Inspired by Ink - Paintings from the MK Lau Collection

June - September 2021

Curve of Buoyancy

February - June 2021

Sundowners

"Meditating in the orange eventide lately, it gives me a feeling of being distant from language but close to poetry, or nightmare. One needs such a time to awaken the texture and message of the senses on these absurd days.”  - Artist Tang Kwok-hin

This summer in Duddell's, we welcome Hong Kong-based artist Tang Kwok-hin as the curator of our upcoming exhibition – ‘Sundowners’. We invited Mr Tang, partnering up with four Interveners - a writer, a graphic designer, a cellist and a film director to discuss the current situation and daily lives with us.

Image: Tang Kwok-hin
Watering Flowers
Photo paper on PVC
2020
Image courtesy the artist

August 2020 - January 2021

Another Pair of Eyes

Curator: Yutaka Inagawa

Participating Collectors: Jehan Chu, Michael Xufu Huang, William Lim, Cindy Chua-Tay 

Both collecting contemporary art and directing a well-curated restaurant can be considered acts of mapping our world. Each comprises multi-layered structures, utilising a variety of sources to draw on the past, present, and future. "Another Pair of Eyes" is a single compressed layer, so to speak, where the balance of both discreet and obvious protagonists resonates with a unique cultural cohesion to create a kaleidoscopic outcome. 

November 2019 - July 2020

Irene Chou Rediscovered - Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

Curator: Catherine Maudsley
Exhibition Period: 13 November 2019 - 9 February 2020

The M K Lau Collection, one of Asia’s finest private collections of modern and contemporary ink, is presenting an exhibition that brings awareness, not only to an early Irene Chou masterpiece that has been hidden from public view for decades, but also the scope of the artist’s talent. It celebrates Chou’s creative journey over a twenty-year period and offers unique insights into the artist’s personality, interests and convictions. 

Image: Irene Chou, Time and Space, (one leaf of a four-leaf album), 21 x 20 cm

November 2019 - February 2020

Walk With Eyes Closed

Exhibition period: 5 August 2019 – 3 November 2019

When artist Kyung Hwa Shon walks a city, a unique practice of hers, she explores it through an imagined character, a phantom, ‘Stillman’. A sense of otherness emerges as she walks with it, which stimulates her imagination beyond the sole reliance on vision, expanding it into bodily consciousness. The sensual touch that she gains from the spaces becomes an understanding of the living organism and personality of a city, standing apart from herself. Through the physical quest of walking, she observes with an open heart and mind, and sometimes closed eyes. An accelerated exchange between the reality and the perceptions of Kyung Hwa’s walks produces the integral elements of her rich and powerful graphic works—the lines, shapes, and colours that are woven into her code and system of a city and that are translated into both the familiar and the alien.

Image: Every Second in Between, Art commission for Sehwa Museum of Art, Courtesy of the artist and Sehwa Museum of Art.

July - November 2019

Enlightening Times

24 March-23 June 2019

Opening Reception: 5-7pm, Sun 24 March
RSVP to programs@duddells.co

'Enlightening Times' initiates a dialogue between two major figures in the new Chinese contemporary art scene: Wang Guangle and Li Shurui. In their first encounter, the artists freely unfold their own universes, as well as their respective journeys into the changing states of light and colour. The works are from the collection of John Dodelande, one of the most important collectors and defenders of young Chinese art. In contrast to the incessant acceleration of our lives in an ultra-contemporary urban world, 'Enlightening Times' offers itself as a meditative space, a journey into a world of colour that underscores the vital dimension of light and time.

Image: Wang Guangle, 140710, 2014, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and John Dodelande Collection. 

March - June 2019

We Travel In Our Minds

September 2018 - March 2019

The Day the Gods Stop Laughing

August - September 2018

Intimate Encounters: The Art of Handscrolls and Albums – Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

This exhibition chronicles over 100 years of two formats of Chinese brush and ink painting. Handscrolls and albums are intimate and participatory formats of Chinese ink art - the former are unrolled from right to left, section by section, inviting viewers to take an interactive journey , while the latter are a group of distinct artworks brought together in a cohesive book form. For this exhibition, handscrolls are unrolled and framed, while album leaves are separated and framed. The exhibition testifies to the rich stylistic variations of handscrolls and albums, encouraging guests to immerse themselves in and appreciate art away from today's instantaneous culture, returning instead to the leisurely enjoyment endowed upon art making and collecting in traditional times. 

Image: Zhang Shanzi, Panaroma of Mount Huang, 1935, ink and colour on paper, 37.5 x 750.8 cm. Courtesy of the M K Lau Collection.  

June 2018 - March 2019

A Taste of the Masters III: Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

This special one-month exhibition complements the longer-term exhibition Intimate Encounters: The Art of Handscrolls and Albums on Duddell's 3/F. Solely dedicated to Wang Zhen (1897-1938) and Pu Ru (1896-1963), the 4/F and staircase exhibition provides alternate ways to understand intimacy in and with art. Viewers are invited to take a close-up look at the brushwork of rare, large-scale hanging scrolls including Pu Ru's Landscape in Blue-and-Green Style as well as Wang Zhen's Moonlight Chanting, Poetry Reading and Temple Block Beats and Cascading Falls by the Pavilion. The three magnificent, towering paintings provide a sharp contrast to the diminutive scale of the artists' handscrolls and albums, which are on view on the 4/F.

Image: Wang Zhen , Plants, Birds and Crab (part), 1928. Courtesy of the M K Lau Collection. 

June - July 2018

I Was Not Invited (The Organ Grinder's Canto)

Performance:

29 March, 10pm
30 March, 10pm

RSVP essential to programs@duddells.co

‘I Was Not Invited’ by Leila Hekmat is a site-specific musical performance created especially for Duddell’s, which tells the story of an organ grinder/singer and a pianist. With a song cycle inspired by Franz Schubert’s ‘Winterreisse’, this edition is a development from the initial piece performed at Le Zèbre, Paris and Ballhaus, Berlin, and centres around the search for humour through the darkness of human suffering. Following the performance, Duddell's will present the solo exhibition of Hekmat featuring costumes and photographs. Co-presented by Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin.
 
Image: Leila Hekmat, I Was Not Invited, colour photograph, 2018. Photography by Sven Gutjahr. Courtesy of the artists and Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin.

March - June 2018

The Preservationists

'The Preservationists', curated by Ingrid Pui Yee Chu, includes collected, existing, and commissioned works by James Carl, Lee Lee Chan, Dong Dawei, Hu Fang, Josh Kline, An Te Liu, Andrew Luk, Aniwar Mamat, Sterling Ruby, Song Dong, and Tang Kwok Hin, as well as a performance, programmes, and a free limited edition printed inside the pages of the Duddell’s newsletter.
 
All of the artists are informed by their surroundings, and in ways that manifest materially in their practice. Their works—sourced mainly from local and international collections—highlight the richness of Duddell’s architectural construction and particular feng shui arrangement through materials the artists use that can also be found on-site.  

Image: An Te Liu, Brutalist Rice Cooker, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.

November 2017 - March 2018

Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk

Curated by Leo Li Chen, ‘Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk’ explores the aestheticization and temporality of everyday objects. The exhibition includes newly commissioned and existing works by Mark Chung, Gao Lei, Liang Yue, Eason Tsang Ka Wai, Wang Qingsong, and Yangjiang Group. Some works in the exhibition evoke the artist’s personal memories, while others convey doubts about norms and attempt to voice opinions in public. When staged in the unconventional exhibition space at Duddell’s, these artworks based on everyday objects enter into dialogue with the existing tableware, furniture, floral decorations, and food, thereby fostering new narratives and resonances. 

July - September 2017

A Taste of the Masters II: Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

March 2017 - June 2018

Duddell’s x 21st Sydney Biennale: Abstraction of the World

Since ancient times, human beings have been fascinated by the structure of cosmic space and the natural phenomena of the world. Fundamental elements such as light and darkness, wind and rain, water and fire do not have fixed structures or form; therefore, they have often been depicted by different cultures and civilisations as abstract forms. Curated by Mami Kataoka, the exhibition features work by Mit Jai Inn, George Tjungurrayi, and Haegue Yang, who through their research and repertoires, reference and explore such concepts in abstraction. Abstraction of the World explore some of the diverse philosophies surrounding the essential elements of the universe, investigating a pursuit of of meaning in abstraction that goes beyond modernist perspectives of abstract expressionism and minimal, conceptual art.

Image: Haegue Yang, Non–Foldings – Cosmic Explosion #1 (part), 2012, stencil, black and white paper, spray paint,  123 x 88 cm. Courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.

March - July 2017

Geomantic Intervention (no.3)

Curated by renowned artist Adrian Wong, the exhibition explores the impact of artworks on the flow of energy through the Salon and Library at Duddell’s. Adrian Wong has taken inspiration from Ilse Crawford’s design and some of Asia’s most respected collectors to create a fundamentally different experience of an exhibition space. Instead of using the conventional approach of selecting artworks based on their aesthetic or critical value, Wong and fengshui practitioner Zoie Yung chose works for their ability to modulate the energetic patterns of the rooms that contain them. Works were installed to maximize their energetic potential—whether it be against a corner, higher (or lower) than the natural gaze of the audience, or even mounted on the ceiling—prompting visitors to reconsider the space surrounding them and the impact of fengshui on their perceptions of it. 

October 2016 - March 2017

Noon Gazette and Daily Spy

Duddell’s is proud to present its summer exhibition Noon Gazette and Daily Spy curated by Hong Kong curator Jims Lam Chi Hang. The exhibition incorporates a number of emerging and established Hong Kong artists. It showcases new and existing works of Lam Hoi Sin, Song Ta, Leung Chi Wo and Elvis Yip Kin Bon. This is Duddell’s third exhibition with a focus on Hong Kong’s fast-growing art scene.

July - October 2016

Duddell’s x DMA: Concentrations HK: Margaret Lee

Duddell’s and the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) co-present the first solo exhibition of celebrated New York-based artist Margaret Lee in Asia. It is curated by Gabriel Ritter, the DMA’s Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. For 'Duddell’s x DMA: Concentrations HK: Margaret Lee', the artist created a site-specific installation, displacing iconic works from the DMA’s permanent collection directly onto the walls of Duddell’s via trompe l’oeil wallpaper design. Lee also created a new series of photographic images that were installed in relationship to the wallpaper that directly address ideas surrounding cultural exchange, fetish, and aesthetic representations of power.

Image: Margaret Lee, Who Do You Think You Are (sink), 2016, dye sublimation photograph, plaster, ceramic, wood, and acrylic paint, 109 x 183 x 15 cm. © Margaret Lee. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Hanley Gallery, and Misako and Rosen.

March - June 2016

Rendering Change: The Arts of New China 1949-79

China experienced momentous change in the 20th century, and in 1949 the new nation of the People’s Republic of China was established.  For 30 years, the internationally renowned M K Lau Collection has assembled a stellar collection of ink paintings documenting important historical and political events of New China.  It has also It has also assembled outstanding watercolour paintings, woodblock prints and posters recording this special era in China’s history.

Together, they provide unique insights into New China’s industrial development, agricultural reform, and the impact of ideology on art. 

March 2016 - March 2017

Under the Lion Rock: Hong King Landscapes by Lui Shou-kwan

January - March 2016

Song Dong: Sketch

Self-curated exhibition by Song Dong, 'Song Dong: Sketch' is an exhibition that spread across two of Hong Kong’s central art venues: Duddell’s and Pace Gallery. 'Song Dong: Sketch' at Duddell’s pays homage to Song Dong’s early works with photography and videos of his globally renowned installations, Eating the City, Edible Penjing, as well as ceramic sculptures. With the help of student volunteers and local artists, Song Dong created over 15 Edible City sculptures for the guests to consume at the opening reception.

Image: Song Dong, Edible City (City004), 2015, photo, 60 x 90 cm. © Song Dong. Courtesy of Pace Hong Kong and Duddell’s. 

October 2015 - January 2016

Here Is Where We Meet

Can we reimagine the links between tradition, individual, and place? These are some of the explorative questions posed in Duddell’s 2015 summer exhibition curated by Vivian Poon, an artist, curator, and Research and Programmes Coordinator at the Hong Kong-based Asia Art Archive. ‘Here is Where We Meet’ will consider the impact of ‘tradition’ on artists Chu Hing Wah, Ho Sin Tung, Lee Kit, Lui Chun Kwong, Wilson Shieh, and Tsang Chui Mei, upstairs in the Duddell’s Salon and Library, from 9 July to 5 October 2015.

July - October 2015

ICA Off-site: Hong Kongese

Duddell’s presents: ICA Off-Site: Hong Kongese is Duddell’s latest exhibition of local and international contemporary artists. Presented in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the original home of radical arts and culture in London, the exhibition will coincide with Art Basel in Hong Kong 2015. Bringing to Hong Kong an exhibition that challenges perceived notions and stimulates debate, experimentation, creativity and exchange with visitors, Duddell’s Presents: ICA Off-Site: Hong Kongese is curated by ICA Executive Director Gregor Muir, and co-curators Alia Al-Senussi and Abdullah AlTurki. This is the first time the ICA have staged an exhibition in Hong Kong and it will be on show at Duddell’s from 12 March 2015 to 22 June 2015.

March - June 2015

Nairy Baghramian, Janette Laverrière, Danh Vo

The highly acclaimed conceptual artist Danh Vo curates his first Hong Kong exhibition at Duddell’s starting 29 November. Titled Duddell’s Presents: Nairy Baghramian, Janette Laverrière,  Danh Vo, the exhibition adds to the global contemporary art conversation.

November 2014 - February 2015

Mesmerized by Ink: Two Hong Kong Masters & Just as Mesmerized by Ink – Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

Following on from the inaugural “Taste of the Masters: Paintings from the M K Lau Collection”, Duddell’s will feature more paintings from the M K Lau Collection: “Mesmerized by Ink: Two Hong Kong Masters” from September 2014 to late 2015 and “Just as Mesmerized by Ink” from late September to November 2014 on the third and fourth floors respectively.

The M K Lau Collection is an internationally renowned collection of Chinese art from the 20th century. Assembled by a Hong Kong entrepreneur, its collection of Chinese ink paintings is exemplar, often shown in leading institutions around the world.

September 2014 - December 2015

Aftermath: Post-sense Sensibility, Fifteen Years On

Exhibition Curated by Philip Tinari, Director, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing

Participating artists include:

Chen Wenbo, Chen Xiaoyun, Colin Chinnery, Jiang Zhi, Kan Xuan, Liu Wei, Qiu Zhijie, Shi Qing, Sun Yuan/Peng Yu, Wang Wei, Wang Yuyang, Xiao Yu, Yang Fudong, Zhang Hui, Zhao Liang, Zheng Guogu, Zhu Yu.

May - September 2014

Foreign Presence

Curator: Inti Guerrero

Hong Kong based curator Inti Guerrero gathers different instances of foreign presence in the city, through contemporary artworks, fashion photography and archival documents.

February - May 2014

Framed: Ai Weiwei and Hong Kong Artists

Curated by Ai Weiwei, Framed brings together works by 13 Hong Kong artists in a conceptual collaboration.

Participating artists include:
anothermountainman, Nadim Abbas, Kitty Chou, Ho Sin Tung, Frog King, Kum Chi-Keung, Kwan Sheung-Chi, Michael Lau, MAP Office, Kinsley Ng, Tozer Pak, Angela Su, Tsang Kin-Wah

November 2013 - February 2014

Liquid Asia

Curator: MAP Office

Liquid Asia portrays a continent characterized by its waters – may it be river, a port, a boat, or an island. Screened initially at Circuito Off, a festival founded in 2000 and that takes place during the first weekend of the main Venice Film Festival, MAP Office navigates this continent to explore potential specificities related to the unique relation the Asian territory has with the sea, and to determine whether this dissemination of the land is directing a new reading of contemporary video art in the region.

September - October 2013

A Taste of the Masters: Paintings from the M K Lau Collection

The M K Lau Collection is an internationally renowned collection of Chinese art from the 20th century. Assembled by a Hong Kong entrepreneur, its collection of Chinese ink paintings is exemplar, often shown in leading institutions around the world.

‘A Taste of the Masters: Paintings from the M K Lau Collection’ presents more than 60 paintings by over a dozen artists, including the seminal Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian. Comprising landscapes, figures, birds and flowers as well as calligraphy, the works on view at Duddell's range from large-scale paintings to smaller scale fans and album leaves.

Image: Yu Feian, Album of Flowers and Birds (part), 1947, ink and colour on paper, 30.5 x 37 cm. Courtesy of the M K Lau Collection. 

May 2013 - July 2014

Face to Face

Curator: Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes

Duddell’s inaugural show Face to Face presents a rethinking of the genre of portraiture, evoking the history of dining rooms and clubs past, but with a contemporary take. While bars and restaurants have often hung portraits of their well-known patrons, Duddell’s selection of works by internationally celebrated artists such as Pieter Hugo, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Rodney Graham, George Condo and Yan Xing, turns the tradition on its head.

May - August 2013