“The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Dwelling in Tranquillity—Reinventing Traditional Gardens” reinvents the traditional Chinese garden through a contemporary lens. The earliest garden appeared in the eleventh century BCE. By the late nineteenth century, the traditional Chinese garden was a magnificent spectacle to behold. It is an invaluable aspect of Chinese art history closely intertwined with literature and painting. Drawing inspiration from their field trip to the Forbidden City, the Garden of Perfect Brightness, the Garden of Nourishing Harmony, North Sea Park, and the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture, eight early to mid-career Hong Kong artists and artists’ group present seven new multimedia artworks themed around the time-honoured principles of Chinese garden design.

Through kinetic, multimedia, and sound installations, the artists echo traditional garden philosophy and design in their works and the exhibition space also pays respect to Hong Kong culture. Among them, an artist and artist group are collaborating for the first time to create large-scale sculptures that speaks to the theme. A sound installation in this exhibition is accompanied by monthly live performances, which add a stratum of artistic complexity to the piece. Embracing new curatorial approaches, the exhibition offers a Hong Kong perspective, nurtures Hong Kong artists, and contributes to the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture.

This exhibition is organised by the Hong Kong Palace Museum and sponsored solely by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. This is the first Hong Kong Jockey Club Series thematic exhibition presented at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.