Friends of FI

A total of 51 participants took part in this event and raised a total of HK$89,570.

Walk for Family 2007

Funded by the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped, Friends of FI formed an editorial group and published the booklet, "停一停，想一想". This booklet ties in with Dr. Wai-yung Lee's book, "同樣的天空：智障服務及家庭工作的新藍圖."

Members of Friends of FI arranged "Nature Walk" for participants, as well as the Tai-Chi fan dance and guitar ensemble performances at the Symposium's Farewell Party.

Friends of FI performing at the Farewell Party

All the artwork displayed at FI are originals either donated or on display by renowned artists, including the following:

Paulina Wong

Despite an early interest in studio art, Paulina Wong did not begin her artistic career until her fifties. As a student in Hong Kong, she studied privately with both Western and Chinese artists. Among her teachers were local artists Ng Po Wan from 1965 to 1970 and Chan Hok Shu from 1971 to 1973. Upon graduation from the University of Hong Kong in 1972, Paulina put on hold her artistic ambitions to become a social worker and administrator for the Hong Kong Civil Service. It was not until two decades later in 1991, after immigrating to the United States, when she once again pursued an artistic career.

Enrollment in the studio art program at the University of California, Irvine gave her an opportunity to explore new artistic directions and experiment with multi-media techniques. Exposure to contemporary visual and multi-media works altered her perception of art and expanded her artistic horizons. While her style has evolved from realism to minimalism to conceptualism throughout the years, Paulina maintains a colorful edge in her work.

Sui May

Originated from the province of Guangxi, Sui May was born and brought up in Vietnam. During early childhood, prior to receiving any formal training, she was already painting portraits so real that often, the unknowing were misled to believe they were photographs. When she was in university in Saigon (the current Ho Chi-Minh City), she learned live and creative painting from a professional painter and worked as a part-time designer for commercial firms. She left Vietnam a year later because of the war and to come to Hong Kong to marry Prof. Man-lun Ng.

After getting married, May became a full-time housewife who only painted at leisure. Her paintings are mostly imitations of masterpiece paintings as gifts to friends or as decoration for her husband's hospital department. Occasionally, she would paint portraits for friends and produce original works.

With their courtesy, Paulina's and Sui May's paintings are displayed at the HKUFI and antiques were donated for the Silent Auction.