All posts tagged: Wesley Tongson

Wesley Tongson at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Wesley TongsonSpiritual Mountains: The Art of Wesley TongsonJan 12 – Jun 14, 2022 Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive2155 Center StreetBerkeley, CA 94720Wed – Sun, 11am to 7pm http://www.bampfa.org  Spiritual Mountains debuts a recent gift to BAMPFA of eleven paintings by the Hong Kong artist Wesley Tongson (1957–2012). His work draws heavily on traditional Chinese painting techniques and processes, including painting with his fingers and hands, but takes these a step further to create a personal expression that is wholly his own. This exhibition combines Tongson’s works with historic paintings from BAMPFA’s extensive Chinese painting collection to demonstrate the relationship between his genius and that of past masters. Throughout Tongson’s practice, we perceive a strong admiration and acknowledgement of the past, even as he pursued a new direction in his own work. It is in his highly lyrical brushwork and exuberant style of painting—which included large-scale landscapes and intricately patterned, dense examinations of the natural world—that we comprehend his range and genius. The exhibition’s title reflects the importance of spirituality in Tongson’s journey as an artist; he was a student of many …

Wesley Tongson at Galerie du Monde

Published by Artomity Magazine

Sep 24 – Nov 16, 2020 Galerie du Monde108 Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street Central, Hong KongMonday to Saturday, 10am – 7pm+852 2525 0529Web Galerie du Monde presents a solo exhibition of Wesley Tongson (1957-2012) from September 24 to November 16, 2020. In exploration of the evolution of Wesley Tongson’s spiritual journey and artistic path marked by outstanding dedication and passion, the exhibition showcases Tongson’s aptitude in a range of techniques, from Chinese shanshui and calligraphy, to splash ink, to his monumental landscape and plant paintings created with his hands, fingers and nails. One of the most important ink artists from Hong Kong, Wesley Tongson had a dynamic career spanning from the 1970s to 2012. He began with a foundation in Chinese brush painting, and studied Western painting at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. Returning to Hong Kong in 1981, he went on to explore and teach himself splash ink painting. Tongson diluted washes in ink with brilliant mineral colors, a combination that conveys luminosity and grandeur. The dark ink tones which depict mountains are well …

Wesley Tongson – The Journey Book Launch & Curator Talk, Asia Society

Published by Artomity Magazine

Jul 9, 6.30 – 8.15pmEvening Book Launch & Talk by Catherine Maudsley,Curator of “Wesley Tongson – The Journey”Exhibition &conversation with Tina Pang and Cynthia TongsonAsia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong Wesley Tongson – The Journey documents the acclaimed solo exhibition of Hong Kong ink artist, Wesley Tongson (1957-2012), held at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco (October 12, 2018 – March 9, 2019). The book features 23 works, including the artist’s signature finger paintings, and a selection of Tongson’s never-before published personal notes. Included are new essays about the artist and his work by curator Catherine Maudsley; Mary Ann Milford, Carver Chair in East Asian Studies at Mills College; and Wu Song, Professor at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. Curator Catherine Maudsley will begin this evening program with an account into the curation process behind the exhibition, the inspiration behind conceiving the exhibition as “A Journey”, and the meaning of Wesley Tongson’s art. This will be followed by a conversation among Catherine Maudsley, Tina Pang, curator of Hong Kong Visual Culture at M+, and Cynthia Tongson, the artist’s sister. Sign up here.Asia Society Members …

Wesley Tongson

Published by Artomity Magazine

The Journey / By DeWitt Cheng / The idea that life is a spiritual journey was once common in European and American religious culture: Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s 1678 allegorical adventure of a Christian soul, used to be required reading. Spirituality has largely fallen by the wayside, however, replaced by modern materialism. In developed countries now we focus on scientific and economic progress, and largely neglect the spiritual aspect of life, still part of the social menu of traditional cultures, which patronising contemporary standards adjudge backward. The paintings of Hong Kong artist Wesley Tongson (1957-2012), aka Tong Ka Wai, in The Journey at San Francisco’s Chinese Culture Center through March 9, 2019, constitute a spiritual pilgrimage as well. Curated by Catherine Maudsley, and featuring biographical notes by Cynthia Tseng, the artist’s sister – who, she reveals, did her brother’s art homework when he was a child, before his interest in art surfaced in adolescence – the show reveals a talented hand, both disciplined and intuitive, at the service of a restless, relentless creative drive. Tongson, who grew up in a …