Hope (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Say "Hong Kong" to many people and their immediate visions are of an urban jungle where shopping is the main activity and attraction, followed by eating. Without it having been consciously aimed for though, it has turned out that -- in tandem with chronicling my activities and interests while living in Asia's World City -- one of this blog's results has been to show that the Fragrant Harbour offers far more than that.

This I think I've done for the most part thus far through my copious Hong Kong hiking photo-essays and a sprinkling of photo hunt entries (like those for Wide and Blue). But Hong Kong also is far from a cultural along with natural desert. And although its cinematic and performing arts offerings tend to overshadow its fine arts sector, there are exponents and exhibitions that are worthy too of people's attention.

Take, as an example, the self-taught ceramicist and sculptor named Johnson Tsang, an exhibition of whose works I caught a little more than a month ago at the exhibition area of the Central Library. Of the many fine art in the exhibition, I found myself particularly drawn to two works that both are expressions of hope -- and therefore eminently suitable for exhibiting in this week's Photo Hunt entry.

The first of these is entitled Conversion (Dedicated ToThose Striking for Peace). And in case you can't make it out immediately, here's urging you to click on the photo to see an enlarged shot of this sculpture in which a melting gun held by a pair of hands is transformed below into the makings of a peaceful head of Gautama Buddha. The second's meaning along with shapes should be more immediately obvious. And yes, Heal the World is indeed the title of the work that looks cute as well as couched with hope.

(More than by the way, thanks, tnchick, for the great start to what I hope will be yet another fun and wonderful year of Photo Hunting. And happy 2009 to this blog's visitors, readers and appreciators!)