Poster boys guaranteed to deliver the message
From James Montgomery Flagg's Uncle Sam army recruitment poster to Jamie Reid's Anarchy in the UK and Shepard Fairey's Barack Obama Hope, the art form, at its best, can give the public imagination free rein. The blank canvas allows designers to inspire many viewers as a result.
The Fourth Hong Kong International Poster Triennial, which runs until May 23 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin, dissolves cultural, geographical and language barriers by showcasing outstanding posters from around the globe. The triennial, which celebrates the museum's 10th anniversary, features five categories - 'Ideology', 'Promotion of Cultural Events', 'Commercial and Advertising' and the thematic categories, 'Act' and 'Live'.
Israeli designer David Tartakover, one of the five judges of 'Act - Live - Hong Kong International Poster Triennial 2010', says: 'A good poster, for me, is a poster the designer is involved with and he is communicating to his audience, giving the message to the audience.'
The thematic categories 'Act' and 'Live' encourage participants to bring a philosophical dimension to the triennial, which sees the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Hong Kong Designers Association join forces.
''Act' can be interpreted as living in the moment,' says Belinda Wong, chief curator of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. 'The concept is by no means hard to understand yet one can find it very abstract in practice. If we are to truly live every moment, what kind of approach should we have to life?'
Wong says: ''Act' frees designers to rediscover life; 'Live' encourages the new generation to bring innovation into full play and blend it into everyday life. Appreciating the power of now, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is 'acting' and 'living' with the designers. Together we shall further the art of design and explore more new ideas.'
The Judges' Awards and Young Generation Awards were introduced this year. The Judges' Awards were named after the five adjudicators - renowned designers Mathias Augustyniak from France, Michel de Boer from the Netherlands, Kenya Hara from Japan, Kan Tai-keung from Hong Kong and Tartakover - who each chose one entry from the categories 'Ideology', 'Promotion of Cultural Events', 'Commercial and Advertising', and 'Act'. For the Young Generation Awards, each judge selected one entry from the category 'Live'.