Creating a series of fifty oil paintings in less than two years is no easy task. Fortunate for HKUST, the renowned painter Chen Keng has set this goal for himself and we all share and celebrate his achievement in this exhibition My Heart is Flying.
Flying has always been a dream of humankind. Thanks to incessant experiments and breakthroughs following the Industrial Revolution, this dream came true a little more than a century ago. While the success of aviation relies heavily on the work of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, artists and many others have also offered plenty of imagination and enthusiasm along the way. Chen proves this with My Heart is Flying.
Chen looks into the history of flying, digging into the wisdom and imagination of humankind of the past five thousand years. He examines the idea of flying across time, religions, civilizations, and disciplines, drawing inspirations from the greatest thinkers and literature traditions of the East and the West. All of these remind us of the humanistic and metaphysical side of any technological advancement, and the reason why we have been able to make those achievements.
Living in the 21st century, we are confronted with more challenges than ever. The history of flying has taught us that the contemplation of the impossible precipitates the possible, dreams come before reality, and the arts have always been and are an indispensable part of science and technology. This timely exhibition at HKUST provides us with the most beautiful illustrations for one of the greatest achievement of humankind and highlights the ideal of our University in the new era: contributing to the humankind through ceaseless innovation and creativity. As a fellow aerospace engineering and science professional, I salute Mr. Chen for his creativity, optimism and spirit!
Professor Wei Shyy
President
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology