Transcending the Conventional Boundaries of Painting Painting Across The Threshold: Ng Lung Wai

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) will present Painting Across The Threshold: Ng Lung Wai from March 12, 2021 to June 27, 2021 as the first exhibition of the UMAG_STArts series. Launched in 2020, UMAG_STArts explores the symbiotic relationship between science, technology, and the arts.

Drawing inspiration from the traditional art of paper folding, this exhibition presents Ng Lung Wai’s ‘folding paint’ technique. Creating works of great sophistication from seemingly naive and childlike experiences, these vessels made from folded paint transform the artist’s childhood practice of folding paper boats into a highly personal visual language. More than an investigation into his own heritage and cultural roots, his works eloquently speak to our existential experiences, while simultaneously inviting us to delve into our respective memories and feelings.

The colours and visual elements incorporated by Ng contain the entirety of his lived experience. Similar to the message of Odysseus’ seafaring expedition, Ng’s boats in All the Best depict our collective voyage through life’s ups and downs. As the title implies, Chang Ming is inspired by Laozi’s Daodejing, which opens with the famous line ‘a way that can be followed is not a constant way, a name that can be named is not a constant name’. The knots in Chang Ming represent unanswered questions about human existence and our never-ending pursuit of the truth. An unanswered question is often more intriguing than an answered one, as the former never stops producing possibilities.

For more images and captions of the exhibits, please click here.

Details of the Exhibition
Period: March 12, 2021 (Friday) to June 27, 2021 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
9:30 am–6:00 pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
1:00 pm–6:00 pm (Sunday)
Closed on Mondays, University and Public Holidays
Venue: Study Gallery, G/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / [email protected]
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.umag.hku.hk/en/

In the Interest of Public Health, UMAG will Adopt the Following Measures
– All museum visitors are required to register their name, contact number and the date and time of the visit or scan the “LeaveHomeSafe” QR code before entering UMAG via the G/F Fung Ping Shan Building entrance.
– A temperature check will be conducted upon entry.
– Visitors are required to properly wear their face mask at all times. They are advised to wash their hands and use the hand sanitizer and sink available at the entrance.
– Crowd control measures will be in place; UMAG reserves the right to limit the number of visitors.
– Children under 12 can only enter the museum when accompanied by an adult.
– Disability access is available upon request. Please contact the museum at (852) 2241 5500 three working days prior to your visit.
UMAG will continue to assess the situation and adjust the relevant preventive measures as necessary.

Connect with UMAG on Social Media:
Facebook: http://bit.ly/umag_facebook
Instagram: @umag_hku, #UMAG, #UMAG_STArts, #FoldingPaint, #NgLungWai
Weibo: @香港大學美術博物館UMAG
YouTube: http://bit.ly/umag_youtube
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/umag_linkedin

About University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UMAG)
UMAG was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. It was originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library in 1932 in honour of its benefactor. For more information on UMAG, please click here.

Media Enquiries
UMAG Manager of Public Engagement and Education Ms Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: [email protected]
UMAG Programme Officer Ms Chelsea Choi, Tel: (852) 2241 5509, Email: [email protected]

Biography -Ng Lung Wai
Born in Hong Kong in 1971, Ng Lung Wai received his master’s degree in architecture from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He first worked at an architectural firm and later at an interior design company. In 2001, Ng set up his own design and production house, working with local museums and exhibition venues on an array of projects. In addition to the aesthetic values developed during his architectural training, Ng also established a distinctive artistic approach and style that draws on his years of experience in organising exhibitions. Ng’s engagement with different modes of expression inspired his decision to become a full-time visual artist in 2013, after completing an award-winning heritage revitalisation project at Mei Ho House.

Ng Lung Wai directs his artistic sensibilities towards the re-creation and reinterpretation of artistic materials, forms and techniques. He seeks to expand his artistic vision, while challenging the norms and status quo of painting. In defiance of painting’s conventional limits, Ng developed the ‘folding paint’ technique, in which he creates three-dimensional, paint-based components assembled on a canvas or flat screen. His works are at once abstract and figurative, enigmatic and direct, flat and three-dimensional. Crossing the threshold between painting and sculpture, Ng’s creative reinterpretation of the traditional use of acrylic paint and colour results in intuitively constructed compositions and forms. His precise application of the ‘folding paint’ technique creates visual displays of space and depth that convey an optical intensity worthy of contemplation.

About UMAG_STArts
As a university museum, public education is at the heart of UMAG’s core programming. Launched in 2020, UMAG_STArts is a new initiative that explores the symbiotic relationship between science, technology, and the arts through the interdisciplinary studies of art history​, conservation, and novel forms of technology. Learn with UMAG is one of the initiative’s first projects, featuring programmes of educational activities, digital learning resources, and exhibitions at our newly refurbished study gallery.

Learn with UMAG is one of the initiative’s first projects, featuring programmes of educational activities, digital learning resources, and exhibitions at our newly refurbished study gallery. Starting with the theme of painting, four programmes will be conducted. Each programme will feature an art-related theme—a technique, medium, material, or genre—aiming to offer a more interactive and dynamic museum learning experience that is dissimilar from the traditional mode of art exhibition.