Bayon series, Angkor Thom, Cambodia
Inkjet color print 2005
43.2 x 33 cm
(Photo courtesy of the artist)

Mosque, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China
Gelatin silver print 2004
19.5 x 20 cm
(Photo courtesy of the artist)

Tin Hau Temple series, Yau Ma Tai, Hong Kong
Inkjet color print 2006
27.3 x 36.2 cm
(Photo courtesy of the artist)

Sacred Places and Skies Photography by Mary Padua
7 March to 22 April 2007

The University Museum and Art Gallery of The University of Hong Kong is delighted to present an exhibition of "Sacred Places and Skies: Photography by Mary Padua". Mary Padua is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong. Her academic interests focus on the socio-cultural dimension of urban vernacular places and everyday landscapes.

"Sacred places" are found in different cultures, past and present, all over the world. Such places are frequently marked or embellished by architectural structures and art, and are often rich in aesthetic experience.

The exhibition features over fifty photographs of sacred places such as temples, churches, burial places and sacred ritual places taken by Mary Padua in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Southeast Asia between 1994 and 2006. Also on display are several images of skies, representing works taken by Mary since 1970s in other parts of the world.

Mary uses both traditional black and white as well as digital darkroom techniques in her photographic works. In the exhibition, images of sacred places are juxtaposed against images of skies. Mary would share a vision of "contemplative spaces" through the exhibits with the visitors. Some of the works are shown as diptychs and triptychs, and one or two "grid of nine or more images", creating a temporary sanctuary for visual enjoyment with installation works.