(Postponed) Lecture: "Who is Yoshitomo Nara? " with Dr. Yeewan Koon & Gallery Visit: Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery

Renowned for the big-headed girls, Yoshitomo Nara is one of Japan’s most iconic artists of our time. Inspired by music, literature, childhood memories, Nara explores the themes of isolation, rebellion, and spirituality through painting, sculpture, ceramic and installation.

The HKU Museum Society is pleased to invite Dr. Yeewan Koon, author of the newly published monograph Nara Yoshitomo (Phaidon, 2020) to share her research on Nara and her experience of working with the artist.  In conversation with Catherine Kwai, the lecture will be held at the new Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery in Chai Wan.  Members will also be guided on a tour of the gallery’s current exhibition. 

Lecture Synopsis

Yoshitomo Nara is an international artist but whose fame sometimes eclipse our understanding of his art. This talk provides an introduction to his practice, the events that have shaped them, and the new directions being taken in his artworks. This lecture is also a lesson in looking. We will spend time examining and discussing his works by looking closely at how he paints and to use our discoveries to enrich our understanding of who is Yoshitomo Nara.

Speaker

Dr. Yeewan Koon is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Art History at The University of Hong Kong. She has published numerous works including Nara Yoshitomo (2020), “A Chinese Canton? Painting the Local in Export Art” (2018) and A Defiant Brush: Su Renshan and the Politics of Painting in 19th Century Guangdong (2014). She is the recipient of several research awards including a Fulbright Senior Fellowship, American Council of Learned Scholars, and visiting scholarships at Cambridge University and Columbia University. Dr. Koon also works in the contemporary art field as a critic and curator. In 2014, she was guest curator of It Begins with Metamorphosis: Xu Bing at the Asia Society, Hong Kong Center, and was one of the selected curators for the 12th Gwangju Biennale, 2018. She is currently working on an international exhibition of Hong Kong art for 2021.

Moderator

Catherine Kwai is the Founder and Managing Director of Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery. She has established Kwai Fung Culture & Communications Company Limited in 1991 after her successful career in the banking industry for 10 years. In the past 29 years, her business has been developed into four companies with different directions and missions in art. Her contribution in cultural exchange between China and France has earned her the award “Knight of the National Order of the Merit” by the French Government in 2011. Alongside devoting herself in building up a successful career, she has also been actively involved in charity works and public services.