An exhibition exploring the profound influence of Ming furniture as a cultural symbol of China and its ongoing dialogue and transformation within contemporary design kicked off at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum on Sunday.
Entitled WoW! Hong Kong Design Series II – East-West Design Reflections: Haven Collection’s Ming Furniture and a Century of Chair Play, the exhibition will run through April 12 next year.
Admission to the exhibition being held at the museum’s Function Place is free.
Guest-curated by renowned local designer and artist Freeman Lau, the exhibition showcases a series of Ming furniture treasures from local collector and owner of the Haven Collection, Lau Chu-pak, paired with artistic chairs from the museum’s collection and iconic works of modern furniture design.
The craftsmanship on display ranges from traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery to cutting-edge 3D-printing techniques, with materials ranging from precious Chinese rosewood to eco-friendly upcycled resources.
The highlights include a horseshoe armchair crafted from precious Chinese rosewood (huanghuali), distinguished by its clean and elegant silhouette – a form that embodies the ancient Chinese principle of “round heaven and square earth”.
Also on display is a grand-scale alcove bed made of Chinese southern elm, featuring an enclosed chamber space, inviting visitors to closely observe the refined daily life of women from ancient noble families.
Alongside creative works by local designers and artists, the exhibition also displays guest curator Lau’s curated selection of modern furniture, including the iconic “CH24 Wishbone Chair” by renowned Danish modern designer Hans Wegner.
“Golden Blossom” – a 3D-printed flower table by artist Victor Wong – features carvings of exquisite floral motifs, symbolizing wealth and harmony, while the “Yuan Chair”, designed by Koren Sin and Kirin Leung, takes the Chinese drum stool’s simple form and reinterprets it with a twist of modern parametric style.
A series of talks will also be held during the exhibition, inviting audiences to explore the craftsmanship and design of Ming furniture and examine how Chinese culture is deeply rooted in everyday life and has shaped the evolving aesthetics of everyday objects over the past century.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Saturday, Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Culture) Eve Tam Mei-yee said Ming furniture embodies the profound wisdom of traditional Chinese design. Crafted from exquisite materials, with clean silhouettes and elegant forms, it fully exemplifies the spirit of Chinese craftsmanship, she said.
Through a unique perspective that juxtaposes past and present and pairs East and West, the exhibition illustrates how contemporary designers draw inspiration from Chinese cultural heritage, using upcycled materials and new technologies to reinterpret traditional craftsmanship in the modern era, she said.
Launched in 2024, the WoW! Hong Kong Design Series exhibition program aims to highlight the creativity and vision of local designers by showcasing items from the museum’s design collections alongside specially selected works of international distinction.
