‘A New Day with Jesus’ by Stephen Wong was painted during his one-month artistic residency and Visiting Fellowship in Art at Jesus this summer, following a commission by philanthropist and founder of HomeArt, Rosaline Wong. The painting is being exhibited in the Rosaline Wong Gallery, which opened in the Buchanan Tower Room last year, and features alongside the work of the College’s other Visiting Fellows in Art, Marcus Coates and Peter McDonald.
‘A New Day with Jesus’ by Stephen Wong (2023). Jesus College, in partnership with HomeArt, hosted Stephen as its Artist-in-Residence and Visiting Fellow in Art during the summer of 2023.
Stephen Wong graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2008, and specialises in landscape painting. He has built a reputation for producing large and vibrant bird’s eye views of expansive landscapes, and architectural vistas, that immerse the viewer in an imaginary yet familiar world. His paintings have been exhibited at galleries across Hong Kong, and internationally, and his work is part of the Hong Kong Museum of Art Collection. One of his most recent solo shows, MacLehose Trail (2022), was exhibited at Bonhams, Hong Kong. In early 2023, he held his first London show, Dream Travel, at Unit London.
Artist Stephen Wong
Stephen began his month-long Fellowship at Jesus in late July, and worked from a pop-up studio in the Cheng Yu Tung Building. The artwork, painted in acrylic on canvas, took him just over two weeks to complete.
To celebrate ‘A New Day with Jesus’ , the College commissioned a new film about Stephen’s time in Oxford, and his inspirations for the painting. You can watch the film by clicking on the screen below.
Stephen at work on the painting ‘A New Day with Jesus’.
The Principal, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt FRS FREng, joined Ms Rosaline Wong for a formal ribbon cutting to open the new space in the company of members of Ms Wong’s family, her friends, and members of College’s Fellowship. The gallery, located in the new Buchanan Tower Room, will be used to exhibit a wide range of art, including works by leading contemporary artists. In celebration of the gallery’s opening, Ms Wong worked with Kate MacGarry of the Kate MacGarry Gallery in London to commission special works by artists Peter McDonald and Marcus Coates.
From left to right: Peter McDonald, Kate MacGarry, Rosaline Wong and Marcus Coates open the Rosaline Wong Gallery at Jesus College. Photograph by Andrew Ogilvy Photography
Ms Wong also presented the College with a piece from her personal art collection, a lenticular lightbox portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11, titled ‘Equanimity’, by Chris Levine.
Sir Nigel commented, “Rosaline has a global reputation as a serious collector of art. She not only collects grand masters, she has also developed a keen eye and appreciation for contemporary art and emerging artists. We are indebted to her for these incredible gifts of new art to the College, and delighted that Rosaline has given her own name to this exciting new exhibition space.”
A view of the Rosaline Wong Gallery
Thanks to the generosity of two College alumni and their families, we have been able to support our Welsh outreach summer school in perpetuity, and create a new endowed graduate studentship. These gifts also enabled the College to consider more more broadly how we wanted to recognise our commitment to access publicly. In the film, Matt announces the naming of two key spaces in our new Cheng Yu Tung Building – the fourth quad and tower room – which bring the College’s commitment to being inclusive and accessible to the forefront.
The fourth quad will be known as the Welsh Access Fund Quad. This beautiful outdoor area of the new development will become a convening place for everyone in our community, especially in the summer months, when the flowers are out and the new café is open. It will be enjoyed by future generations of our students, who can study or read here, meet their friends and other members of our academic community. The quad is named in honour of alumnus Oliver Thomas (2000, Economics & Management) and his family, whose generous support of the College’s Welsh Access Fund means we can continue to inspire the best and brightest students from Wales to aim for Oxford.
The College’s new Welsh Access Quad, part of the Cheng Yu Tung Building which is due to open later this year.
Matt also announces the naming of the new Buchanan Tower Room, in honour of alumnus Captain Angus Buchanan VC (1913, Classics). Buchanan joined College in 1913 to read Classics but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. He enlisted in 1914 and within two years had been awarded first the Military Cross, and then the Victoria Cross. His VC was awarded for exceptional bravery after he rescued two of his men under gunfire during a battle in Mesopotamia. The following year, he was blinded in conflict.
Captain Angus Buchanan VC
Buchanan returned to College after the war and restarted his degree, changing from Classics to Law. Despite his disability, he lived life to the full – continuing to participate in College sports and immersing himself fully in the running of the Jesus JCR. He successfully completed his studies in 1921, and went on to become a solicitor and highly-regarded member of his local community. We are delighted to name the Buchanan Tower Room in his honour, thanks to a generous gift by alumnus Christopher Richey (1984, MPhil Management Studies) and his family. The £1m gift, announced in April, will enable the creation of a new endowed graduate scholarship to support home graduate students in any subject, and forms part of the College’s strategy to create more equitable opportunities for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. The naming of the Buchanan Tower Room will ensure that one of our most courageous former students is remembered and appreciated by generations of students to come.
A view of the new Buchanan Tower Room from Market Street.
Matt says, “As the College’s Access Fellow, I greatly look forward to bringing current and prospective students to these two new spaces; spaces that speak across the generations to tell inspiring stories of inclusivity and equity of opportunity, and reinforce our mission to support, encourage and enable academically-gifted young people from all backgrounds to feel welcome at Oxford.”
Read more about Captain Angus Buchanan VC’s time at Jesus in a new article here.
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