Fusion 2 《融合貳》

Arkad is a non-profit Foundation, founded in 2002 by Cynthia Sah and Nicolas Bertoux to create an intercultural center designed to promote artistic projects, help artists create works of art, promote and spread culture, especially sculptural artworks, organize professional training, and welcome artists. The Foundation is housed within the structures of the ARTCO Studio, in the historic marble cutting factory adjacent to the Medici Palace of Seravezza, located between the Apuan Alps and the Versilia plain. The purpose of the Foundation is to organize exhibitions and events, assist artists, transmit technical knowledge, encourage the encounter of artistic experiences in the broad field of contemporary art and connect internal activities with the main local and international artistic events. Annual memberships support the maintenance of the structure and the promotion of the activities organized by the Foundation. Sponsors also support the development of the Arkad Foundation's activities.

Arkad是由藝術家薩燦如（Cynthia Sah）和尼古拉．貝杜（ Nicolas Bertoux）於2022年成立的非牟利基金會，旨在創建一個跨文化中心以促進藝術項目、幫助藝術家創作藝術作品、推廣和傳播雕塑藝術文化、組織專業培訓。基金會位於阿普安阿爾卑斯山和 威爾西利亞平原之間，塞拉韋扎市邊美第奇-里卡宮旁，歷史悠久的大理石切割廠-ARTCO Studio內。基金會的宗旨是透過組織展覽和活動，協助藝術家，傳播技術知識，接觸當代藝術廣泛領域中的藝術經驗，並聯繫主要的本地和國際藝術活動起來。會員制的運作支持並促進基金會所組織的活動。所得贊助亦用作發展Arkad 基金會日後的活動。

Further details may be found on the Arkad Foundation website:
更多有關Arkad基金會的資訊，詳見以下網站
https://www.arkad.it/en/fondazione-arkad

Danny Lee Chin Fai’s sculpture is rooted in the spirit of artworks from Chinese ink. The vision in his artworks incapsulates the essence of ‘Mountains and Streams’, expressing the beauty of Eastern culture in the form of poetry. Deriving from traditional Chinese ink, he exhibits eastern philosophical ideas through modern adaptations which may include a degree of playfulness which is what gives Danny’s art a unique creative language. He has been invited to create artworks in some remarkable events and his works are collected by museums and institutions locally and internationally, as well as private collectors.

Francesca Bernardini was born in Carrara. She attended the local art school and graduated with honors in Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara. During those years, she attended the SGF sculpture and design studio and gained an excellent knowledge of traditional marble carving techniques. Making her artistic research a way of life, sculpture as a means of expression is for Bernardini like water, necessary. Present in international art exhibitions and events, in recent years she consistently participated in sculpture symposiums around the world, creating monumental artworks.

Margaret Chu was born in Hong Kong. She is a cross-disciplinary artist engaged in sculpture and painting, especially work on paper and wood sculpture. She felt interested in exploring art through material transformations, and she finds that inspiration comes from interaction between life and materials. She is particularly interested in themes such as “time”, “memories” and “space”, her works explore the relationship between human, nature and urban life. Her artworks combine fairy-tale imaginations and realistic social conditions, portraying human pursuits via metaphors. Her works has been exhibited in China, Korea, India and Finland.

Of Norman heritage, Aurélien Boussin graduated in Historic Monuments Restoration in Paris and worked on important monuments such as Notre Dame de Paris and the Palace of Versailles. He then relocated to the northwest of France along the Loire where he became so passionate about sculpture and marble that he moved to Carrara and Pietrasanta, in Versilia. His abstract works in marble and stone are inspired by the nature that surrounds us and use geometry to unite balance and momentum in a vital dance. The volumes are built starting from some symbolic solids, such as the cube, the sphere, the egg, through which the artist represents the moods and desires of man, in relation to the perfection of the universe.

Yuen Leung Ho graduated from the Fine Arts Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (1995), followed by completion of Master of Fine Arts degree (major in sculptures) at the same university (2002). Ho likes to collect fallen trees and branches, mostly Taiwan Acacia, and use them to create sculptures. The wood is carved repeatedly, with a narrow, long, thin and small shape, to the extent that it hardly stands on its own. In recent years, his creation has expanded to other art forms and themes, such as site-specific installation and environmental art to express creative ideas more appropriately. Ho loves nature, enjoys outdoor work and art making.

Born and bred in the arts, Jacob Cartwright was a gifted child of music and visual art, developing over the years a belief in the ‘renaissance man’ – the ability to work in whatever medium is appropriate to the creation. His creative process often starts with finding a fitting medium to germinate a seed discovered earlier in another work. He creates without models and prefers a direct approach, enjoying the discovery of each moment and remaining observant for “seeds” for future work – a method informed by his musical improvisation, composition and experiences with collaborative, multidisciplinary and often performance-based art groups, such as Koski and Bob Collective.

Violet Shum is a Hong Kong-based visual artist. She spent her early years studying painting from a portrait artist, Wong Kum. In 2003, she earned her Bachelor Degree of Arts in Fine Art from the RMIT University, in 2016 earned her Degree of Master of Arts in Philosophy from Hong Kong Chinese University and in 2017 she attended an Art Specialist Course of Sculpture at Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Some of her works were collected by private collectors. Shum is interested in transforming industrial materials, such as stainless-steel mesh and wire. Natural elements also play a part in her works, giving her a multi-faceted platform to show an intertwined world of digital tech and natural beauty.

Flavia Robalo started studying painting and sculpture in 1984. In 1991, she deepened her marble carving skills as a pupil and assistant of the sculptor Orio Dal Porto. In 1997 she embarked on her first trip to Pietrasanta in Italy, where she continued her training as a sculptor and where she began to exhibit her works in a succession of symposia and artistic activities. This path led her to obtain international recognition and awards related to her work over the years all over the world.

Yaman Chau has been interested in handcrafting since she was little. In 2016, while she was a student in Hong Kong Art School, she was introduced to the art of sculpture, and she has been fascinated by it ever since. In 2020 she continued her sculpting journey at Hong Kong Visual Art Centre, where she became a sculpting enthusiast. By sculpting, she can express herself without words, she can put together her questions towards life, her respect towards nature in her creations.

Lorenzo Vignoli was born and raised in Lucca, in Tuscany. He dedicated his life to art since he was a child. At fourteen years old he was apprenticed to an important local painter that introduced him to impressionism. He then studied fine arts in colleges in Carrara, Lucca, Chicago, London and Ireland. During his career he has exhibited works throughout Italy and in several commissioned projects in California, France, Australia, China, Brazil, Ireland, Israel, Rwanda and Bosnia. Based on a constant search for beauty, Vignoli’s artistic practice and aesthetics are strongly influenced by two sculptors in particular: Michelangelo and Rodin.

Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange 

Organized by Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange is a series of 5 online conversations between two artists who have collaborated on the Fusion project.

由亞洲協會香港中心主辦的Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange爲大家帶來一連五集《融合》項目中，其中兩位合作的藝術家之間的對話。

Conversation between Artists Margaret Chu and Aurelien Boussin, moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange - Yaman Chau & Lorenzo Vignoli

Conversation between Artists Yaman Chau and Lorenzo Vignoli, moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange - Ho Yuen Leung & Jacob Cartwright

Conversation between Artists HO Yuen Leung and Jacob Cartwright, moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange - Violet Shum & Flavia Robalo

Conversation between Artists Violet Shum and Flavia Robalo, moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Artist to Artist: Cultural Exchange - Danny Lee & Francesca Bernardini

Conversation between Artists Danny Lee and Francesca Bernardini, moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Artists in Conversation

Organized by Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Artists in Conversation brings together Hong Kong artists: Yaman Chau, Margaret Chu, Ho Yuen Leung, Danny Lee, and Violet Shum to share their 2-year sculptural exchange journey. The conversation will be moderated by Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Joyce Ng.

Fusion 2 showcases 30 sculptural works by 10 artists: five artists from Hong Kong and five artists, of different nationalities, who live and work in Italy. Emphasizing the concept of “fusion", specifically in integrating marble and wood, sculptors in Italy worked in marble while sculptors in Hong Kong worked in wood. Each artist was able to choose their preferred collaborative partner, working not only on their own sculptures but also on their partners’. The sculptural works are the result of an unprecedented collaboration between artists who, with humility and enthusiasm, have accepted to place their own creations in the hands of another artist they had never met.

The artists will not only share the stories of how the Fusion 2 exhibition came to life but also about their experiences of collaborating with artists on a different continent during the pandemic.

The Public Exhibition Tours are free of charge and walk-in friendly. They are led by ASHK docents, who are trained and knowledgeable in the content of the show to ensure a fruitful experience for visitors.

The tours are held every Saturday and Sunday for the duration of the exhibition at the below times:

• 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. English 
• 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Cantonese

An additional tour is held on the last Thursday of each month:

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. English/Cantonese

Due to a private event, the exhibition tour on Thursday June 29 will be cancelled and the Gallery will close at 4:00PM.

Please arrive at the Gallery reception before the tour is scheduled to begin.

展覽公眾導賞團免費對參觀者開放，無需提前預約。該導賞由亞洲協會香港中心專業的講解員帶領，他們對展覽的內容有充分的了解，以確保參觀者有滿意的體驗。 

展覽公眾導賞團在展覽期間的每個星期六和星期日舉行，時間如下： 

• 下午2時30分 – 下午3時30 分  英語  
• 下午3時30分 – 下午4時30分   粵語 

每個月的最後一個星期四有額外的展覽公眾導賞團： 

下午7時00分 – 晚上8時00分  英語/粵語 

由於一個私人活動，6月29日星期四的公眾展覽導賞團將被取消，且藝術館將於該日下午4時關閉。

請於導賞開始前到達藝術館接待處。