Brush-and-Ink, Materiality and Multimodality in Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Engraving (Volumes 1, 2 & 3)

Calligraphy and seal engraving are age-old, highly developed yet much understudied forms of Chinese art. How can these art forms persist in the contemporary world with new vitality? How can Chinese calligraphy be transformed through the synergy between traditional brush techniques and other art forms, and through the idea of transcending the confines of a two-dimensional plane? This book examines how the contemporary scholar-artist LAU Chak Kwong Daniel addresses the research questions above through his unique approach to the integration of the notions of brush-and-Ink, materiality and multimodality in Chinese calligraphy and seal engraving.

As part of the larger body of research outputs of the PI’s GRF project (General Research Fund, the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong/ project title: Calligraphic Materiality and Multimodality: Modes of Expression and Representation in Chinese Calligraphy and their Dynamics with Contexts of Use in the City of Hong Kong/ project no.:12600521), this book accompanies Lau’s peer-reviewed solo exhibition at the Hui Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2024 (curated by Dr Sarah Ng, Former Curator of Hong Kong University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong/ organized by Hong Kong Arts Centre/ Review Panel of Committee on the Management of Hui Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) chaired by Professor Zhou Jin, Department of Fine Arts, CUHK). Lau’s distinctive body of artworks encompasses the extraordinary variety of script types, styles, mixed media and multimodal expressions such as public live performance of calligraphy that renders calligraphy a continual reinvigoration in the contemporary world and one of the most visually inspiring of all artistic traditions.

More than showcasing a large body of Lau’s 523 works of art in 3 volumes (812 pages), this book carries the scholarly research of Chinese calligraphy beyond the traditional art-historical research methodology of exclusive examination of stylistic lineages and calligraphic aesthetics in two-dimensional formats. Four scholarly essays and a curatorial statement contributed by a team of distinguished art-history scholars examine the complex relationship among Lau’s scholarly pursuits, Lau’s creative practices of calligraphy and seal engraving, and the material forms and new modes of expression beyond two-dimensional space in Lau’s calligraphy and seal engraving.

In Part One, the Exhibition Curator Dr Sarah Ng offers her curatorial statement: “Synergy between Tradition and the Contemporary — Brush-and-Ink, Materiality and Multimodality in Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Engraving: Daniel C.K. Lau Solo Exhibition.”

In Part Two, there are four scholarly essays, including:
1) “Scholarship, Tradition and the Times: Lau Chak Kwong’s World of Calligraphy” by Professor Harold Mok (The Chinese University of Hong Kong);
2) “Redefining Tradition: Chak-kwong Daniel Lau and the Development of Calligraphy in Contemporary Hong Kong Art” by Dr Sarah Ng;
3) “Revival of Calligraphic Antiquity and Innovation: Lau Chak Kwong’s Art of Calligraphy and Seal Engraving” by Tsang Kwong Choi (Museum Expert Adviser, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong); and
4) “Site-specific Performances of Chinese Calligraphy at Historic Buildings of Hong Kong” by Dr Lau Chak Kwong (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Developing from traditional brush-and-ink aesthetics and formats to new calligraphic expressions in wide-ranging material forms and multimodality, Lau’s calligraphy witnesses a breakthrough in traditional Chinese calligraphy in that his calligraphy sculptures, calligraphy tapestries, calligraphy on everyday objects such as mobile phone cases, handbags and dresses transcend the conventional material forms, pushing the boundaries of Chinese calligraphy from the confines of two-dimensional space into a dynamic three-dimensional realm and daily life. Moreover, Lau’s live performances of calligraphy expand the parameters of calligraphy with new elements—such as body movements and rhythm evoked by wielding a giant brush, improvisational interaction with the audience, aesthetics of huge Chinese characters and the historical, social and cultural contexts of the performance sites such as historic buildings—to achieve a more enriched and immersive multimodal communication of meanings pertinent to the history, culture, experience and city life of Hong Kong. Through novel creation of Chinese texts in new material forms and multimodal communications, Lau powerfully paths the way to a paradigm shift in which the appreciation and perception of Chinese calligraphy are enriched by new, multisensory experiences.

Through rigorous research methodology, this original, novel body of artworks contributes to new knowledge that illuminates how Chinese calligraphy has been transformed from a literati-oriented art with a restricted audience into a more accessible form of visual culture that reaches wider audiences in exhibition space at a research university, calligraphy performance sites in Hong Kong (e.g. historic buildings) and the accompanying calligraphy website (https://digital.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/calligraphy/daniellauchakkwong/index.php )(peer-reviewed by Research Committee, HKBU/ Digital Scholarship Grant), thus contributing to the reconstruction of the vitality of city life through artistic practice of Chinese calligraphy and the appreciation and engagement of the exhibition and performance audiences.

In a nutshell, this body of artworks pushes the boundaries of knowledge and makes significant contributions to the field of Chinese art, demonstrating originality, significance, and rigour at a global level.

From Part Three to Part Nine, the following 32 chapters systematically categorize Lau’s large body of 523 works of art into various themes of developing Chinese calligraphy from Lau’s accentuation of intrinsic brush-and-ink aesthetics in the wide spectrum of script types to new calligraphic expressions in different material forms and multimodality.

PART THREE: NEW MODES OF EXPRESSION第三部份: 新表現模式
1.)Site-specific Performance of Chinese Calligraphy / 場域特定書法表演
2.)Calligraphy Sculpture / 書法雕塑
3.)Transcending Traditional Calligraphic Mediums / 超越傳統書法媒材

PART FOUR: BRUSH-AND-INK & SCRIPT TYPES第四部份 : 筆墨與書體
4.)Oracle-bone Script / 甲骨文
5.)Great-seal Script / 大篆
6.)Small-seal Script / 小篆
7.)Clerical Script / 隸書
8.)Draft-cursive 章草
9.)Cursive Script / 草書
10.)Standard Script / 楷書
11.)Small-standard Script / 小楷
12.)Semi-cursive Script / 行書
13.)Oversized-character Calligraphy / 榜書
14.)“Black-Tiger” Calligraphy /「黑老虎」書法

PART FIVE: THEMES IN BRUSHSTROKES第五部份 : 筆觸下的主題
15.)Revival of Calligraphic Antiquity / 復古書道
16.)Sketches of Hong Kong / 香港隨筆
17.)Songs of Nature / 自然頌
18.)Spiritual Quests / 靈性追尋
19.)Wisdom and Philosophies of the Ancients / 古人智慧及哲學
20.)Classical Literature / 古典文學

PART SIX: INTERPRETING THE WAY VIA SEAL ENGRAVING 第六部份 : 以篆刻演繹道
21.)Not the Constant Way Series / 非常道系列

PART SEVEN: EXPLORING MEDIA IN SEAL ENGRAVING 第七部份 : 篆刻媒介探索
22.)Stone Seals 石章
23.)Experimental-material Seals 實驗印材章
24.)Oversized Seals 巨印
25.)Side-inscriptions 邊款
26.)Seal Drafts 印稿

PART EIGHT: MODES OF SEAL, COMPOSITIONS, CARVING TECHNIQUES & AESTHETICS第八部份 : 篆刻模式、構圖、刀法、美學
27.)Red Inscription Engraved in Relief 朱文(陽刻)
28.)White Inscription Engraved in Intaglio 白文(陰刻)
29.)Alternating Red and White Inscriptions Engraved in Relief and Intaglio 朱白文相間

PART NINE: SEAL TYPES第九部份 : 印章種類
30.)Name seals 姓名印
31.)Casual Seals 閒章
32.)Studio Name and Sobriquet Seals齋館別號印