Message from the Center for the Arts
It was my honour to be introduced to the renowned painter Chen Keng in an exhibition organized by the Center for the Arts two years ago. As I gradually discovered Chen Keng’s artworks, I was deeply impressed by their profound humanistic spirit. Having worked as a painter for more than thirty years, Chen has pondered upon many diverse themes. While his early works are instilled with nostalgic resonance, documenting the process of self-discovery and stylistic establishment of a young painter, his recent works are charged with historic and humanistic contemplation, symbolizing the mature artist’s empathy with world values and his original interpretation of such concepts.
My Heart is Flying painting series proves once again the enchanting power of Chen Keng’s works. In order to unfold the fantasy and aspiration for flying of mankind over thousands of years, Chen not only investigated into the huge heritage of texts and images across time and cultures but also conducted an industrious research into history. Nevertheless, Chen did not overwhelm his paintings with details. On the contrary, minimal figures and forms were assembled in surreal configurations graced with subdued lyrical colour tones, likening his paintings to Giorgio Morandi’s metaphysical art. In the scrutiny of the length and breadth of human thoughts and history, the painter put certain critical episodes to a standstill and imbued his purified compositions with contemplative subtlety, thus inducing the audience to spiritual transcendence. The painter, moreover, dared not to forget the heavy toll on mankind for flying free, while celebrating the success of the material world to make the dream of flying come true, the question, ‘Is our heart really flying?’, lingers in the air.
What role can the arts play in a university focused on science, technology and business disciplines? How can the arts help students grow? These questions have always been on my mind. Since the Center for the Arts joined the Center for Education Innovation last year, making possible synergies between the arts and the other disciplines has become a new direction of our work, and presenting this artist-in-residence project is the first attempt towards this goal. Responding to the ever-growing need for interdisciplinary talents of the world today, the Center for the Arts is privileged to work with the Library to present the cross-disciplinary artworks of Chen Keng.
We are grateful to Mr. Chen Keng for his great contribution to HKUST!
Dr. Anna Kwong
Program Director, Center for the Arts, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology