Mr Tang Hoi-chiu
Curator-in-Residence
Mr Tang Hoi-chiu
Professor Tang Hoi-chiu was born in Hong Kong. He obtained a BA from The University of Hong Kong in 1977 and a Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies from The University of Sydney in 1998. He joined the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1977. From 1989 to 1991, he was assigned to re-provision the Royal Hong Kong Police Museum. In 1995, he was appointed as Curator (Modern Art) at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Subsequently, he served as Chief Curator from 2008 to 2012, and then Chief Curator (Special Projects) from 2012 to 2014 for the renovation of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Professor Tang retired in 2014. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of the Division of Art and Humanities, School of Professional and Continuing Education, The University of Hong Kong; Adjunct Professor, Academy of Visuals Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University; and External Member, Culture Promotion Committee, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His expertise is in curatorship, Chinese art, ink art, Hong Kong art, art administration and museum management.
Professor Tang has served as adjudicator and adviser for various local and international art competitions, art fairs and exhibitions, including the recent “Ink Innovations and Crossovers - Retrospective Exhibition of Painting by Wucius Wong” (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2016), “From Blossom to Harvest - A Century of Modern Chinese Painting from Singapore’s Qiu Zhai Collection” (Christie’s Hong Kong, 2016), “Art Next” Expo, “Ink Global” (2017). He has won a number of professional awards and his writings and research papers have been widely published in journals, art publications and exhibition catalogues.
Exhibition - From Naturalism to Artistic Realm – Exhibition of Sketches and Paintings of Gao Jianfu, Master of the Lingnan School of Painting
The highlight of the Programme was the exhibition curated by Mr Tang - From Naturalism to Artistic Realm – Exhibition of Sketches and Paintings of Gao Jianfu, Master of the Lingnan School of Painting - in which 120 works and related exhibits by Master Gao Jianfu were on display. Capitalizing on a curator’s specialized knowledge, careful selection and thoughtful interpretation of art pieces, and learning from Mr Tang’s professionalism through personal encounters, the Curator-in-Residence Programme enabled our students, staff and alumni to better appreciate art, thus enhancing the quality of their art experience.
Docent Training
This was the first event of the Curator-in-Residence programme. Students were engaged as our docents during the exhibition period. We were glad that Mr Tang agreed to be our docent trainer for two training sessions. He introduced his curatorship concept for the exhibition, pinpointed details of Master Gao’s paintings, and suggested how the docents could help the visitors interpret the art pieces. Participants enjoyed Mr Tang’s training very much and were inspired by the technique of the Lingnan School of Painting.
From Naturalism to Artistic Realm – Exhibition of Sketches and Paintings of Gao Jianfu, Master of the Lingnan School of Painting
Guided Tours
We were honoured that Mr Tang accepted our invitation to share his curation concept and his knowledge of Master Gao’s paintings by leading our students and staff on a walk through the exhibition. Guided tours were conducted in both Chinese and English, explaining how Master Gao’s artworks were developed from sketches. Participants gained an understanding of the devotion needed by Gao Jianfu to develop sketches and drawings and then transform them into completed paintings that were both innovative and creative.