Seeing Art Anew: Mounting and Conservation of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

Overview

  • Date
    From 2024.03.22
  • Venue
    Chih Lo Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 4/F
  • Fee
    Free
Ho Iu-kwong, the Master of Chih Lo Lou once lamented the destruction of ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy due to wars, natural calamities, pest damage and the natural elements. The survival of these artworks owes much to the meticulous craftmanship of traditional mounting techniques. In collaboration with the Conservation Office, the Hong Kong Museum of Art presents this exhibition that focuses on selected research studies of the Chih Lo Lou Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy. It explores Chinese paintings and calligraphy from artistic and scientific perspectives, providing insight into the conservation work behind the scenes of the museum.

Echoing the theme of merging art and science, the exhibition features a series of multimedia displays created by the local art group XR Experience. Through the use of augmented reality technology and projections, revealing the step-by-step processes in mounting and introducing a variety of commonly used mounting tools. The designed interactive animation also allows you to gain first-hand insights into their work.

The exhibition is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has all along promoted Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public learn more about broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.


Programme 

Programme

Demonstration

Throughout the exhibition period, live sessions will be conducted by the museum’s conservators to demonstrate traditional Chinese mounting and the steps involved in preserving these delicate artworks. Engaging closely with the conservators, visitors will gain valuable knowledge and insights into the intricate work and efforts involved in preserving these artworks.

The initial nine demonstration sessions have concluded.

Day 10 Repairing losses and tears
Traditional Chinese paintings can deteriorate due to improper storage conditions or physical damage. Depending on the specific needs, a conservator would determine the most suitable form of remedial treatment to stabilise the painting. This demonstration session will include mock treatments aimed at addressing losses, creases, and tears. Subsequently, mounting silk will be adhered to the treated painting to show part of the remounting procedure.

Date: 2025.1.18 (Saturday)
Time: (Session 1) 2:00 – 2:30pm ; (Session 2) 4:00 – 4:30pm
Location: Chih Lo Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 4/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Speaker: Assistant Curators from the Conservation Office
Format: Live
Language: Cantonese
Fee: Free
*Enrollment is not required.

Day 11 Remounting as treatment
When a mounted Chinese painting sustains severe damage or deterioration, a full-scale remounting process may become necessary. This demonstration session will feature selected steps of the remounting treatment procedure, including disassembling the mounting silks, washing and removing the final backing paper. New mounting silk would then be adhered to the treated painting as part of the remounting procedure.

Date: 2025.2.5 (Wednesday)
Time: (Session 1) 2:00 – 2:30pm ; (Session 2) 4:00 – 4:30pm
Location: Chih Lo Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 4/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Speaker: Assistant Curators from the Conservation Office
Format: Live
Language: Cantonese
Fee: Free
*Enrollment is not required.


Day 12 Mounting a folded fan
The folding fan represents a unique mounting style of the traditional Chinese painting. For the purposes of storage and improve preservation, collectors would sometimes request to have the artwork remounted as an album leaf or a framed painting. This demonstration session will show the steps to transform a fan format painting and remounting it into a ‘Waxiang’ silhouette-style framed painting. 

Date: 2025.3.19 (Wednesday)
Time: (Session 1) 2:00 – 2:30pm ; (Session 2) 4:00 – 4:30pm
Location: Chih Lo Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 4/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Speaker: Assistant Curators from the Conservation Office
Format: Live
Language: Cantonese
Fee: Free
*Enrollment is not required.