A superb and exciting natural collagraph by the noted Hong Kong artist, Ha Bik Chuen. Signed and dated, 1977. Collagraph is a printmaking technique where a "plate" is created by gluing various materials onto a rigid surface, forming a collage. It works beautifully here as a record of time, place and nature. The image is of an old timber gate.

Bik Chuen's work is well-documented in one of the most extraordinary archives available anywhere online. Encompassing his photography, sculpture and prints, the archive is a masterful account of the life's work of a remarkable artist.

The complexity of the archive is itself notable. It includes the envelopes that held negative films, the personal photos, receipts, developed photographs - the archive is extensive and exhaustive. Something that any collector or curator will appreciate.

This signed and dated collagraphic work fits the period of Ha Bik Chuen's first official artistic recognition. Ha Bik Chuen was a highly productive artist, creating prolifically, and moving on to new iterations of his work at pace. He established a reputation in the 1960s and 1970s and did not stop production until his death in 2009.

This highly accomplished collagraph shows virtuoso skill in printing with materials. Textile and timber, leaves and hessian are inked and pressed into a fine quality paper. Time stands still.

Framed in a pink-tinted limed hardwood frame, with preservation mount and generous allowance for the print to show it's full depth and texture.

MEASURES:

105cm H x 84.5cm W x 3.5cm D

CONDITION:

In original Australian late 1970s frame, mounted on preservation mount board. The sealing tape at the back of the frame is crispy and curling but the whole work and frane in good condition.