From Hong Kong to Wickford

'From Hong Kong to Wickford' exhibition has opened at St Andrew's Church today. The exhibition is a Multifaceted Pictorial Display with Stories by Ho Wai-On (Ann-Kay) & Friends and is at the church from 26 September – 16 December 2023. St Andrew’s opening hours: Sat 9 am - 12.30 pm; Sun 9.30 am - 12 noon; Mon 2 – 3.45 pm; Tue 1 – 4.30 pm; Wed 10 am - 12 noon; Fri 10 am – 1 pm.

Special opportunities to view the exhibition include:

• Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Celebration Viewing with Refreshments, Friday 29 September, 7.00 – 9.00 pm: Friday 29 September is the Mid-Autumn Festival (Harvest Moon to the English) - one of the most important festivals celebrated by ethnic Chinese, and also celebrated in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries in East and Southeast Asia. People, and especially family members, gather together to eat and to look at the moon at its brightest and roundest in a year. Roy Reed's photos of "Mid-Autumn in London Chinatown", commissioned by Inter-Artes, are featured in the Display.
• ‘Flying Wild – Beautiful Birds and Insects’ talk by Martin Singleton (Wickford Wildlife Society) with exhibition viewing, Monday 2 October, 7.30 pm: Martin Singleton will talk about the creatures found with his photographs which are included in the Display.
• Unveiled exhibition viewing evening, Friday 6 October, 7.00 – 9.00 pm: Find out more about Ho Wai-On and hear about the exhibition, her career and her creative projects.

Dr Ho Wai-On: Surname Ho, known to colleagues as Wai-On. She comes from Hong Kong where the surname is followed by the given name that represents the individual. She has lived in Wickford for about 15 years and is known to locals as Ann-Kay (her childhood name). Before moving to Wickford, she lived in London for more than 30 years.

Best known as a composer and creator/director of combined-art works and projects, this multifaceted pictorial display features her lifetime of interaction with UK and Hong Kong based artists/people that have resulted in many creative works. It also tells the stories of these people and their work.

The Display features the following:

• ‘Acis & Galatea’: Dance-opera directed by Ho Wai-On for the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
• ‘Blessed’ – Stations of the Cross with Beatitude: An offering to St. Andrew's from Ho Wai-On
• Clark Ainsworth (UK-HK): Hong Kong photographs
• Dr Juliet Chenery-Robson (Sunderland): Visual artist
• Ruth Cutler (Ramsgate): Mixed media
• Graham Ekins (Boreham): Hong Kong birds photographs
• Ho Wai-On (Ann-Kay HK-UK): Music videos; combined arts; design and photographs
• Inter-Artes: Performing group formed by Ho Wai-On
• Polly Hope (London): Artist
• Herry Lawford (Stockbridge): Chelsea Flower Show photographs
• Professor Stephen Matthews (UK-HK): Hong Kong birds photographs
• Ben Rector (Wickford): Photographer
• Roy Reed (UK): Photographer
• Martin Singleton (Wickford): UK birds photographs
• Albert Tang (HK-London): Stage/costume/poster/cover design and more
• “THEME HONG KONG“: Project
• Dr David Tong (Sidcup): Poetry
• True Light Old Girls (Ho Wai-On's old school): Choy May-Chu (HK-Taiwan); drawings/paintings; Kitty Kwan (HK-UK-AU-US) photos; Toby Man (HK-US) drawing
• Marcus West (Cardiff): Computer graphics
• Benson Wong (HK-UK-HK): Fashion/textile/jewellery design & digital portraits

N.B., ( ) indicates residency. E.g., (HK-UK-AU-US) = From Hong Kong, then lived in the UK, Australia, now lives in the US.

Ho Wai-On says: “My memory of life in Hong Kong is about 15 years, which is about the same as I have been living in Wickford. In between, for more than 30 years, I lived mostly in London and went back to Hong Kong from time to time. With UK-based professionals in creative and performing arts, I created and staged performances of works/projects that combine music, dance, drama and visual art across different cultures, sometimes with relevant displays. This multifaceted pictorial display at St. Andrew's Church features stories of my lifetime's interaction with UK-Hong Kong based artists and people and the resulting creative works, and tells you about these people and their work. I hope this might encourage audiences' interest in getting to know more.”

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Ho Wai-On - Wisdom and Love.