United College 70th Anniversary Activity – Hop Wai Artist-in-Residence Ink Arts Exhibition on “Variations in an Unadorned Space”
Artist: Professor Yau Wing Fung Ross, Hop Wai Artist-in-Residence 2025-2026
Date: 4 March – 24 April 2026
Venue: G/F, Wu Chung Library, United College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Statement:
In the context of contemporary art, the “exhibition space” has never been merely the physical space of the white cube; rather, it serves as a poetic field that embodies imagination, expresses stance, or facilitates sensory engagement. This exhibition, guided by the concept of “Unadorned Space,” constructs an aesthetic environment of purity and simplicity. “Unadorned” refers to a state of being untouched by excessive embellishment, reflecting the philosophical pursuit of “embracing simplicity and returning to the pristine” in Eastern philosophy, which deeply resonates with the “plain and natural” charm of ink art. The “Unadorned Space” is not only a manifestation of the exhibition’s serene atmosphere but also an imaginative vessel woven from the interplay of ink, brush, and paper.
The core proposition of the exhibition, “Variations,” seeks to explore the multidimensional expressions of ink art within a contemporary context, rather than deliberately emphasizing differences from tradition or negating the past. Through two distinct forms—two-dimensional landscape works and ink installations—the artist explores the interrelationship between ink, space, and people. Viewers traverse between the wandering perspectives of the flat plane and the interventions of the three-dimensional field, experiencing vastly different visual sensations.
“Variations in an Unadorned Space” goes beyond merely displaying ink works of different forms within a clean space; it seeks inner resonance within the spiritual time and space of ink art. The works move like the rhythms of different musical pieces, guiding the viewer’s thoughts into a state of stability and leading them rediscover inner clarity.
About the Artist:
Yau Wing Fung, ink artist, is currently assistant professor at the Academy of Visual Arts of the Hong Kong Baptist University. He focuses on ink creations and research. His works consist in the transformation of visual experience, imagination and situationality while emphasising the potential interconnectedness of the visual content, the viewing mode and the external form. By merging the spatial aesthetics of ink with contemporary visual experience, his three-dimensional structures or installations create multi-dimensional spatial and temporal scenarios.
Yau has held solo exhibitions and projects in the USA, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. In recent years, he was commissioned by the United Overseas Bank, Art Central and Hong Kong Museum of Art to create some large ink installations that fosters a dynamic interaction between viewers, ink works and space. His artworks have been exhibited in numerous international exhibitions and events, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and United Nations Secretariat Building in the USA, Beijing International Art Biennale, Shenzhen Art Museum, Zhengzhou Art Museum, National Taiwan Normal University Art Museum, University Museum and Art Gallery of The University of Hong Kong, the art space Oi!, Art Basel and Fine Art Asia. His works have been included in both public and private collections, including that of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Ashmolean Museum and M+.
Poster:
