As part of his practice of taking extensive photographs of every exhibition he attended, Hong Kong-based artist HA Bik Chuen (1925-2009) used to develop prints for those he photographed. He would hand out the photographs – in separate envelopes for each individual – to the subjects the next time he saw them. Since HA Bik Chuen’s passing, his exhibition documentation that spanned from 1960s-2000s, alongside his albums of research materials and artwork documentation, and a 2,000-volume research library, has been kept in his studio and archive in To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong. The materials are of great depth and variety, and offer a rich resource for adding to our understanding of Hong Kong’s art history.

It is the HA family’s wish that these materials are made available for public use and research. This spirit of sharing is also a reminder to Asia Art Archive, as we take a first step toward understanding and sharing a lifework that began with, and developed through, a willingness to share.

To support this endeavor, Spring Workshop will host this satellite workstation to process the content within HA Bik Chuen’s archive with researchers working here three days a week.

The album on the workstation is an annotated browsing copy of selected photographs from the HA Bik Chuen Archive that give a flavour of the form as well as content of the materials. To learn more about the HA Bik Chuen Archive – Pilot Project, please contact AAA researcher michelle@aaa.org.hk.

The HA Bik Chuen Archive – Pilot Project is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.