Religious art is dead?
From the medieval cathedrals, paintings, and sculptures of Renaissance to the Dunhuang grottos and mural paintings in various Chinese tombs and temples, religion had been a most generous patron of art. Religious subject matters have always been legitimate as accomplished in the myriad of masterpieces in the history of art.
Although, we have an impression of religious art as cultural artifacts of a glorious past, why does it seem so detached from contemporary art? Would it be that most artists nowadays are faithless? Or, is there a lack of contemporary vocabulary for expressing religious ideas in art besides conventional symbolism?
All four participating artists are either Christians or Buddhists. As contemporary artists, they employ diverse artistic languages. Nevertheless, their share of religious experience provides a common platform to view their work and to investigate the contemporaneity of ‘religious art’.
This exhibition is curated by and is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.