Mr. Pole Bear @ CUHK

Hi, I'm Bear, Pole Bear. I come from the North Pole.

The view of Tolo Harbour is very nice, but I cannot stay in Hong Kong for longer.

It is too hot here. Pity~

I will swim to my mother town on 11 July.

Miss you, CUHK; miss you, HK.

Visitor from the North Pole

As the mercury rises to over 30 degrees Celsius in the summer, a polar bear appears at the Pavilion of Harmony at the New Asia College campus. Has this visitor drifted to Hong Kong on an iceberg that broke away from the Arctic glaciers?

The answer is both yes and no. The polar bear is a nature-themed sculpture created by Mr. Mok Yat-san, an instructor at the Department of Fine Arts, for the Hong Kong Sculpture Biennial 2010. The biennial's theme this year is 'Echo'. In fact, from 30 May to 11 July 2010, New Asia College turns into a sculpture garden as the 'Contemporary' and 'China' sections of the biennial 2010 take place there. The biennial is jointly organized by the CUHK Department of Fine Arts, the Hong Kong Sculpture Society and the Artist Commune.

Mr. Mok's sculpture is named Monument: Reproduction of Vitalization. He says, 'I can't stand hot weather. That's why I'm especially concerned about global warming.' He adds, 'Hong Kong sculptors are more and more socially conscious. They care a lot about environmental issues. Many artists create their works around this theme.'

The scenic CUHK campus is an ideal venue for art display. Mr. Mok hopes that someday art creations can be found all over campus. 'We can make a map, listing all the attractions at CUHK and venues for displaying art so visitors can combine campus tour with art appreciation.'

At present, sculpture courses are offered as electives by the Department of Fine Arts, with an enrolment of six to 10 students a year. Though it's not the most popular subject, the department continues to nurture generations of sculptors. Of the 21 artists taking part in the 'Contemporary' section, half were from CUHK. They included veteran artists who had graduated a long time ago, upcoming young artists who graduated a few years ago, as well as current students.