Wesley Tongson – The Journey

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.

Catherine Maudsley is Curator and Senior Advisor to a number of distinguished private art collections, including the M K Lau Collection and the Red Rock Studio Collection. Since 1994, she has been providing a unique range of art advisory services to collectors worldwide. Educated in Canada, the United States, Beijing, Hong Kong and Kyoto, she was a Connaught Research Scholar at the University of Toronto (BA Hons, MA); a China-Canada Scholar at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing; and a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of Hong Kong (MPhil). Catherine Maudsley publishes and lectures frequently. Recent curatorial projects have included “Wesley Tongson-The Journey” at the Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco and “Intimate Encounters: Handscrolls and Albums from the M K Lau Collection” at Guardian Art Center, Beijing and PMQ, Hong Kong.

Tina Pang is Curator, Hong Kong Visual Culture at M+, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District. Prior to joining M+ in 2014 she was curator at the University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, and honorary assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts where she taught museum studies and Chinese material culture. In 2010 she received the Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council to research curatorial practices in the United States. Recent curatorial projects have included the M+ Pavilion exhibition, Ambiguously Yours: Gender in Hong Kong popular culture (2017). Tina is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (BA Hons Chinese and Art & Archaeology), and St. Hilda’s College, The University of Oxford, (MPhil Ethnology and Museum Ethnography).   

Cynthia Tongson is the sister of the artist Wesley Tongson, guardian of her late brother's artistic legacy. Recent projects include "Wesley Tongson-The Journey" at the Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco and "Ink Explorations: A Wesley Tongson Retrospective" at Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong.