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Back to basics

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DRAWING, probably the very first visual art skill that most artists learn, is usually ignored in the area of contemporary arts.

However, a group of local artists has organised an exhibition in this medium, trying to explore the significance and meaning of drawing through various media.

The Retelling of Drawing II - Story of Peach Flower Garden, is now on at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre in Central and finishes this Saturday.

Assistant curator of the exhibition, Amy Chow, said: 'Drawing, a fundamental skill, is now usually regarded as an outdated medium in contemporary art, or just a means of making a preliminary sketch for a painting or other artwork.'

Chow said every artist featuring in the exhibition, the second of its kind - the first was in 1998 - had a distinct perspective on the topic. Besides simply drawing, some exhibiting artists have expressed their thoughts about drawing through other mediums, such as videos and installations.

Sculptor Jaffa Lam is one of the nine artists participating the exhibition. 'Before I do a sculpture, I have to make a sketch which is really close to a 'finished' drawing. But I think there are some differences between sketching and drawing,' Lam said.

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