All posts tagged: Wesley Tongson

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

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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

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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 …