I just got back from a very refreshing month in Singapore, which was a great break from Hong Kong’s rapid pace. Yet there is something about Hong Kong’s energy that makes me not able to stay away for long, and it definitely feels good to be back!

I went to see Lynn Chadwick’s sculptures back in April when I was drowning in work and seriously needed to take a breather. Great thing that the British sculptor’s pieces were situated in a few Central buildings along a very convenient route, so I could walk around exploring a bit while discovering art!

The exhibition officially ran from 14th March to 15th April, but selected sculptures would be staying till September (though it’s not clear which ones). Anyhow, here are photos of most of the sculptures in the exhibition!

All Lynn Chadwick, Beast Alerted, 1990; Rising Beast III, 1991, stainless steel, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Crouching Beast I, 1990, stainless steel, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

There was 19 sculptures shown at The Rotunda of Exchange Square, the first stop of my trip to the Lynn Chadwick exhibition. Most of them were medium and large sized sculptures, with only a handful of really small ones. Personally, I much prefer Chadwick’s larger sculptures!

Five Sitting Figures, 1975, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Three Standing Figures, 1976, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Lion; Crouching Beast, both 1990, stainless steel, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Three Elektras, 1969, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Lion, 1990, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Maquette For Unity, 1975, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Stretching Beast, 1990, stainless steel, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

I was really quite fascinated by the Lion/Beast series because they seem geometrically simple yet do bear some semblance to what they represent. They also look entirely different when seen from different angles, so I kept walking around the sculptures to find the angle I liked most to take photos! ;)

Maquette IV Walking Woman, 1984, bronze, The Rotunda, Exchange Square

Love her train!

While I really like how sunlight-filled the space is, I think it’s not very suitable for Chadwick’s many stainless steel sculptures. There was too much reflecting off of them, which somewhat takes away from the sculptures.

Sitting Couple, 1989-90, bronze, Exchange Square

On to Chadwick’s larger than life sized sculptures. Sitting Couple is one of my favorites! It’s pretty obvious which is male and female, isn’t it?

Ju Ming, Tai chi, 1991, bronze, Exchange Square

Ju Ming 朱銘, Tai chi – Single Whip Dip, 1986, bronze, Exchange Square

A slight detour to the two Ju Ming sculptures sitting at Exchange Square, part of Ju’s well-known Tai chi series. I’m actually not a big fan of Ju, but I do appreciate the rough cut of his sculptures like the ones seen here. His sculptures offer an interesting comparison to Chadwick’s, which I feel are generally cut in a precise and angled way.

Stairs, 1991, bronze, Jardine House

Stairs is fittingly located at the entrance of Jardine House with so many stairs around it. I promptly took the stairs in the background of the above photo up to the bridge that super conveniently links to Chater House, next to Alexandra House, and lastly to Landmark Mall.

Diamond, 1984, bronze, Chater House

Lion II, 1990, stainless steel, Alexandra House

Beast Alerted, 1990, stainless steel, Alexandra House

High Hat Man; High Hat Woman, 1968, bronze, Landmark Atrium

I find it amusing that Chadwick was exhibited in Central (or just in Hong Kong really), given that the artist wanted his sculptures to be appreciated in quiet, serene, wide spaces… pretty much everything that Hong Kong lacks. There’s always people everywhere, and so much light and color bouncing off every surface – including Chadwick’s sculptures. Another case in point: High Hat Man and High Hat Woman both came out looking bluish at their gold parts.

Even so, I wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to view works of reputed artists on my turf! And an art exhibition is always a good reason to go out and explore the city.

P.S. This amazing view at a corner in Alexandra House.