Exclusive | Poetry of ink: A retrospective of Leung Shek Yuen at Sun Museum's decade

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Sun Museum launches a series of exciting activities in 2025. The museum's anniversary programme "Sun Delight" presents "Variegated Memories: The Art of Leung Shek Yuen" starting from July 2025.

Mr. Leung Shek Yuen was born in 1946 and grew up in mainland China before moving to Hong Kong in 1978. He has dedicated his life to art, demonstrating extraordinary talent since his school years, and has engaged in painting and teaching after graduation. In the 1980s and 1990s, his works were exhibited several times not only in various cities across mainland China, but also in Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, and South Korea. As a veteran artist, his works have been widely collected by museums, art galleries, academies, and private collectors.

Although Mr. Leung is nearing eighty years old, he continues to create art diligently. "Variegated Memories: The Art of Leung Shek Yuen" showcases a total of 52 selected works created since 2016, with most being his latest pieces from 2023 to 2024, reflecting his genuine passion for painting. The exhibition covers three major themes: Huangshan landscapes, Hong Kong scenery, and bird-and-flower motifs, fully demonstrating Mr. Leung's exquisite painting skills. The Huangshan landscape and Hong Kong scenery series are not only artistic treasures but also authentic records of the artist's journeys and life experiences. Mr. Leung has traveled to Huangshan four times, and this exhibition presents his most recent works from his 2023 Huangshan trip. His sketches of Hong Kong vividly capture the natural beauty of locations such as Pui O, Tau Chau, Lion Rock, Shek O, Lantau Island, and Po Pin Chau, expressing his appreciation for nature's precious gifts.

Sun Museum is concurrently running "Sun Refresh", featuring the watercolour paintings of expatriate artist Mr. Alex Peaker, who has resided in Hong Kong for many years. Mr. Alex Peaker excels at depicting the serene beauty of Hong Kong's suburban landscapes with soft and elegant palettes. His portrayal of the Hong Kong countryside is tranquil and peaceful, contrasting with the vibrant scenes painted by Mr. Leung Shek Yuen, with residential buildings, fishing boats, and cars interspersed among Chinese landscapes.

Moreover, the gift shop collaborates with Totem Art Materials Research Institute from Henan to feature an impressive mineral pigment wall showcasing 300 hues, and the first official retail outlet of mineral pigments in Hong Kong. There is also a dedicated display of mineral pigment paintings by fifteen talented Hong Kong artists, which are also available for purchase. These artists harness the unique properties of mineral pigments—combining them with binders and applying traditional layering techniques such as stacking, covering, and glazing, together with carving, polishing, gilding and silver leafing, as well as foil burning on a variety of surfaces including wood, linen, and hemp paper. Crafted through the refined skills of artisans and thirteen meticulous processes—including sorting, purification, water flotation, and grading—each batch of pigment takes about a month to produce and is available in ten hues. These pigments are renowned for their exceptional permanence, retaining their vivid colours for thousands of years.

During the "Variegated Memories: The Art of Leung Shek Yuen" exhibition, Sun Museum will conduct various seminars and workshops to encourage interaction and exchange between the community and artists. Activities include artist demonstrations in the "Sun Artroom"; workshops in the "Sun Playroom"; dialogue with the Museum Director and guest speakers in the "Sun Chatroom"; and the Director will share with audiences in the "Sun Classroom". For details and registration, please visit the Sun Museum's website.

"Variegated Memories: The Art of Leung Shek Yuen" Exhibition

Seminars and Workshops at Sun Museum (August- September, 2025)