Speakers: Susie Au (Film and MV Director), Halftalk (MV Director)
Moderator: Zoie Yung (Curator, Art Central 2026)
Conducted in Cantonese
In recent years, global art institutions have increasingly staged major exhibitions dedicated to the moving image of pop music. In parallel, Canadian artist Jon Rafman has released a fully AI-generated music video for his virtual idol Cloudy Heart, further expanding the medium’s conceptual horizons. With the closure of MTV in the United States last year, a casualty of shifting entertainment and consumption patterns, the music video has gradually moved beyond its role as a promotional tool for mainstream music, emerging instead as a singular, autonomous art form.
Historically, music videos have served as a sanctuary for radical experimentation. Long before Sora AI began applying algorithmic processes to carry out its surreal form of image grafting, the music video—defined by its narrative elasticity and escapist impulse—served as a vital engine for avant-garde visual culture.
This talk brings together Susie Au, the visionary director behind some of Hong Kong’s most iconic pop visual languages, in conversation with Halftalk. Together, they will navigate the pluralistic landscape of music video production and reflect on their creative trajectories amid an ever-evolving technological horizon.
Image: Susie Au (left); Halftalk (right). Courtesy of the artists.
