Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Cross-disciplinary Series

HKDance: Grand Dance Poem 𝙄𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣—𝙒𝙪 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙯𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜’𝙨 𝙄𝙣𝙠 𝙊𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙮

Featuring Music and Guest Performance by Composer Ivana Wong
A Cross-disciplinary Collaboration with French Artists

Co-presented for the first time by Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDance) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Cross-disciplinary Series: Grand Dance Poem In Between—Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey will be staged for four performances from 22 to 24 May 2026 at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

This production features original music and a guest performance by composer Ivana Wong, alongside French artists Dominique Drillot and Sophie Laly. Paying tribute to Wu Guanzhong, the 20th-century master of Chinese painting, the performance transforms ink brushstrokes into a cross-disciplinary fusion of dance, music, visuals, and light, reinterpreting the master’s distinguished works through in a brand-new way. The programme is co-organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA), with French May Arts Festival as cultural partner, and is a programme of the Chinese Culture Festival 2026.

To provide the public with a deeper understanding of Wu Guanzhong’s artistic spirit and the creative concept behind In Between—Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey, HKDance will hold a series of fringe activities and exhibitions from April to May 2026. Dancers will perform site specific dance at the Wu Guanzhong Art Gallery of the HKMoA and the Ocean Terminal Forecourt at Harbour City, using dance to connect the spirit of the master’s ink with visual language. A thematic exhibition for In Between will also be held in the Foyer of Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 8 to 25 May, showcasing the production’s creative team deconstructing the dance work from various artistic perspectives and leading the audience to experience the resonance between dance and Wu Guanzhong’s masterpieces.

Yang Yuntao, Artistic Director of HKDance and Choreographer of the production: “I hope that this production can bring together artists from different disciplines, uniting their expertise with the world of dance and allowing all elements to converge into a unified whole. We are not merely interpreting the works of Wu Guanzhong, but setting out to explore the artistic realm embodied in his brushwork. Through cross-cultural and cross-media interplay, we dance within the silent spaces of the master’s paintings, tracing out a landscape of poetry and imagery.”

Full Support from the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship

Over the years, Wu and his family have continuously made donations of Wu’s works and archives to HKMoA, making up a substantial collection of over 450 items. HKMoA has become the institution with the largest and most diverse collection of Wu’s works. The museum established the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship with donations from Mr Wu Keyu, the son of Wu Guanzhong, received in both 2024 and 2026, to comprehensively promote the master’s art and modern Chinese art across various regions. The six major series of initiatives have been progressively launched, including local and overseas exhibitions, educational programmes, and academic research initiatives. HKDance Grand Dance Poem In Between—Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey is the latest addition to the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Cross-disciplinary Series.

A Cross-disciplinary Tribute to Wu Guanzhong’s Vision of East-West Fusion

Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010) was a towering figure in Chinese art in the 20th century and beyond, garnering much international acclaim. Throughout his life, he pursued the convergence of East and West, bringing together the aesthetics of traditional Chinese ink and modern Western art in his work. He dedicated his life to building a bridge, one that connects East and West, the laymen and the experts, and the figurative and the abstract.

Dr Nadia Lau, Curator (Chih Lo Lou) at the HKMoA: “Wu emphasised the configuration between the movement, rhythm, and emptiness that characterize his paintings in the use of visual elements such as dots, lines, and planes. In his published writings, Wu Guanzhong also reflected on the shared qualities of visual art and music, particularly in their formal structures and sense of rhythm. HKMoA hopes to introduce the master’s art to a wider audience through dance and music, while sincerely expressing gratitude to Wu Guanzhong and his family for their enduring support and trust, which have made this cross-disciplinary collaboration possible.”

As a dance work dedicated to the master, In Between—Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey intentionally incorporates elements of East-West fusion. Featuring Yang Yuntao, Artistic Director of HKDance, as choreographer, Ivana Wong as composer and guest performer, and French artists Dominique Drillot and Sophie Laly in a cross-disciplinary collaboration, this production weaves together dance, music, visuals, and light, transforming Wu Guanzhong’s signature visual elements—dots, lines, and planes—into a sensory feast. It captures the fluid essence of ink and emotion, creating a dialogue that transcends Eastern and Western cultures, mediums, and time. 

Ivana Wong’s Scores Integrating Music and Movement to Honour Wu’s Lifelong Devotion to Art

As composer and guest performer, Ivana Wong shares, “Wu Guanzhong’s works move fluidly between the abstract and the figurative, carrying with them his reflections on home and homeland, as well as the dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. In my musical composition, I also begin from this core idea—‘In Between’—exploring the territory between tangible melodic lines and ideological expression, while responding to the dancers’ breathing and physical language. Through this work, I hope to present the spirit of Master Wu’s lifelong devotion to art.”

For Ivana, the work is a form that brings together diverse elements and textures. She believes that when artists from different disciplines create around a shared core, the sparks that emerge are poetic in nature. In her creative process, she considers the dancers’ breathing, body language, and movement, as well as the three-dimensional visual impact formed within the performance space, allowing the music to breathe, expand, and contract in tandem with them. She hopes that this work, which brings together Eastern and Western cultures, will be able to tour different locations.
 

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Grand Dance Poem “In Between—Wu Guanzhong’s Ink Odyssey”. Courtesy of Hong Kong Dance Company.