Born in Xinhui, Guangdong in 1947, Mok came from a poor peasant family.  As a child, he came to Hong Kong and by March 1964, he began formal training with the well-known painter Ting Yin-yung.  Under Ting’s tutelage, Mok learned the skills of Chinese paintings and started his collection of paintings of Chinese masters.

Believing that an artist should be exposed to all forms of art, Mok travels extensively to various parts of the world.  He has visited Mount Huang and Mount Lu several times to be inspired.  During his travels, Mok meets renowned Western and Chinese artists from whom he obtains encouragement and advice.

Since the 70’s, Mok has written a number of art commentaries which have been published in different newspaper and art critics.  He has also edited many painting albums for the late masters such as Zhao Shaoan, Song Wenzhi, Zhu Qizhan, Lu Yanshao and etc.

Setting up his studio, Mok began teaching Chinese painting in 1979.  Since then he has been running Painting and Art Appreciation courses at his own studio, the Art Club of the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Art Centre and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.  In January 1996, he was invited to demonstrate Chinese paintings in the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Mok staged his first exhibition in 1982.  Since then, his personal exhibitions have been held in Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, West Germany, China and Hong Kong respectively.  His paintings are well-liked and are always in the collections of museums and auctioneers.  Sixteen of Mok’s paintings of Birds and Flowers are now kept in the National Gallery of Victoria.  Another piece by Mok, a long painting of Lotus, is placed in the Museum of Chinese Australian History.  The Education Services of the National Gallery of Victoria expressed its appreciation and gratitude for his exploration into Chinese art in 1987.

In November 1986, “The Paintings of Mok E-den” (Volume I) was published.  Now his works have been compiled into 7 volumes, evolving his skills and insights of Chinese paintings.  In 1998, his paintings have been selected into the Encyclopedia of the World Famous Chinese Artists and the First International Ink Painting Biennial Exhibition Of Shenzhen.  In October 1999, his “Blazing Flowers” was selected into the 9th National Art Exhibition of China and is in the collection of Chinese Museum of Art.

In April 2002, Mok organised art appreciation workshop and seminar in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Ting Yin-yung’s birth.  He also proposed the building of a Ting Yin-yung Memorial Hall in Ting’s hometown, Maoming, and initiated fund-raising and donation activities.

In 2003, Mok’s thirteen paintings were selected by the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education as illustrations in the 2003 Calendar for Hong Kong.  In August 2003, Mok lent forty paintings by Ting for the successful staging of an exhibition on “Aesthetic Images of Ting Yin-yung’s Paintings” by the National Museum of History in Taiwan.  In December the same year, Mok became President of the “Ting Yin-yung Art Club”.

In April 2004, the Ting Yin-yung Memorial Hall was completed and Mok was invited to officiate at the inauguration ceremony.  In August, his huge work on Lotus was included in the 10th National Exhibition of Arts in China.  In June 2005, the Bank of Communications (Hong Kong Branch) acquired a good number of Mok’s works for its permanent collection.

Collections

Bank of Communications, Hong Kong, Permanent Collection
National Gallery of Victoria, Sixteen Works in the Permanent Collection
Museum of Chinese Australian History
National Chinese Museum of Art, Beijing

Featured Exhibitions

2000
1983
1985