JOINT UMAG PROGRAMME - Guided Viewing: From Two Arises Three With Artists Michael Cherney and Arnold Chang, and Curator Tiffany Beres

The Executive Committee is delighted to host a morning coffee and guided tour with the artists Michael Cherney and Arnold Chang, and curator Tiffany Beres of “From Two Arises Three”, an exhibition supported by the Museum Society to commemorate HKUMS 30th anniversary. To register on-line, please visit: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=54681 

The exhibition highlights the extraordinary collaboration between artists Michael Cherney and Arnold Chang. The unbroken Chinese ink painting tradition, which has been perfected over the course of more than a millennium, continues its evolution into the present day, as evidenced by the current popularity of contemporary ink. Over the past couple of decades, there has been a dichotomy within Chinese contemporary art between purely contemporary works and those with a stronger connection to tradition. This division appears to be shrinking as traditional aesthetics merge with newer forms of media. The collaborative work of Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney is a particularly vivid example of this phenomenon. 

The title “From Two Arises Three” (二生三) comes from the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) and describes how the works of two artists allow for the creation of a third space: 

The Tao gave birth to One. 
One gave birth to Two. 
Two gave birth to Three. 
Three gave birth to the Ten Thousand Things.