|
Since
1984, Freeman has won over 250 awards in overseas and
local art and design competitions. They include
Silver Award in the International Book Design Exhibition
'89, Leipzig Germany; the Apple Distinction Award and
Gold Award in Hong Kong Designers Association Biennial;
Bronze Award in Typodirection '93 in Tokyo; Gold Award
in Mercury Award 1993, New York; Grand Prize in the 3rd
Seoul Triennale Exhibition of Asian Graphic Poster 1997,
Korea; Outstanding Graphic Designer - the Louis Cartier
Award of Excellence in 1995; Artist of the Year 1997 as
Graphic Designer awarded by the Hong Kong Artists'
Guild; Ten Outstanding Young Persons 1997; Porsche
Design "Creative Energy" Award 1998; Golden Bee Awards
2000, Moscow; the Singapore Design Award 2000; Grand
Prix of the International Poster Biennial, Taipei 2000;
Grandprix (The Mayor of Nagahama Prize) of the Japan
Poster Grandprix 2000; and "Outstanding PolyU Alumni
Award 2001", organised by the Federation of the Hong
Kong Polytechnic University Alumni Associations.
In 2001, Freeman was invited to participate in the
poster design competition of the "Beijing's Bid for the
2008 Olympic Games". His design was awarded First
Prize and was produced as an official promotional
medium. Subsequently, the poster design also won
the Best Sport Poster in Lahti Poster Biennale 2001,
Finland. In 2003, the Korean Society
Experimentation in Contemporary Design awarded him
during the 5th Seoul Triennial Exhibition of Asia
Graphic Poster. Most recently in 2004, Freeman's
design for the Watson's Water won the international
"Bottledwaterworld Design Awards". In his design for
this bottle, Freeman successfully created a symbiosis
between art, culture, design and business acumen;
significantly increasing the brand's share of market
while contributing to the local cultural movement.
Freeman
has been a committee member of the Hong Kong Designers
Association (HKDA) since 1989. He was the vice-chairman
of HKDA in 1992 and 1993, 1996 and 1997, chairman in
1994 and 1995; the founding committee member of "Design:
Hong Kong". Freeman also concerns about the
education and art development in Hong Kong. He
lectures frequently in Hong Kong institutions, and has
been invited by overseas organizations for lectures and
exhibitions, including the 1st World Logo Design
Biennial in Belgium. Freeman is also a Part-time
Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong; The Design School, The
Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and the Institute of
Vocational Education. He often provides his
professional services to organisations such as the
Friends of The Earth, the World Wide Fund for Nature
Hong Kong and the World Vision-30 Hour Famine. Ms.
Mei Ng, Vice-Chairman of the Friends of The Earth's
Board of Governors once said, "Freeman is truly a Friend
of the Planet Earth". Freeman is now the Chairman
of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Design Centre,
Secretary General of Hong Kong Federation of Design
Associations and member of the Design Management
Institute Advisory Council.
Freeman
exerts genuine assertiveness in fine arts. Freeman
was awarded Champion of Sculpture Section in Philippe
Charriol's Modern Art Competition in 1992, the
Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Award 1994, the
Urban Council Sculpture Design Award 1994, the Urban
Council Fine Arts Awards 1998 and commissioned work of
arts in the "Public Art Scheme Competition Exhibition
1999"; "Competition on Design of Decorative Works of
Art", Hong Kong Central Library and "Mural Design
Competition", Hong Kong Heritage Museum. His works
of fine arts are included in private collections and
collections of the Arezzo - Museum of Contemporary Gold
Jewellery Art in Italy, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong
Kong Urban Council and the Hong Kong Heritage
Museum. His inherent talents in art was further
recognised as he was awarded Winner of the 1997-98
International Fellowship and Residency Program,
organised by Mid-America Arts Alliance & United
States Information Agency. On the other hand, his
recent works has been exhibited in The 8th International
Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition, organized by the
University of Hawaii Art Gallery; "Artists in the
Neighbourhood Scheme II - People o Chair: Works by
Freeman Lau", organized by Art Promotion Office of LCSD;
and "Of Ink and Chairs - Kan Tai-keung + Freeman Lau,
Art and Design Exhibition" at both DDD Gallery, Osaka
and Shizuoka University of Art and Culture. Two works of
art were commissioned in 2001, the "Public Art Project -
Installation of Public Artworks at Yat Tung Estate, Tung
Chung Area 30-31", organised by the Leisure and Cultural
Services Department and through the "Competition of
Commemorative Relief Design" at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2004,
Freeman's work was awarded "Chair of the Year" in the
Chair Design Competition of Barrie Ho Collections.
|
