February 2001 Hong Kong—10 Chancery Lane Gallery will exhibit new works by Chinese Artist Fung Ming Chip from Feb. 28, 2002-March 16, 2002.
The hand of Fung Ming Chip changes traditional Chinese calligraphy into a truly modern art form. The strokes of his characters entice emotions of serenity, vibrancy, or chaos. It is expressive in nature but at the same time adheres to calligraphic traditions. However, the composition is less traditional than classical calligraphy and exudes a certain modernity and freshness that is apparent in his many different calligraphic configurations.
Although, Fung Ming Chip sticks to text as a prerequisite of calligraphy as well as the materials he uses—ink, rice paper, and seals, mounted on silk backed scrolls, he challenges the calligraphic conventions of stroke order, line, and composition. He plays with different types of script that incorporates both his unique technique and his very strongly thought-out conceptual ideas. He names his script styles accordingly, swirl script, day/night script, and half script to name a few. Sometimes he uses a very dry brush other times the characters bleed into fat, soft, clouds of roundness. He is also a master of layering characters in a way that the underlying words come through the character painted on top forming an integration of new shapes.
The subject matter of his scrolls are mostly poems of his own writings, alternating between haiku simplicity and rambling prose. His poetry deals with subjects of nature, love, longing, and even languid states of consciousness as “Post Marijuana” states in part, “Treading, spinning. Consciously sinking to the bottom. Detached from the soul to become a saint.”
One review states, “when he uses his extremely pale, almost non-existent inks in ‘transparent’ script we feel them as a shimmering presence on the surface of the paper, the perfect emotional counterpoint to the ‘letting go’ prescribed by the Buddhist sutras he sets down. Ming’s calligraphic vocabulary embraces drama, emotion and a direct appeal to the heart.” – Paul Serfaty.
Although Fung has exhibited in Hong Kong before, this exhibition will feature calligraphy in large works, with vibrant energy and powerful beauty.