In the exhibition ‘8 times 8. stories · series · systems in mythology & art’ works from the visual and applied arts contain serial narratives that respond self-reflexively to the artist’s oeuvre. The number 8 plays a crucial role in mythology. In Asian art this can be seen, for example, in the 8 trigrams of the I Ching, the 8 Immortals, the 8 Buddhist symbols and the 8 Auspicious symbols. These interrelated elements are often depicted as a group of 8 in the form of a serial narrative, which are supplemented by motifs of pairs, figures or scenes from stories, landscapes, plants, flowers, animals, ornaments and symbols. 

To illustrate this point, objects, each consisting of eight sections, were selected from the UMAG collection. These collection items, created with a range of techniques, demonstrate the diversity and richness of serial narratives in Chinese art and craftsmanship. These traditional works of applied art are juxtaposed by contemporary artists, so as to show that serial and systemic narratives are still used as artistic strategies. Systemic is used here in the sense that individual artworks are part of a larger overall system of interrelated elements. Participating artists: Arvid BOECKER (*1964 Wuppertal, Germany), Adrian FALKNER (*1979 in Basel, Switzerland), Daphne Alexis HO 何居怡 (*1975 in Hong Kong), Klaus MERKEL (*1953 in Heidelberg, Germany), YAU Wing Fung 邱榮豐 (*1990 in Hong Kong), and YU Hee 유희 (*1967 in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea).

Curated by Dr Harald P. Kraemer 

Curator Tour: 17:00-18:00

Opening Ceremony: 18:00-20:00

Venue address: 1/F, T. T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam