Curators: Andy H. T. Cheng

As a curator, what interests me about the art of bookplate is its metamorphosis. If Walter Benjamin laments that the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction loses its aura, then bookplate, not unlike many other artistic mediums, in the age of digitalization further faces a kindred ontological crisis in which its raison d'être can no longer stand firmly on its ground. Since bookplate in its initial appearance was deeply founded upon its end as a mark of ownership for bibliophiles and its existence was hinged on the scarcity of printed materials, the devaluation of physical books first under its mass production and then the advent of alternative modes of reading galvanized bookplate into transforming itself to adapt to the inexorable technological advancement. Titled United in Bookplates, this tripartite exhibition explores one of these transformative trajectories that bookplate has embarked on — originating from the concept of individuality towards embracing that of collectivity.

The exhibition commences with Inspiration and Ingenuity, most exhibits of which is a loan from the art collections of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Library. This collection includes exquisite bookplates by internationally renowned artists with diverse techniques, providing an extensive background on the nature of bookplate as an individualist form of printed art. Particularly, for traditional bookplates are often commissioned by book owners and employ motifs inspired by their own attributes, this ensemble of works reveal substantially the self-identity of the owners through the single element that he/she wishes to be identified with, be it a historical hero, a character from literature classics, an allegory in mythologies, zodiac signs and many others. Simply look at Malou Hung’s Wang Zhaojun, Peter Velikov’s Melpomene, Lu Bowen’s Hou Yi and Torill Elisabeth Larsen’s Viking king, the materialization of the owners’ personae will rest in viewers’ interpretation and imagination.

What ensues is a continuation of a previous homonymous exhibition titled Peregrination in Bookplates held in HKBU Library last year which showcased bookplates created by emerging artists from Academy of Visual Arts (AVA), HKBU on the subject of public art, in the hopes of raising public awareness on art in our city. Curatorially, it appropriates a traveler’s perspective inspired by the concept of alienation effect (Verfremdungseffekt) à la Bertolt Brecht to deconstruct our habitual way of seeing and proposes a critical mode to perceive unfamiliar objects. Moving beyond an art that is closely connected to, if not dependent on, a person’s individuality, this section of the exhibition explores the capability of bookplate to promulgate social values, specifically to promote public art in this case. A few highlights include Lee See Wing’s reinterpretation of a sculpture in Kowloon Park with the aphorism from Zhuangzi, Rylee’s deconstruction of the neon light sign of Sammy's Kitchen into contours of red, green and white, and Liz Kwan’s atmospheric rendering of the Kowloon Walled City into a compact block through woodcut printing.

Spirit of the Times further probes into the potential of bookplate to engage in social commentary, a role that is conventionally ascribed to its usual medium — prints — exemplified by William Hogarth’s satirical engravings in a canonical Western art history and the Modern Woodcut Movement championed by Lu Xun in the 1930s and 1940s for a Chinese parallel. The majority of works here is contributed by emerging artists of AVA in late 2019 and early 2020, a socially unstable time when the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in Hong Kong was at its pinnacle and the COVID-19 pandemic began to plague all corners of the world. A witty example of criticisms on these events is Pun Oi Yi’s ink work which depicts the scramble for toilet papers during the coronavirus panic buy. Other works address the wider social problems that beset Hong Kong, such as income inequality, an issue taken up by Wong Ka Ming with her conceptually-charged bookplate in which she traced the texture of rice as the possession of rice means being rich in colloquial Cantonese. Thanks to Imagine Hong Kong, a series of politically trenchant posters is also displayed alongside the newspaper ads supported by a crowdfunding campaign aimed at reaching out to other countries about Hong Kong’s extradition law crisis.

It would be fair to say that this exhibition is the culmination of previous projects on bookplates that I have worked with Dr. Sarah Ng, whose guidance I am extremely grateful for. I could not thank her enough for the opportunities that she has given me. This exhibition would not be possible without the support of HKBU Library and Imagine Hong Kong, which have loaned us valuable artworks from their collection and offered us constructive advice. We are also indebted to Providence University Art Center which provided us with unwavering support on matters related to venue and installation. For the design of the poster and this publication respectively, Mindy Lui and Lo Ka Lung impressed us greatly with their dedication and meticulousness. Lastly, this exhibition would not have taken place at the outset if there were not the great oeuvres of all participating artists. Their creativity has always inspired me and I hope it would have the same impact on every visitor and reader.