Chu Hing Wah (朱興華)

Among the artists in Hong Kong, Chu Hing Wah held a unique position as a psychiatric nurse in the Castle Peak Psychiatric Hospital and the Siu Lam Hospital for the Mentally Handicapped until his retirement eight years ago. Twenty five years of work in this specialized field has given Chu the rare opportunity to observe the primal and sensitive instincts of human nature.

Born in 1935 in Guangdong, China, Chu received his degree in Psychiatric Nursing from London’s Maudsley Hospital in 1965. Simultaneous to his work in the psychiatric field, he completed a certificate course in art and design at the Extramural Studies of The University of Hong Kong from 1972 to 1974. He became a member of the Visual Arts Society in 1974, and the Hong Kong Sculptors Association in 1982 and was Chairman of the Visual Arts Society from 1983 to 1986.

Since his retirement in 1992, Chu has become a full-time painter and sculptor exhibiting widely throughout Asia. He received the Urban Council Fine Arts Award in 1989 and was selected as “Painter of the Year” by Hong Kong Artists’ Guild in 1992 and in 1994, was awarded a scholarship for art research in New York by the Asian Cultural Council. He is currently Honorary Advisor to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

In conjunction with a guided tour of his works currently on exhibit at UMAG, Chu will share a slide and video presentation about his life and art. Chu also encourages each participant to pose him a question for an interesting and interactive session.