, and "Sun Connect" fostering cross-disciplinary dialogues. In the past year, Sun Museum has presented the salon-style exhibition "Hong Kong Paintings in Sai Yuen Lane," featuring over ninety Hong Kong painters and the annual highlight "Colours of the Universe: Jade and Colour Stone Carvings from the Little Moon Pavilion and Songde Tang Collections." The current exhibition "Variegated Memories: The Art of Leung Shek Yuen" is another Delight.

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Leung Shek Yuen was born in 1946 in Shunde of Guangdong, demonstrated artistic talent from his youth while attending Wende Road Primary and Secondary School. His early promise led to his appointment as an art teacher at the same school upon graduation. He moved to Hong Kong in 1978, and then actively engaged in both painting and teaching while participating in international exhibitions locally and in Macau, as well as in Asian countries like Japan and Korea throughout the 1980s. The 1990s marked significant recognition with selections for the Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition and the 9th National Art Exhibition, culminating in a solo exhibition at Hong Kong Baptist University. His post-millennium career featured solo and group exhibitions across cities like Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shunde and Shenzhen, with inclusion in the prestigious Ink Global 2020 exhibition. Published personal catalogues encompass landscape and flower-and-bird paintings. His works have been collected by museums, galleries and collectors since 1990. Professional appointments include former roles as Visual Arts Examiner of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Chinese Painting Instructor of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, alongside current, council member of the Hong Kong Fine Art and Antiques Society, and memberships in both the Hong Kong Artists Association and Hong Kong Shun Tak Art and Culture Society, etc.

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From his youth, Leung Shek Yuen has been a devoted learner. Turning eighty next year, he remains humble and open-minded, acknowledging in his overview the profound influence of his teachers and predecessors over the years. Time has woven these experiences into his artistic philosophy. He quotes Sun Guoting, the Tang dynasty (618-907) calligrapher and theorist, from his treatise Shu Pu: “The evolution of traditions follows nature’s unchanging law.” This signifies that innovation through refinement is the true path of progress. Thus, while Leung deeply reveres tradition, he also embraces East-West synthesis; while he traversed the famous Mount Huangshan, Mounts Hua, and Emei, his heart lingers equally in Hong Kong’s verdant landscapes.

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Titled "Variegated Memories," this exhibition mirrors Leung Shek Yuen’s artistic journey through three thematic sections: Huangshan Landscapes, Hong Kong Scenery, and Bird-and-Flower Paintings. The monumental grandeur of Huangshan has profoundly influenced his recent stylistic evolution, while Hong Kong’s scenes reflect intimate daily encounters. The bird-and-flower compositions, a cornerstone of classical painting tradition rivalling landscapes in technical demand, demonstrate his mastery beyond mountainous forms. Among the 52 exhibited works, Leung’s virtuosity shines through: bold ink-wash expressions, splashed-colour techniques, spontaneous freehand brushwork, meticulous gongbi-style detailing. This corpus vividly manifests the artist’s refusal to be constrained by any single approach.

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To foster local cultural and artistic development, Sun Museum has launched the "Sun Refresh" scheme at its new Sai Yuen Lane location. The Museum invites Hong Kong-based artists to create artworks in dialogue with our exhibitions, blending contemporary creativity with historical themes together in the gallery space. For this edition, British architect and watercolourist Alex Peaker, who has moved to Hong Kong since 2003, is invited to respond to Leung’s artwork. Known for his depictions of urban landscapes, Peaker’s practice resonates deeply with the city’s visual rhythms. By pairing artists from Eastern and Western traditions, we hope to reveal unexpected artistic synergies within Hong Kong’s scenery, offering visitors a renewed perspective.

 

Lesley F.H. Lau

Director, Sun Museum​