In 2012, we commemorate the 10th anniversary of both Esplanade and Huayi in a celebration of the best of the human spirit through the arts. And Huayi leads the way with courage.
Courage: boldness, bravery, daring: the ability to disregard fear
C.S. Lewis once said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point". When courage accompanies virtues such as integrity, responsibility, compassion and love for others, it leads to rightful action. When that happens, humanity takes on the aspect of utmost beauty.
Courage: boldness, bravery, daring: the ability to disregard fear
C.S. Lewis once said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point". When courage accompanies virtues such as integrity, responsibility, compassion and love for others, it leads to rightful action. When that happens, humanity takes on the aspect of utmost beauty.
On the level of creation, works of art are intrinsically courageous. In exploring new vocabularies, digging deep into the collective psyche, or uncovering new ways of approaching art, tradition and life, all forms of art-making demonstrate the mental or moral strength needed to persevere to create something which had not formerly existed.
In Chinese culture, there are countless narratives of courage extolled in song, drama and text. Within Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, we celebrate the spirit of courage with productions that touch on the recurring theme in myriad forms—whether in a contemporary theatre production about revolutions in culture and life, a dance performance that brings Chinese calligraphy to life, or an orchestral concert about love, desire and sacrifice, Huayi presents audiences with the different faces of courage as perceived in Chinese culture today.
Huayi's place in our annual calendar of programmes as the first festival of the year brings to mind the courage that is needed for the undertaking of every new endeavour. That 2012 coincides with the Year of the Dragon serves as an interesting reminder to us to celebrate the beginning of our 10th year with an even greater sense of purpose and embark on our work in the arts with a true and dauntless spirit.
Huayi 2012 – Design Rationale for Festival Key Visual
by Dr Kan Tai-Keung SBS, AGI (Hong Kong)
The theme for Huayi 2012 is Courage. This brings to mind the courage needed by artists to create art—the courage to envision and venture beyond that which others do not dare.
This coincides with my method of artistic exploration—I do things differently and in my own way. In the past decade, I have pursued my love of combining Chinese calligraphy with Chinese paintings of clouds and mountains—a unity of words and pictures in search of a natural state of being. This calligraphic painting can therefore be considered as an unique expression in the fields of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting.
In the artwork I created for Huayi 2012, the Chinese character "勇" (courage) is projected onto a flowing image of misty mountain peaks with pine trees acting as anchors to signify the constant evolution of Chinese culture and its continuous journey towards new and greater heights. The splashes of colour among the mountain peaks represent a blossoming spring where Huayi brings an explosion of arts for everyone in the new year.
In Chinese culture, there are countless narratives of courage extolled in song, drama and text. Within Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, we celebrate the spirit of courage with productions that touch on the recurring theme in myriad forms—whether in a contemporary theatre production about revolutions in culture and life, a dance performance that brings Chinese calligraphy to life, or an orchestral concert about love, desire and sacrifice, Huayi presents audiences with the different faces of courage as perceived in Chinese culture today.
Huayi's place in our annual calendar of programmes as the first festival of the year brings to mind the courage that is needed for the undertaking of every new endeavour. That 2012 coincides with the Year of the Dragon serves as an interesting reminder to us to celebrate the beginning of our 10th year with an even greater sense of purpose and embark on our work in the arts with a true and dauntless spirit.
Huayi 2012 – Design Rationale for Festival Key Visual
by Dr Kan Tai-Keung SBS, AGI (Hong Kong)
The theme for Huayi 2012 is Courage. This brings to mind the courage needed by artists to create art—the courage to envision and venture beyond that which others do not dare.
This coincides with my method of artistic exploration—I do things differently and in my own way. In the past decade, I have pursued my love of combining Chinese calligraphy with Chinese paintings of clouds and mountains—a unity of words and pictures in search of a natural state of being. This calligraphic painting can therefore be considered as an unique expression in the fields of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting.
In the artwork I created for Huayi 2012, the Chinese character "勇" (courage) is projected onto a flowing image of misty mountain peaks with pine trees acting as anchors to signify the constant evolution of Chinese culture and its continuous journey towards new and greater heights. The splashes of colour among the mountain peaks represent a blossoming spring where Huayi brings an explosion of arts for everyone in the new year.
