LAI Kwan-ting
賴 筠 婷

Lai Kwan-ting (lives and works in Hong Kong) received her BA and MFA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2008 and 2011 respectively, and she is now teaching part-time at the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education. Lai believes that art is an expression of an artist’s passion for living; it is a sign of respect for life and a response to God’s creation. Using gongbi techniques, she often paints animals in nature, portraits, and everyday life with graceful, elegant brushwork. 

Lai has participated in group exhibitions in Hong Kong and Taipei, and she has also received numerous awards, including the Young Artist Award at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards 2009 and the Excellence Award at the 2021 Art Next Artist Awards. Her work received one of the awards at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012. She was also selected for Ink Global 2017. Her works are held by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council, and the Simon Suen Foundation. 

賴筠婷,香港居住及工作,於香港中文大學藝術系取得學士(2008年)及藝術碩士學位(2011年),現於香港大學專業進修學院兼職任教。賴氏認為藝術源於對生活的熱愛,對生命的尊重,對創造主的回應。她擅長以水墨描繪大自然的動物,以工筆描繪人像和日常生活情景,筆觸溫婉細膩。

賴氏曾多次在香港和台北等地參加聯展,其作品多次獲獎,包括「香港當代藝術雙年獎2009——青年藝術家獎」、「香港當代藝術獎2012」、「第四屆新藝潮博覽會優秀獎」(2021),及入選「全球水墨畫大展」(2017)。作品為香港藝術館、香港立法會及孫少文基金會及海內外收藏。

Artist’s Statement 

When I first encountered gongbi painting as an undergraduate, I realised that it was very different from my childhood study of painting and calligraphy, which emphasises linear contours and layers of wash. Whenever I paint those contours, I think of the circumstances in which the literati painters of old made their work, and I feel that I am perpetuating the tradition of Chinese painting in some way. Teaching for many years after I graduated gave me the opportunity to copy and become familiar with famous paintings both past and present. As I expanded my horizons, I thought constantly about my own work.

I like painting people because they are very close to my own life; my creative subjects are naturally the people and things that I care about. I previously painted MTR passengers, yet the focus of the work in this exhibition has shifted towards sibling relationships. Since I became a mother, the centre of my life has gravitated toward my own family, and I have spent more time at home. As I watched my two children grow, I was occasionally inspired to record their growth and precious moments from their lives in paintings, which became this body of work. Using gongbi methods to turn emotions and thoughts into layers of contours and washes, I think this has been the best possible practice for me.



藝術家自述

當我在大學本科期間首次接觸工筆時,便發覺工筆與我從小習字學畫的經驗很不一樣,重視線條勾勒和層層渲染。每當自己勾勒時便會聯想到昔日文人畫師創作的情境,在某程度上感到正在師承著中國繪畫的傳統。畢業後多年的教學讓我有機會臨摹及熟習古今名畫,在開拓自己視野的同時讓我不斷思考自己的創作。

我喜歡畫人,因為人跟自己的生活很貼近,而創作題材自然地是所關心的人和事。以往曾嘗試以地鐵的乘客作為創作主題,這次展覽的作品題材會轉移至家庭中的姊弟。從我成為母親開始,生活的重心轉移至家庭,待在家的時間也變得更長。看見一對子女漸漸成長,用繪畫記錄成長相處點滴的想法不時出現,這也成為了這次作品的起源。用工筆的方法把思緒點滴化為層層的勾勒和渲染,我認為對我來說是最好的修練。