Ha Bik Chuen Self Portrait and exhibition documentation

This archive consists of a continuously growing selection of the artist’s collage books, exhibition documentation, and catalogues. It provides a singular window into Hong Kong’s art history through international exchanges, exhibition history, and the circulation of artistic practices and reading materials.

Primarily known as a sculptor and printmaker, Ha Bik Chuen (1925–2009) had parallel practices of photographing exhibitions he attended while collecting materials (including illustrated magazines and artist portraits) for the construction of book collages. Due to the volume of Ha’s archive, materials digitised and shared on this platform are prioritised by their rarity and relevance to AAA’s ongoing lines of inquiry.

In July 2016, Ha’s archive in his studio in To Kwan Wan, Kowloon, was relocated to a dedicated project space in Fotan, New Territories, where it is temporarily housed as part of a three-year project. The Ha Bik Chuen Archive Project aims to catalyse new ideas and knowledge by opening up, activating, and circulating materials from the Ha Bik Chuen Archive through selective digitisation, research, and collaborative programming such as residencies, fellowships, workshops, and exhibition making.