Media

Dr Antony Huen from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has won the Award for Young Artist (Arts Criticism) at the 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (“HKADC”).

Dr Huen expressed his sincere gratitude to the HKADC and felt honoured to receive this recognition. Dr Huen remarked, “Both criticism and writing in general are inherently personal endeavours. The recognition from the adjudicators not only affirms my efforts but also acts as a source of motivation on its own.”

As an educator, Dr Huen strives to nurture the next generation of arts critics and fostering a passion for diverse art forms. He mentors students in publishing the Black Box Magazine, a literary and arts criticism journal that students contribute to, edit, and design. He also encourages them to discover and explore works across various media, such as novels, Cantonese opera, and art festivals.  “I hope students can discover their love for the arts and use the Magazine as a platform for their criticism,” Dr Huen said, “Only by maintaining my own passion for arts criticism can I truly inspire my students.”

Dr Huen specialises in English-language poetry criticism with a recent focus on Hong Kong poetry.  As a Senior Lecturer and the Programme Director of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing in English at the School of English of the HKU Faculty of Arts, he is committed to promoting literature, creative writing, and arts criticism among the new generation, inspiring them to broaden their artistic horizons.  Dr Huen won the inaugural Essay Prize of Wasafiri: International Contemporary Writing in 2022.  His articles have appeared in Humanities, New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, PN Review, Wasafiri, Women, World Literature Today, Writing Chinese: A Journal of Contemporary Sinophone Literature, founded by The Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing, and elsewhere.  His project on Hong Kong poetry was supported by a research grant from the University Grants Committee (“UGC”).

Organised by the HKADC, the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards is an annual flagship event in the local arts scene that aims to promote recognition of distinguished arts practitioners and arts organisations that have made significant contributions to the arts development in Hong Kong.  This year, a total of 31 awards across seven award categories were presented to local artists, groups, schools and organisations in recognition of their exceptional achievements and contributions in various artistic fields.

For more information, please refer to The 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards Souvenir Book.

Please watch the interview with Dr Antony Huen, produced by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council: https://youtu.be/-ytUPMphWhw

For Dr Antony Huen’s profile, please visit: 
https://english.hku.hk/people/Faculty/306/Dr_Antony_Huen

For media enquiries, please contact Dr Antony Huen, School of English, Faculty of Arts, HKU (E-mail: antonyh@hku.hk).