The Works：Sculptor Joe Li & in the studio: pianist Julie Kuok

The term “self-taught art” is often used to refer to “a genre of art and outdoor constructions made by untrained artists who do not recognise themselves as artists”. Some use it, in a broader sense, to describe any art created outside the canon of art history. Still others say that inevitably all artists are self-taught, at least to some degree. For many creators themselves though, the more important thing is to develop a vision and the skills to communicate it, without giving too much worry to how their work gets labelled.

Pianist Julie Kuok is active not only in performance but also in composition and music education. She’s a piano faculty member at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Chinese University, and Hong Kong Baptist University. She also sits as an adjudicator on some of Hong Kong’s best-known piano competitions. Last month, she, in collaboration with fellow pianist Jenny Ng and the Romer String Quartet, were planning two concerts to celebrate the 70th birthday of Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The programmes were made up of pieces selected by Sakamoto himself. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, both concerts have had to be rescheduled. Julie Kuok is here to tell us more.