2nd March 2023 – (Hong Kong) An exhibition entitled “Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday Life” sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series will be showcased at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) from 3rd March to 28th June. This exhibition, exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club, will present the works of Joan Miró, who is recognized as one of the three major Spanish modern artists alongside Picasso and Dalí. Miró’s unique artistic style involved turning commonplace objects such as strings and dry leaves into extraordinary pieces of art. He is also renowned for his use of colorful geometric shapes and simple lines to create whimsical works that appeal even to children. The exhibition aims to reveal how Miró’s art embodies the interconnection of art and life.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held on March 2nd, and it was officiated by HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung, HKSAR Government Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Vincent Liu, the Club’s Executive Director of Charities and Community Dr. Gabriel Leung, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the People’s Republic of China Rafael Dezcallar de Mazarredo, Director of the Fundació Joan Miró Dr. Marko Daniel, Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee Douglas So, and Museum Director of the Hong Kong Museum of Art Dr. Maria Mok.
The exhibition will showcase 94 pieces of artwork, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, textiles, lithographs, and posters, many of which come from the Fundació Joan Miró. Captions and additional guidance for primary school-aged children will be provided to make art more accessible to visitors of different backgrounds and ages. Visitors can also create their own art through multimedia installations designed like a playground, allowing them to experience Miró’s creative process.
In addition, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Series supports various educational programs, including lectures, guided tours, and workshops, to promote public interest in art and achieve Miró’s aim of bringing art into daily life. The Club’s unique integrated business model, in which racing and wagering generate tax and charity support for the community, makes its support for this exhibition and all its charity donations possible. Moreover, the Club initiates and co-creates programs with its partners to address emerging or unmet community needs while also enhancing community capacity.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series is a partnership between the Club and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Since its launch in 2012, the Series has brought world-class exhibitions to Hong Kong, offering visitors the opportunity to appreciate masterpieces from various places, times, and cultures. The exhibitions are complemented by a range of education and outreach activities that aim to make abstract artistic concepts more comprehensible. Some of the recent exhibitions organised by the Series include Dunhuang: Enchanting Tales for Millennium, The Road to the Baroque – Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum, and Women and Femininity in Ancient China – Treasures from the Nanjing Museum.
In addition, the HKMoA has specially invited local artists to create new art pieces, paying tribute to Miró’s masterpieces and complementing the exhibition with a unique Hong Kong viewpoint. Inspired by Miró’s poetic symbols, new media artist GayBird created a series of multimedia installations to explore how images and sounds are transformed into symbols.
Sharing Miró’s quest for breakthroughs in using materials and different ways of expression, artist Leelee Chan created an original abstract piece with unconventional sculpture materials. Illustrator Zoie Lam teamed up with the HKMoA curatorial team to create an illustration booklet that presents iconic art features and approaches of the master. A Miró-style augmented reality scene is set up in the museum, offering viewers of all ages a glimpse of Miró’s poetic world.
In addition, the HKMoA has selected and put on display artworks by Zao Wou-ki, Wu Guanzhong, Luis Chan and Ha Bik-chuen from its own collection in the same gallery to highlight the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western artists in the comprehension of abstract art, creating a unique dialogue between the East and West.
The exhibition will run from 3rd March to 28th June at the Special Gallery on the second floor of the HKMoA (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon). The exhibition is solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, presented by the LCSD, and jointly organised by the HKMoA and the Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona. As with all its donations, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s support for “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Joan Miró – The Poetry of Everyday Life” is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax revenue and charity support for the community, so as to act continuously for the betterment of the society.
For details of the exhibition, please visit the website or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.
