CHU Hing Wah
Chu Hing Wah (B. 1935) Born in Guangdong Province in 1935, Chu Hing Wah moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1950. Although deeply interested in painting in his youth, Chu Hing Wah chose to train as a psychiatric nurse, pursuing his degree at Maudsley Hospital in London from 1960 to 1965. From this time on, his professional career and his art-making developed side by side. After his return to Hong Kong he worked in the field of psychiatric care for over 22 years, at the Castle Peak Psychiatric Hospital and Siu Lam Hospital for the Mentally Retarded, respectively. During his years of study abroad, Chu frequently visited art galleries and museums, an experience that inspired his life-long interest in art. In 1972, he completed the certificate course in Art and Design from the Extra-Mural Studies of University of Hong Kong. With his main interest in painting, he became an active participant in various art groups and held many exhibitions throughout Hong Kong. He was also selected a number of times over the years for inclusion in the ‘Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition’ presented by the Urban Council and ‘The Visual Arts Society Annual Exhibition’. In 1992, Chu Hang Wah retired from the nursing profession and has been working as a full-time professional artist ever since. Recent exhibitions include Reunion (Rotunda, Exchange Square, 2017); Art Interaction Hong Kong, Taiwan: Artmatch 22nd Annual Exhibition (Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, 2017); Ink Asia: Chu Hing Wah Charity Exhibition (Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 2015); Three Elders: Gaylord Chan, Chu Hing Wah and Luis Chan (Hanart TZ Gallery, 2014); ‘West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre (Opening Exhibition)’ (West Kowloon Cultural District, 2011) and Hong Kong, Hong Kong: Works by Chu Hing Wah (The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong, 2011).

Hing Wah uses Chinese pigments and ink applied with the technique of layering and diffusion to express his care for human feelings and the affairs of human life. Chu’s style and technique have the innocent quality of the primitive painter, but at its core, his art is infused with a sophisticated understanding. The emotional tenor of his works is free of any sense of crass urbanity even as his imagery is drawn from scenes of urban Hong Kong life. Through his extraordinary colours, and clean and simple compositions, he pieces together his memories of old Hong Kong. With his keen sensitivity to the fragility of the human psyche, Chu understands that for ordinary people in the city, life’s true pleasure is still found in the bonds of community and family. These are the strengths that enable us to withstand the corrosive quality of this commercialised age. They are the starting points from which we form a bond with our world. His depiction of traditional festivals and fragmented episodes in life also convey a strong sense of affection and contentment.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2017 Living in Compassion: The Art of Chu Hing Wah, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2015 Reappear: Chu Hing Wah Charity Exhibition, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
2010   Hong Kong, Hong Kong: Works by Chu Hing Wah, The University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong
2006 Chu’s 50 Years of Hong Kong, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2003 My Third Page: Dream and Reality, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2000 Chu Hing Wah, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Days in Europe, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
1998 Chu Hing Wah, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
1995 Chu Hing Wah: Diary 1994, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
1992 Chu Hing Wah: Reappearances, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
Chu Hing Wah: Reappearances, Hanart (Taipei) Gallery, Taipei
1989 Chu Hing Wah, Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong
1988 Chu Hing Wah, The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture, Hong Kong
Selected Group Exhibitions
2017 Reunion, Rotunda, Exchange Square, Hong Kong
Art Interaction Hong Kong, Taiwan: Artmatch 22nd Annual Exhibition, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre
2014   Three Elders: Luis Chan, Gaylord Chan, Chu Hing-Wah, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2013 Hong Kong Visual Arts Society 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Hong Kong City Hall
The Origin of Dao: New Dimensions in Chinese Contemporary Art, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
2012     A Tribute to Hong Kong Masters: Luis Chan, Irene Chou, Gaylord Chan, Liu Kuo-Sung, Chu Hing Wah, Wucius Wong, Leung KuiTing , Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre (Opening Exhibition), West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong
2010 Legacy and Creations: Ink Art vs Ink Art, Shanghai Art Museum; Hong Kong Museum of Art
2008   New Ink Art: Innovation and Beyond (Evolving City Life), Hong Kong Museum of Art
Inheritance: 35th Anniversary Exhibition of Hong Kong Visual Arts Society, Hong Kong City Hall
2007 Ink Contemporary: INK non INK, Artist Commune, Hong Kong
The New Face of Ink Painting, Central Plaza, Hong Kong
Made in Hong Kong: Contemporary Art Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art
2003   Ink Painting in Transition, Hong Kong Museum of Art; London University
2002 The 17th Asian International Art Exhibition, Daejeon Museum of Art, Korea
Shanghai in the Eyes of World Artists, Shanghai,
Genies or Madman, Artist Commune, Hong Kong
2001   The 16th Asian International Art Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou
Art Windows, art in public spaces, BODY SHOP, Hong Kong
2000 The 15th Asian International Art Exhibition, Taiwan
Hong Kong Art 2000, Hong Kong Museum of Art
1999 The Opening Exhibition of Shanghai Street Artspace, Shanghai Street Artspace, Hong Kong
1998   Silver Jubilee Anniversary Exhibition of the Hong Kong Visual Arts Society, University Museum and Arts Gallery, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong
1991 Exhibition of the Visual Arts Society, Fundacao Oriente, Macau
Exhibition of the Hong Kong Sculptors Association, presented by Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong University
1990 Exhibition of the Urban Council Fine Arts Award Winners, Hong Kong Museum of Art
1989 Four Hong Kong Artists Exhibition, Rotunda, Exchange Square, Hong Kong
4th Asian International Arts Exhibition, Seoul, Korea
1988 Modern Chinese Art from Hong Kong, Hamburg, Germany
Exhibition of Ten Years of Hong Kong Sculpture, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Exhibition of Hong Kong Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
3rd Asian International Arts Exhibition, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan
1985 The Sculpture Show, Rotunda, Exchange Square, Hong Kong
1984 Contemporary Open Air Sculpture Exhibition, Piazza of Hong Kong Coliseum
1974 - 1989 The Visual Arts Society Annual Exhibitions, Hong Kong
1972 - 1989 Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition, Hong Kong
 
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