Gaylord Chan Named Honorary Fellow Of Hong Kong Arts Centre
By Cassie Liu
At a ceremony on June 25, the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) bestowed an honorary fellowship upon artist and educator Gaylord Chan in recognition of his “exceptional achievements in the arts sector and enduring dedication to nurturing young artists.”
Born in 1925, Chan has been an important fixture of the Hong Kong art scene since the 1970s. Originally an engineer at telecommunications company Cable and Wireless, he decided to take up a career in painting after enrolling in the University of Hong Kong’s visual arts program in 1968. He joined HKAC’s Visual Arts Committee in 1972, and went on to cofound several organizations, including the Hong Kong Visual Arts Society in 1974, and the Culture Corner Art Academy in 1989. He has exhibited globally and received numerous accolades, notably a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1986; the Hong Kong Artists Guild’s 1990 Artist of the Year award; and a Bronze Bauhinia Star, conferred by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in 2013.
Chan is one of three fellowship recipients, with the other two being film producer and technical director Percy Fung Tze-cheong, and theater director, actor, and educator Tang Shu-wing.
HKAC’s honorary fellowships are awarded annually to “distinguished individuals” with close ties to the institution who have made significant contributions to Hong Kong’s creative industries, including film, music, comics and animation, and the visual and performing arts. Previous recipients include comic artist Theresa Lee Wai-Chun, and composer and sound artist Samson Young.
Cassie Liu is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.
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