All the shades in between

Chinese color symbolism has been around for more than two millennia. It is a vital component of the Five Phases (wuxing), a philosophy describing the continuously shifting relationships between humans and nature. And while the Hong Kong Museum of Art houses one of the world's finest collections of colorful art and artifacts, it has never used color as an exhibition concept - until now.

A new exhibition, #popcolours, draws inspiration from the Five Phases in selecting and re-presenting pieces from the museum's permanent collection of priceless porcelain, bejeweled hair accessories, and embroidered textiles. A central chamber acts as a neutral buffer space and links to five salons, themed Blue, Yellow, Red, White, and Black.

The Blue Salon - or more accurately, qing, to describe the clarity of water and sky often associated with the color - showcases a full range of blue and green hues. Dark-blue pigments typical of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) imperial garments can be seen in a winter coat worn by a first-rank civil official in the 19th century. By contrast, the imperial kilns of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Jiajing period of the 16th century produced ceramics with a translucent, melon-green glaze.