Gok Dou LIVE by Asia Society Hong Kong Center
A pivotal force in the development of art and community in Hong Kong since 2011, Asia Society Hong Kong Center has been responsible for bringing an engaging programme of talks featuring artists, curators, collectors, writers, publishers, critics and more to Art Central’s audience since its inaugural edition in 2015.
Meaning “perspectives”, Gok Dou LIVE endeavours to provide a significant platform for the exchange of ideas on contemporary issues relevant to Art Central’s audience at the Fair and by broadcast around the world.
Natee Utarit at Art Central 2019
About Asia Society Hong Kong Center
As an affiliate of the Asia Society global network of 14 centers, Asia Society Hong Kong Center was established in 1990 by a group of Hong Kong community leaders, led by the late Sir Q.W. Lee, honorary chairman of Hang Seng Bank. In February 2012, the Hong Kong Center established its new home in Admiralty at the former Explosives Magazine of the old Victoria Barracks.
Steeped in history, cultural significance and natural beauty, the 1.3 hectares site, which houses a group of four former British military buildings, was originally built by the British Army in the mid-19th century for explosives and ammunition production and storage.
Through careful conservation, restoration and adaptive re-use, this heritage site was successfully transformed into a cultural, artistic and intellectual hub in Hong Kong in 2012 and offers a broad variety of programs in the form of lectures, performances, film screenings and exhibitions to the community.
Asia Society Hong Kong Center was established entirely with local funding and is supported through membership dues, fundraising events, and contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations that work together to support and advance its mission.
2023 TALKS
Collecting Against the Grain
Tuesday 21 March 2023, 4pm
The art world feeds off social topics, shock value, and trends. We invite art collectors to discuss their journeys in art collecting, and whether their approach to art collecting has shifted.
Speakers: Collectors Sharon Cheng, Vernon Ho, Bonnie Lau
Moderator: Luyang Jiang, President & CSO, The Baer Faxt
Blue Throat: Start the Churning
Tuesday 21 March 2023, 6pm
Curators Chris Wan and Jeremy Ip discuss the Fair’s special exhibition. With artist participation.
Speakers: Chris Wan, Art Central 2023 Curatorial Advisor; Jeremy Ip, Curator and Founder, Wure Area, Hong Kong
Drifting in (Art) Spectacle
Wednesday 22 March 2023, 4pm
Four multi-media artists gather to discuss their artistic participation in this year’s Yi Tai Sculpture and Installation Projects sector, the fair’s platform for immersive installations, in conversation with the curator.
Speakers: Artists BAHK, Bev Butkow, Huo Yun, Clara Wong
Moderator: Chris Wan, Art Central 2023 Curatorial Advisor
In Conversation: The Art of Sound
Wednesday 22 March 2023, 6pm
In this panel discussion, the conversation correlates with the making of The Metaverse Symphony – the world’s first symphonic work to be performed in both a concert hall and the metaverse – in May 2023. Co-commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Asia Society Hong Kong Center, the metaverse performance will take place in a re-creation of Hong Kong’s iconic Statue Square.
Speakers: Henry Chu (digital artist), Elliot Leung (composer)
Moderator: Emmanuel Hui (music producer)
Making Your Name: The Trajectory of Contemporary Artists
Thursday 23 March 2023, 2pm
In this talk moderated by one of Hong Kong’s leading academic voices, three contemporary artists share their creative journeys and artistic practices, and what it takes to establish oneself in the art community and beyond.
Speakers: Artists Lindy Lee, Ticko Liu , Glary Wu
Moderator: Ms. Janet Fong, Research Assistant Professor, AVA, SCA, HKBU
Looking Forward: Hong Kong as an International Art Hub
Thursday 23 March 2023, 4pm
Hong Kong is quickly rebounding as a leading international hub for contemporary art. In this discussion, speakers from distinct creative fields share insights on how the Hong Kong art world is emerging from the pandemic – and what projects and patterns we can look forward to.
Speakers: Teresa Kwong, Programme Director, Hong Kong Arts Centre; Sunnie Lau, Director, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node; Sally Yeung, Curator, Po Leung Kuk Museum
Moderator: Jennifer Pratt, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Artsy
The Healing Power of Art
Friday 24 March 2023, 2pm
How can art help you heal? In this panel discussion, four voices will share their professional insights and raise questions about the therapeutic nature of art that may provide an added dimension to artmaking and art appreciation.
Speakers: Grace Cheng, Director, Art in Hospital; William Chow, Associate Fellow, Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association; Laurence Wood, Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts, The Education University of Hong Kong
Moderator: Joyce Ng, Head of Gallery and Exhibitions, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
The Challenge of Curation
Friday 24 March 2023, 4pm
The term ‘curation’ has been propagated into many forms. In this panel discussion, speakers will explain the ongoing challenges that they embark on through their local and international curatorial practices.
Speakers: Wong Sze Wai, artist; Timothy Wong, Head of Arts and Creative Industries, British Council; Zoie Yung, independent curator
Moderator: Prof. Yu-Chieh Li, Programme Director of MA in Curating and Art History, Lingnan University of Hong Kong
Teaching the Next Generation
Saturday 25 March 2023, 2pm
Education has radically evolved in recent years. Invigorating our next generation about arts and culture, in particular, has been impacted due to the absence of in-person experiences. In this education-focused discussion, we ask our speakers to share their future plans about what to teach, and how to teach well.
Speakers: Bernardo Coronardo Guerra, Program Manager, Shuyan Studio, The ISF Academy; Alejandro Reyes, Director of Knowledge Dissemination, Asia Global Institute, HKU; Michael Whittle, Assistant Research Professor, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University.
Moderator: Amanda Lee, Assistant Curator, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
2023 VIDEO PROGRAMME: CITRUS WORLDS
Citrus Worlds invites us to a refreshment of ten Hong Kong artists’ digital narrations. Encompassing interpretations of absurdity, odes, fairytales, and observations, the artists’ creative visions are emulated into forms of multi-media works. From the artists Herman Chan, Jeff Cheng, Choi Sai Ho, Colbie Fung, Lau Wai, Florence Lee, Masahiro Nakamura, So Siu, and Tsui Hou Lam and Winsome Wong. These selected works offer a tart reminder on revisiting memories and embracing fantasy, welcoming everyone to dive into the world of digital fun and immersion!
Citrus Worlds I
Winsome Wong, The Forest Where the Deer Sleeps, 2021, 20’02”
Winsome Wong, Vi de O, 2016 – 17, 06’31”
Pictured: Winsome Wong, The Forest Where the Deer Sleeps (video still), 2021, 20’02”. Courtesy of the artist.
Cirtus Worlds II
Colbie Fung, Careless Sun, 2021, 03’53”
Florence Lee, Elephant in Castle, 2021, 04’50”
So Siu, The Leftover Pieces, 2022, 01’31”
Tsui Hou Lam, Crystal Foam, 2022, 02’22”
Tsui Hou Lam, our love is not destined, 2022, 03’21”
Masahiro Nakamura, Agnes Chan – Hong Kong, Hong Kong (1982 vs. 2020), 2022, 03’20”
Pictured: Tsui Hou Lam, our love is not destined (video still), 2022, 03’21”. Courtesy of the artist.
Citrus Worlds III
Lau Wai, T318k V399k, 2021, 01’00”
Choi Sai Ho, Critical Era, 2021, 02’00”
Choi Sai Ho, Rush, 2022, 02’44”
Pictured: Choi Sai Ho, Rush (video still), 2022, 02’44”. Courtesy of the artist.
Citrus Worlds IV
Lau Wai, Feed 3.0, 2021, 04’45”
Lau Wai, I am invincible…on the screen/ False, 2019 – 20, 03’31”
Herman Chan, The Only Thing I Can Do Is Talking In My Sleep, 2022, 06’27”
Pictured: Lau Wai, I am invincible…on the screen/ False (video still), 2019 – 20, 03’31”. Courtesy of the artist.
2022 TALKS
Collector and Artist Relationships
Speakers: MAK2 and Jacobo Garcia Gil
Wednesday 25 May 2022, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
A one-on-one conversation on collector and artist relationships in a digital era with Jacobo Garcia Gil and artist Mak2. As social media influence takes hold of the art market, the gap between artist and collector is shrinking, and with it the potential for global connection grows. Artist Mak2 tackles subcultures of the internet, socio-political discourse and philosophy through humor, installation, painting and video work; while collector and founder of Divide By Zero, Jacobo focuses on socio-cultural works with a curatorial drive aimed at supporting artists grow in their careers. Take a glimpse into the minds of two industry-leaders, revealing their place and path in the art world.
Not for Profits in Arts
Thursday 26 May 2022, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Speakers: S. Alice Mong, Antony J. Chan, Tiffany Pinkstone and Özge Ersoy
A look into the cultural institutions, galleries and non-profit organizations that are shaping the arts and culture landscape in Hong Kong. As the pandemic continues to affect artists, patrons and fans globally, we question the direction of the industry, changing philosophies from curators to education alike, and the digitization of platforms.
Yi Tai Sculpture & Installation Projects 2022
Thursday 26 May 2022, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Speakers: Batten and Kamp, Louis To Wun, Sueyon Yang, Afa Annfa, Bing Lee and Márton Nemes. Moderated by Qu Chang.
Hong Kong Cultural Heritage and Artistic Creation
Thursday 26 May 2022, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Speakers: Hao Lap Yan Benjamin, Ho Rui An, Lau Chi Chung. Moderated by Wang Weiwei.
The exploration of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage has been one of CHAT’s fundamental artistic practices. From rediscovering and interpreting the history to bringing cohesion to community, Hong Kong’s cultural heritage is increasingly inspiring many artists’ creations. In this public talk hosted by CHAT, we invite artists Hao Lap Yan Benjamin, Ho Rui An and Lau Chi Chung to share how they integrate the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Hong Kong into their artistic creations.
Practices of Cultural Identity
Friday 27 May 2022, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Speakers: Mark Chung, Angela Yuen and Elaine Chiu. Moderated by Amanda Lee.
From installation to exhibition, how do gallery artists tap into Hong Kong’s cultural identity? Back dropped by a hyper-dense population, urban and natural sprawl Mark Chung, Angela Yuen and Elaine Chiu create installation, painting and digital works that peel back an ever-changing landscape. They take us through their individual practices and mediums affected by the metropolis that is Hong Kong. Moderated by Amanda Lee.
Curator and Artist Relationships
Friday 27 May 2022, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Speakers: Erin Li and Dony Cheng Hung
Listen in as curator Erin Li and artist Dony Cheng Hung share their experiences, opinions and knowledge on the relationship between curator and artist. In an intimate one-on-one chat covering their personal practices from paintings, site-specific installations to exhibitions. What’s it like to create a scene together? They share ideas and ancedotes on materiality and emotion, and the blurry lines between showing and creating art.
Sexuality, Queer Culture and Art Making
Friday 27 May 2022, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Speakers: Liao Jiaming, Wong Ka Ying and Monique Yim. Moderated by Sonia Wong.
Follow the creative practices of Liao Jiaming, Wong Ka Ying and Monique Yim, and moderated by Sonia Wong through this artist talk taking on queer culture, sexuality and expression. In their mediums of photography, installation, video, and visual art. Beyond the white-cube space are creative practices that aim to deconstruct expectations to observe and tackle cultural, social and gender issues.
Digital Waves
Saturday 28 May 2022, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Speakers: Chris Cheung, Joel Kwong, Henry Middleton and Denise Tsui
Hanging jpegs on the blockchain has become the norm and creating through digital tech the common wave, not just new. Pass the NFT revolution, how has technology changed the way we perceive art? Digital art has given power to new levels of expression outside the physical into physics defying worlds. This focused conversation between an artist Chris Cheung, curator Joel Kwong, former MTV Asia executive Henry Middleton, and journalist Denise Tsui is a 360 look into how creative platforms, expressions and technology have changed from Baby Boomers to Zoomers.
How will art and technology craft our future?
UOB X Art Central Panel Discussion
Saturday 28 May 2022, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Speakers: Professor Johnny Poon, Choi Sai-Ho, Helen So. Moderated by Zabrina Lo.
Technology is powering creative collaboration in unprecedented forms. VR, AR, NFTs, Web3, the Metaverse and other innovations are at the avant garde of art and design – presenting new modalities on how we think, perceive, create, design and experience. Against ever accelerating advancements in technology, how can Hong Kong foster a digitally enabled and thriving arts and cultural industry? Do we need a digital culture strategy to harness the benefits of technology for the arts? How do we encourage creative practitioners to embrace digital technologies? What will be the key to bridging creative talents and digital experts to enhance cross-sector collaboration?
An insightful discussion with some of the leading figures driving progressive arts tech in Hong Kong. Learn ways to amplify digital practice, build digital literacy and discover the many significant opportunities that digital presents for our shared future, both for the cultural sector and for audience experiences.
Contemporary Underground
Saturday 28 May 2022, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Speakers: Joseph Chen, Miko Badiola Borje, Karen Yu and Go Hung
Hidden behind Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and financial stereotypes it glows as an underground hub for subcultures in the street, music and performance. When you dig a little deep independent artists Joseph Chen, Miko Badiola Borje, Karen Yu and Go Hung are taking on an underground art scene that walks the line between fine-art and experimental. Follow along, in an exploratory discussion that tries to make sense of an emerging scene of multi-disciplinary and emerging artists under a global context.
Before Print
Sunday 29 May 2022, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Speakers: Stephanie Teng, Kenny X. Li, Fung Ho Yin and Lau Ching Ping
As therapy, experiment and expression, photography takes form behind the eyes of Stephanie Teng, Kenny X. Li, Fung Ho Yin and Lau Ching Ping. This focused conversation will track their individual practices in contemporary photography taking shape through film, digital, printed paper and open image making. Find out how the boundaries have expanded for the medium.
Independent Art Spaces Roundtable
Sunday 29 May 2022, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Speakers: Cathleen Ching Yee Lau, Yim Sui Fong, Juliana Chan, Daniel Stempfer and Kim Lam
What’s behind the scenes? Founders, curators and artists of Hong Kong’s independent art spaces come together for a panel discussion on the latest. Cathleen Ching Yee Lau, Yim Sui Fong, Juliana Chan, Daniel Stempfer, and Kim Lam on the glamourous and not so outside the confines of commercial galleries and art fairs — it’s in the neighbourhoods of Sham Shui Po, Tai Kok Tsui, To Kwa Wan and North Point that these galleries, residencies, studios and creative hubs form the launching point for many local artists. Uncover how.
2022 PERFORMANCES
Trajectory of Jumps by Joseph Lee
Friday 27 May 2022, 2:00 pm
Saturday 28 May 2022, 2:00 pm
Sunday 29 May 2022, 2:00 pm
Joseph’s performance, by incorporating elements of texts and speech, is inspired by the idea of staying resilient and recovering. His piece focuses on the transition from expressive motions into contemplative perspectives. Here, he interprets that by morphing his body into forms of ‘moving sculptures’, where viewers can enjoy his constant, intense, and fluid transformations throughout.
Love Elasticity of Demand by Kiwi Chan
Wednesday 25 May 2022, 6:00 pm
Thursday 26 May 2022, 5:00 pm
Kiwi’s performance is based on the nature of a mother-daughter relationship, echoing on the idea of recovering and being resilient. Including textual and sound elements, the performance is an intimate piece as it will narrate on her experience of witnessing her mother’s hurdles when undergoing her cancer treatments and how Kiwi herself responded by gradually detaching herself from the family.
2022 HI RES WORLDS
In this virtual collaboration, nine Hong Kong and Asian diasporic artists share with us their fictional worlds— that follow contemporary art, technology, personal narratives, and diving into forms of multi-media work. Expect shots from the psyche, fictional characters, experimental sounds bites, and takes on performative dance. From the artists Choi Sai Ho, Jessie Tam, It’s Us: Ophelia, Lo Lai Lai, Kenneth Ka Chun Hui, Bo Choy, Ka Kiu Chan, Hu Rui and Joshua Serafin.
This showcase will reconstruct their expansive creative bodies and careers, and examine how digital worlds can affect our perception of art. Uncover more in the world of visual, performative, digital, and computerised scenes.
HIGH RES Worlds I
Chan Ka Kiu, Please don’t take my sunshine away, 2020, 2’53”
Lo Lai Lai, Cold Fire, 2019-2020, 10’18”
Ka Chun Hui, Hollow Landscape, 2021, 04’47”
Bo Choy, Yearning of the Exiled Souls, 2022, 05’48”
Choi Sai Ho, Mart, 2021, 2’48”; Power, 2021, 2’00”
Wednesday 25 May 2022, 4:00 pm
Friday 27 May 2022, 11:00 am
Saturday 28 May 2022, 11:00 am
Sunday 29 May 2022, 11:00 am
HIGH Res Worlds II
Hu Rui, A Comprehensive Theory, 2020–2021,07’36”
Jessie Tam, I’m Going to be a Painter, 2021, 5’01”
It’s Us: Ophelia, Inhale, Rinse and Repeat from So Count Mine, 2020,07’24”
Joshua Serafin, Cosmological Gangbang, 2020-2021, 11’43”
Wednesday 25 May 2022, 7:00 pm
Friday 27 May 2022, 1:00 pm
Saturday 28 May 2022, 1:00 pm
Sunday 29 May 2022, 1:00 pm
HIGH RES Worlds III
Choi Sai Ho, Mart, 2021, 2’48”; Power, 2021, 2’00”
Hu Rui, A Comprehensive Theory, 2020–2021,07’36”
Bo Choy, Yearning of the Exiled Souls, 2022, 05’48”
Joshua Serafin, Cosmological Gangbang, 2020-2021, 11’43”
Thursday 26 May 2022, 2:00 pm
Friday 27 May 2022, 4:00 pm
Saturday 28 May 2022, 4:00 pm
Sunday 29 May 2022, 3:00 pm
HIGH Res Worlds IV
Lo Lai Lai, Cold Fire, 2019-2020, 10’18”
Ka Chun Hui, Hollow Landscape, 2021, 04’47”
Jessie Tam, I’m Going to be a Painter, 2021, 5’01”
Chan Ka Kiu, Please don’t take my sunshine away, 2020, 2’53”
It’s Us: Ophelia, Inhale, Rinse and Repeat from So Count Mine, 2020, 07’24”
Thursday 26 May 2022, 7:35 pm
Friday 27 May 2022, 6:00 pm
Saturday 28 May 2022, 6:00 pm
Sunday 29 May 2022, 5:00 pm
2021 TALKS
Collectors’ Circle
Speakers: Jacobo Garcia Gil and Mak2
Wednesday 19 May, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
[English]
A focused conversation with established and new collectors challenging our expectations on collecting to exhibiting. We meet with Jacobo Garcia Gil who hosts his collection in virtual reality, Yuri van der Leest a second generation collector to Queenie Rosita Law now running her own gallery space in Budapest and David Peereboom an artist and private collector. Listen in on their debate, as they share the differences, impacts and reasoning’s behind each realized decision and their pathways to success in the competitive world of collecting.
Innovating Expression
Speakers: Curators Hilda Chan, Vennes Cheng, Yip Kai Chun and Orlean Lai
Friday 21 May, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
[English]
A discussion between Hong Kong based curators Hilda Chan, Vennes Cheng, Yip Kai Chun and Orlean Lai on how to navigate the changing landscapes of curatorial expression. Fostering our own conversations, they identify the new roles of curators in the 21st Century going beyond physical walls to a virtual world and seeking innovative ways to collaborate and empower audiences. It’s time to spark meaningful connections, revelations and unearth ourselves.
Encountering Strangers
Speakers: Artists Lee Wing Ki Kalen, Yim Sui Fong and Lai Lon Hin
Thursday 20 May, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
[Cantonese]
An exploratory discussion on detachment and intimacy in our relationships with strangers by contemporary artists Lee Wing Ki Kalen, Yim Sui Fong and Lai Lon Hin. As their individual practices differ from archival photography, remapping objects and space, conceptual works to shifting realities virtual, imagined and real— find out how they make use of the creative process to destabilize expectations and provoke thoughts on the issues and the philosophies of relationships.
Spatial Traces
Speakers: Artists Ocean Leung, Lam Siu Wing and Law Yuk-Mui
Sunday 23 May, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
[Cantonese]
We uncover our erased spatial traces in this live talk between the fine-artists Ocean Leung, Lam Siu Wing and Law Yuk-Mui. Together they touch on our relations to history, urban planning, and cityscapes— in their works which observe and intervene in the world of street drifting in Hong Kong — with hidden objects that echo stories of human nature.
Independent Art Spaces
Speakers: Aaina Bharagava, Kay Beadman, Yang Jiang, Joseph Leung and Eunice Tsang
Saturday 22 May, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
[English]
Art-journalist and reporter Aaina Bhargava takes us through Hong Kong’s changing independent art spaces in a panel discussion with industry-makers, Kay Beadman, Yang Jiang, Joseph Leung, and Eunice Tsang. China’s art hub isn’t just for the glamorous and famous, local artists and creatives are taking things into their own hands and setting up a market for experimentation outside the confines of commercial galleries and art fairs — find out more on the neighbourhoods, spaces and creators making their mark on the industry and how.
In a multi-part interview series, we provoke critical dialogue between five contemporary, visual and fine-artists on their thoughts, experiences and practices. Watch recordings of their personal stories in artistry and originality while addressing the impact of social, political and economic influences in a global context.
Wang Gongyi Interviewed by Jiao Tianlong
Interview by Jiao Tianlong, Chief Curator of Palace Museum HK
Sunday 23 May, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
[Mandarin with English Subtitles]
Xiaoze Xie Interviewed by Michael Yong-Haron
Interview by Michael Yong-Haron, Private Collector, Hong Kong
Saturday 22 May, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
[English]
Erez Nevi Pana
Rapid fire questions from our online audience.
Friday 21 May, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
[English]
Tayeba Begum Lipi Interviewed by Saniza Othman
Interview by Saniza Othman, Curator and Private Collector, Hong Kong
Wednesday 19 May, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
[English]
Vibha Galhotra
Interview by Georgina Maddox
Saturday 22 May, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
[English]
In this virtual collaboration, five ground-breaking multi-media artists, Cao Shu, Winnie Yan, Cheng Hung Dony, Choi Sai Ho, and Joseph Chen share with us their digital worlds through works that document their changing perspectives on life, the internet, and fictional journeys of discovery. This showcase will reconstruct their expansive creative bodies and careers and examines how digital worlds can affect our perception of art.
Joseph Chen
Sleeptripping Dualogy, 2018-2019
Sleeptripping Dualogy is a series of two docu-fictional travelogues, “Chungking Detour” and “Siam Rehab”. These two pieces are born from artist Joseph Chen’s tours and dreams during a trip to Thailand and to Chongqing, a Chinese municipality that is the largest urban area in the world. In the travelogues, the artist finds himself occupying different realities, through the spiritual and mental state of a tourist and a dreamer.
Winnie Yan
Localized Blindness, 2019
Constructed in the form of an eye test/observational diagnosis, Localized Blindness is a semi-autobiographical video that documents several internal monologues: What is left after the passing of an individual? It’s between me – an individual who witnessed consecutive passings; another me – an observational being who observed the changes of my accompany and the surrounding; and the other voices, all that echo the distance between the subject and the outsider.
Cao Shu
Tristes North Temperate Zone, 2018
This series starts with a tile, the first picture I have ever remembered. Later, after many years of training in remembering dreams, I gradually remembered that the shape of the fast ceramic tile was the floor tile of the toilet when I was more than one year old before my family moved for the first time. Later, I found the mapping of the floor tile in the mapping Library of 3D software. It is also a product of a certain era on the industrial assembly line. Coincidentally, Alastair’s novel zima blue is also about a ceramic tile produced on an industrial assembly line. I started with the tile in my home. Through dream records and family descriptions, I slowly assembled all the things about that home with 3D software. That space is also the place where the fragments of dreams in different periods occur repeatedly, a high-dimensional room that folds the lives of different ages into.
Cao Shu
The One Who Lived Yesterday, 2019
A voice runs through the film, the anonymous, dreamlike speaker is telling a story about yesterday. The voice of the speaker seems to come from a different place, from a different “incarnation”, while the speaker himself is hiding. Each of its incarnations is the shaper of “This yesterday,” and yesterday is just made up the future. “People who live Yesterday” is a digitally simulated image, continuing the author’s exploration of digital existence, multi-angle of view, and spatial narration.
Choi Sai Ho
Black Moon, 2019
2019 is the 50th anniversary of human beings landing on the moon, these visuals re-imagine the moon in another perspective with the help of computer animation, and express the moon in a dynamic way. The visuals of Black Moon include computer graphic footage creating the moon with different effects, such as red building towers simulating urban areas on the moon surface and computer-made moon surface close-ups. The editing techniques used enlarging, diminishing and rotating the visuals, matching the shapes of different objects, and at the same time, the visuals synchronizing the rhythm of music for certain areas.
Visuals by CHOI Sai-Ho and LAM Chi-Fai Jason
Music composed by CHOI Sai-Ho and Jing WONG
Lyrics and vocals by Jing WONG
Music arranged and produced by CHOI Sai-Ho
Music performed by CHOI Sai-Ho featuring Jing WONG
Choi Sai Ho
Signals, 2020
Choi Sai-Ho’s music piece “Signals” was chosen by the music festival Sónar Calling and “Signals” was encoded into “0” & “1”, and sent to a far-away potentially habitable exoplanet called GJ273b in May 2018. Choi Sai-Ho and Lam Chi-Fai Jason subsequently use the same codes of “0” & “1” to make the visuals with red and blue objects representing “0” & “1” respectively. The video consists of 15 animation clips and each clip shows the “0” & “1” pattern started from a random position. The editing techniques used enlarging, diminishing and rotating the visuals, matching the shapes, and the visuals synchronizing the rhythm of music for certain areas. Continuing to explore the diversity of the artworks resonates with the long history of human aspirations in exploring the universe.
Music by CHOI Sai-Ho
Visuals by CHOI Sai-Ho and LAM Chi-Fai Jason
Cheng Hung Dony
Sunset as a Place, 2020
This perfectly calm place that I am searching, does it exist?
A sequence of virtual tours of galleries, museums to cultural institutions from around the world led by docents, curators and directors. We dive into the adventures and explorations of unfamiliar worlds and bring them into focus. Take a walk-through exhibitions, permanent collections and studios, from tales of the works and sharing the voices of the artists, to techniques and history.
Joan Miró Collection, with Museum Director Marko Daniel
Sunday 23 May, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Join the director of Fundació Joan Miró, Marko Daniel who takes us on a virtual itinerary through the Joan Miró Collection including some of our most treasured works by the artist. The collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and works on paper displayed at the Fundació is one of the most comprehensive selections of Miró’s oeuvre, offering a thorough overview of all the stages of his life and career. Marko discusses the Miró’s personal language, the dialogue between the works and the space that houses them and much more.
Border Crossings North and South Korean Art from the Sigg Collection, at Kunstmuseum Bern, with Kathleen Bühler
Thursday 20 May, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Chief Curator Dr. Kathleen Bühler leads us through this exhibition which allows the public to take a close look at the Korean Peninsula, divided since 1953. A 250-kilometre border of barbed-wire fences and tank barriers divides Korea into two states that could not be more different. The art made concurrently in both states is also divergent. In the North a socialist-realist tradition of painting is cultivated, while in the South a vital contemporary art scene makes use of a diverse range of pictorial and media languages in order to serve their concerns. These contrasting views of the world enter into a dialogue in the exhibition, and invite the visitor to approach both the history and the present of Korea.
Asia Society Triennial, New York, with curator Michelle Yun
Wednesday 19 May, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Join us for this virtual tour of Part 2 of the Asia Society Triennial, which was on view at Asia Society Museum and select locations around New York City during Art Central 2021. The inaugural edition of the Asia Society Triennial, titled “We Do Not Dream Alone,” features more than forty artists working across disciplines from more than twenty countries and is composed of an exhibition, as well as online artist talks, forums, and performances
2019 ASIA ARTS GAME CHANGER AWARDS HONOUREES
Imran Qureshi
Imran Qureshi is renowned for his site-specific paintings, installations, and videos created in the style of Indo-Persian miniature painting as a means to explore contemporary socio-political themes. His elegant miniatures often juxtapose figures in modern dress against ornate landscapes that reflect contemporary life in Pakistan while his large-scale works feature red leaves and floral patterns that are meant to provoke thoughtful reflection on the sometimes tenuous and often bloody relationship between religious ideologies and warfare. Qureshi has exhibited internationally, including at The Curve, Barbican Centre, London (2016); the 55th Venice Biennale (2013); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2013); the 10th Sharjah Biennial (2011); and Asia Society Museum, New York (2009).
Moderated by Michelle Yun [Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Asia Society Museum, New York]
Natee Utarit
Natee Utarit is a Thai artist best known for his photorealist paintings that subtly critique the socio-political dynamics of post-colonial Thailand. His neoclassical compositions often feature biblical and Buddhist symbols and anthropomorphize animals in the manner of Aesop’s Fables and George Orwell’s Animal Farm as a means to illuminate uncomfortable truths about contemporary society. Utarit’s work has been the subject of international solo and group exhibitions including at the Ayala Museum, Manila (2017); Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2015); Museum of Contemporary Art (now Kiasma), Helsinki (2001); and the Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (1999).
Moderated by Boon Hui Tan [Vice President of Global Arts & Cultural Programs, and Director of Asia Society Museum, New York]
Christine Ay Tjoe
Christine Ay Tjoe is an Indonesian artist whose multimedia practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation. Her psychologically-charged abstractions address philosophical themes relating to spirituality and the human condition filtered through the artist’s personal experiences. Ay Tjoe recently had a major midcareer retrospective at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary, Kanazawa (2018) and has been featured in many international exhibitions, including at the Royal Academy of Arts, London (2017); National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung (2012); National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta (2009); and Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2005).
Moderated by Noorani Sukardi [Former Deputy Director, Yuz Foundation and Yuz Museum, Shanghai]
Fang Lijun
Fang Lijun is one of the leading figures of the Cynical Realism movement that emerged in China in the 1990s. This group sought to capture the disillusionment of China’s youth following the optimism of the 1980s. Fang’s bald figures, captured in mid-yawn, portray the alienating feelings of apathy and helplessness that permeated contemporary society during this period. Fang has exhibited internationally, including at the Kunst Museum Bern (2016); Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (2011); Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2009); the 48th Venice Biennale (1999); Asia Society Museum, New York (1998); and the 22nd São Paulo Art Biennial (1994).
2019 TALKS PROGRAMME
4A in conversation with Project artist Heri Dono
Thursday 28 March 2019, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Speakers: Heri Dono [Exhibiting artist] & 4A performance artist
Moderator: Mikala Tai [Director, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art]
Arts Hidden Forests: Connecting Art and Environmental Awareness
Thursday 28 March 2019, 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Speakers: James Prosek [Artist, Writer & Naturalist], Tam Wai Ping, Lucas [Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong] & Billy Hau [Principal Lecturer, HKU]
Moderator: Joyce Wong [Curator, Asia Society Hong Kong]
The speakers will discuss compelling topics that aim to interrogate relationships between contemporary art and the natural world, its historical implications and impact. James incorporates elements of wildlife in his artwork to ruminate the relationship between human desire and the fluidity of nature. Together they will initiate a dialogue to explore the changes that humans have made to disrupt the world’s ecosystems and share their thoughts on living in the Anthropocene through the lens of art, immersing the audience in a world that predates interconnectivity.
Light & Space
Friday 29 March, 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Speaker: Zheng Chongbin [artist]
Moderator: Michael Govan [Director of Los Angeles County Museum of Art]
Inspired by the current exhibition at Asia Society Hong Kong Center “A Story of Light: Hon Chi Fun”, the discussion identifies how light and space negotiates and interplays with the transparency and porosity of other materials.
Connecting City Landscape and Arts in Hong Kong
Sunday 31 March, 2 pm – 3 pm
Speakers: Christopher DeWolf [Author of “Borrowed Spaces: Life Between the Cracks of Modern Hong Kong], Ekkehard Altenburger [Sculptor & Assistant Professor, HKBU], Ying Kowk [Curator of PROJECTS, Art Central]
Moderator: Ingrid Chu, [Curator, Writer and Cultural Entrepreneur]
The Synergy in Collective Art
Sunday 31 March, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Speakers: C&G Artpartment, Dirty Paper, Otto Ng [LAAB] and PHUNK
Moderator: Vivian Ting [Assistant Professor, CUHK]
2018 ASIA ARTS GAME CHANGER AWARDS HONOUREES
Subodh Gupta
Subodh Gupta draws from a diverse range of media including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, photography, and video in his practice. Gupta is best known for his use of the mass-produced stainless steel and brass cooking vessels ubiquitous throughout India, which he transforms into monumental sculptural installations that explore migration, globalization, and the social repercussions of economic development. Gupta has held solo exhibitions at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C. (2017); and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2015). He has participated in Performa 13, New York (2013); Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, (2012); and the 51st Venice Biennale (2005). In 2018, Monnaie de Paris will present a retrospective exhibition of the artist.
Park Seo-Bo
Park Seo-Bo is a seminal figure in Korean contemporary art and a founding member of the Dansaekhwa movement in the 1960s, which defined postwar Korean abstract painting. Park is best known for his ongoing Ecriture series which he began in 1967. His minimalist paintings have evolved with time to feature meticulously inscribed surfaces that he builds up with acrylic and Korean hanji paper, emphasizing the materiality of the painting while evoking a Taoist sense of pure emptiness. He work has been presented in solo exhibitions at the Daegu Art Museum (2012) and Tate Liverpool (1992), and group exhibitions at the Carlo Bilotti Museum, Rome (2013); and the 43rd Venice Biennale (1988).
Shirazeh Houshiary
Shirazeh Houshiary, a member of the New British Sculpture movement in the 1980s, employs painting, sculpture, and video installations, often incorporating elements of Islamic texts and imagery, including Sufi poetry, as a means to ruminate on the intangible nature of spirituality and our common humanity. Her work was included in the groundbreaking exhibition “Magiciens de la Terre” at the Centre Pompidou, Paris (1989). She has had solo exhibitions at Tate Liverpool (2003) and the British Museum (1997). Her work has been featured in the 57th Venice Biennale (2017); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2006); Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (2004); and São Paulo Biennial (1996). Houshiary was shortlisted for the Tate Modern’s prestigious Turner Prize in 1994.
Ju Ming
Ju Ming has been lauded as one of the most celebrated sculptors from Taiwan for his minimal yet fluid aesthetic. His signature reductive style is best illustrated in his acclaimed Taichi Series and Living World Series, created in a diverse range of mediums including wood, iron, bronze, and stainless steel. Ju has been the recipient of solo exhibitions at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (2014); the National Art Museum of China (2010); the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung (2006); and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire (1991). A permanent museum dedicated to the artist was founded in 1999 in Chinshan, Taiwan.
2018 TALKS PROGRAMME
Art and Conflict
Wednesday 28 March, 3pm-4pm
Speakers: Adeela Suleman [Artist], Dinh Q. Lê [Artist] & Nathalie Johnston [Curator and Founder of Myanm/art]
Moderator: Maurice Benayoun [Professor, School of Creative Media, CUHK / Artist]
The Complexities of Text in Art
Wednesday 28 March, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Moderator: Cailin Broere [Art Consultant]
Queerness in Art – A conversation with the players
Thursday 29 March, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Speakers: Patrick Sun [Collector and Founder of the Sunpride Foundation], Jes Fan [Artist] & Ming Wong [Artist]
Moderator: Dominique Chan [Head of Gallery and Exhibition, Asia Society Hong Kong Centre]
Shirazeh Houshiary, in conversation with Michelle Yun
Friday 30 March, 11:30 – 12:30 pm
Speakers: Shirazeh Houshiary [Artist]
Moderator: Michelle Yun [Senior Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, Asia Society]
Subodh Gupta, in conversation with Elaine Ng
Friday 30 March, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Moderator: Elaine Ng [Editor and Publisher of ArtAsiaPacific]
In the Public Eye: The Art of Creative Activism
Saturday 31 March, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Speakers: Mikala Tai [Director, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art], Dr. Kacey Wong [Artist] & Sampson Wong [Artist]
Moderator: Cosmin Costinas [Executive Director/Curator,
Para Site]
Myths and Histories in Contemporary Practices
Saturday 31 March, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Speakers: Ying Kwok [Curator], Andrea Wolf [ Artist] & Lavar Munroe [Artist]
Moderator: Laure Raibaut [Head of Visual Arts, Le French May]
2017 ASIA ARTS GAME CHANGER AWARDS HONOUREES
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto’s singular practice spans the mediums of photography, sculpture, installation, andarchitecture. His art deals with history and temporal existence through a variety of subject matter issues surrounding time, empiricism, and metaphysicsthat bridge Eastern and Western ideologies while examining the nature of time, perception, and the origins of consciousness. The artist was born in 1948 in Tokyo, Japan, and lives and works in Tokyo and New York. In 2011, he published Sense of Space, a reflection on international museum spaces from an artist’s perspective. Sugimoto’s work has been presented in numerous international solo and group exhibitions among them The J. Paul Getty Museum (2014); 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010); Yokohama Triennale (2001); 3rd Biennale d’art contemporain de Lyon (1995); and Carnegie International (1991). His work is in the collections of institutions including the Tate Modern, London; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; andThe Museum of Modern Art, New York. The artist received the Order of Arts and Letters (2013) from the French government; the Premium Imperiale Painting Award (2009) from the Japan Arts Association; the Photo España (2006); and the Hasselblad Foundation International Award inPhotography (2001).
Hon Chi Fun
Hon Chi Fun is one of Hong Kong’s most respected visual artists who is best known for his abstract paintings. Hon started to paint abstract paintings in 1960 and organized his first solo show at Chatham Galleries. He co-founded the Circle Art Group in 1965and produced his first edition of serigraphic prints in 1966. He was amongst the first in Hong Kong to be awarded a John D. Rockefeller 3rdFund Fellowship by John D. Rockefeller 3rdFoundation –the predecessor organization of the Asian Cultural Council –in 1968. He was represented by Willard Gallery in New York. He traveled extensively from the late 60’s to the late 80’s and held a solo show at the Fung Ping Shan Museum (now known as the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong) in 1988. The Documentary video ‘Hon’s Orbit’ introducing his work was produced by the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1989. Hon moved to Canada in 1992 and returned to Hong Kong in 2000. In spite of an untimely stroke in 2000, another documentary video, ‘Hon’s Art of Serigraphy,’ was produced by the Heritage Museum. At the same time, the book on Hon’s art, “Space and Passion: The Art of Hon Chi Fun”, was published by Choi Yan Chi. Hon continued to paint and practice calligraphy whilst marching to the age of 90. In 2013, Hon received the Medal of Honor from the Hong Kong SAR Government in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements.
Kimsooja
Kimsooja is an internationally acclaimed multimedia artist whose videos, installations, and performances poignantly address issues relating to culture, politics, history, and identity, especially with regard to the displaced self. The artist’s conceptual, aesthetic, and structural investigations of performance through immobility in her practice inverts the notion of the artist as the predominant auteur. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (2016); Centre Pompidou-Metz (2015); Reina Sophia, Madrid (2006); MoMA PS1, New York (2001); 24th São Paulo Biennial (1998); the 48th, 49th, 51st and 52nd Venice Biennales. In 2013 she represented Korea at the 55th Venice Biennale.
Rashid Rana
Rashid Rana is known for his conceptual sculptures, videos, and photo composite collages that provocatively deconstruct social histories and cultural disjunctions to reflect the duality of our time. He has participated in major exhibitions including My East is Your West, a collateral event at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015); Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi (2013); Cornerhouse, Manchester (2011); Asia Society Museum, New York (2009); and Musée Guimet, Paris (2010) among others. Rana was recently appointed the artistic director of the 2017 Lahore Biennale. He is also the founding faculty member and current Dean of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the Beacon house National University in Lahore.
2016 TALKS PROGRAMME
Art and the City: A Conversation between contemporary artists from Hong Kong
Wednesday 22 March 2:00pm 3:00pm
Moderator:DOMINIQUE CHAN [Head of Gallery & Exhibition at Asia Society Hong Kong Center]
Speakers: ADRIAN WONG [Artist], MAGDALENE WONG[Artist]and ANDIO LAI[Artist]
‘Breathing Space: Contemporary Art from Hong Kong’ is an exhibition at AsiaSociety Hong Kong Center that gazes upon and dissects the pressures of living in the fast paced city of Hong Kong. The exhibition presents local artists whose work engages with urban experience, current affairs, or shared and personal history. Featured artists from the exhibition join together at Art Central to discuss common themes in each of their work.
Cultural Leadership in the 21st Century
Thursday 23 March 2:00pm-3:00pm
Moderator:YIFAWN LEE [Founder of Asian Art Hong Kong and publisher of Orientations magazine]
Speakers:TIM REEVES [Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London], TINA COLAYCO [President, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines], MAUD PAGE [Deputy Director and Director of Collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney]
At their core, museums and cultural institutions require a philosophy and a global pedagogy which they must mutually impart to their audiences both local and international. But what key factors come into play when building a buoyant collection, a strong aesthetic, and a unique standpoint? This exclusive programme will connect and compare distinguished cultural institutions through their strategies, goals and philosophy.
Scatter In Time
Friday 24 March 12:30pm –1:30pm
Moderator: BOON HUI TAN [Vice President for Global Arts and Cultural Programs, and Director, Asia Society Museum, New York]
Speakers: RASHID RANA [Artist, Artist Director of the Lahore Biennale]
Stillness and Light: In Conversation with Hiroshi Sugimoto
Friday 24 March 2:00pm –3:00pm
Moderator: ELAINE NG [Editor and Publisher of ArtAsiaPacific]
Speakers: HIROSHI SUGIMOTO[Artist]
In this up close and personal programme, celebrated Japaneseartist Hiroshi Sugimoto will give a presentation on his life, works, and his very own Odawara Art Foundation, which is dedicated to producing and promoting classical theater arts and avant-garde stage art through public exhibitions and researching art of all genres and periods.
The Dimensions of a Needle: A Conversation with KIMSOOJA
Friday 24 March 3:30pm –4:30pm
Moderator: KIM MACHAN [Founding director of MAAP-Media ArtAsia Pacific]
Speakers: KIMSOOJA [Artist]
Korean artist Kimsooja, who blurs the boundariesbetween aesthetics, transcendence and ephemeral experience through her use of non-action, meditative practices, and serial forms, masterfully toys with the science of light to bring her sculptures and installation to life. Through both these practices and indeed her performance and video works, this discussion will provide context for the scope and character of her lambent works.
A Journey from East to West: A Retrospective Conversation with Hon Chi Fun
Saturday 25 March 1:30pm –2:30pm
Moderator: PROFESSOR FRANK VIGNERON [Head of the Graduate Division of Fine Arts at The Chinese University of Hong Kong]
Speakers: HON CHI FUN[Artist]
With a career spanning half a century, this retrospective discussion will provide the rare opportunity to converse on the deepest details of one of Hong Kong’s most respected visual artists, Hon Chi Fun.The programme will examine the trajectory of Hon’s career from his earliest works during the 50s to his latest works during the turn of the millennium.
Performance Art Central: From Politics to the Poetics
Saturday 25 March 3:00pm –4:00pm
Moderator: MIKALA TAI [Director, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney]
Speakers: ANIDA YOEU ALI [Artist], ENOCH CHENG [Artist], TOBIAS GUMANN, [Artist], AMRITA HEPI[Artist], UJI HANDOKO EKO SAPUTRO AKA HAHAN [Artist]
The Director of 4A Centre for ContemporaryAsianArt and curator ofPERFORMANCE X 4A at Art Central will lead an interactive panel discussion with four of the programme’s participating contemporary artists, each working at the heart of experimental performance. The panel will explore performance art, its role within a commercial art fair and how international trends are shaping and feeding into their art making.
2016 TALKS
CONTEMPORARY ART IN GREATER ASIA
Wednesday 23 March, 12pm-1pm
Speakers: Alex Errera (Founder of artshare.com) moderates a panel including Haffendi Anuar (Artist – Richard Koh Fine Art, Booth B2), Bemebol Dela Cruz (Artist – Finale Art File, Booth A3), Tiffany Chung (Artist), Mehradad Sadri (Artist – Galerie Huit, Booth C5) and Shazia Sikander (Artist)
This panel of renowned and up-and-coming artists from the Greater Asian region will venture into some of the factors surrounding their successes, from influences at home and abroad, to ideas of illusion, war, mass construction, violence and volatile cultural histories.
AN ARTISTS RELATIONSHIP WITH PRINTMAKING
Wednesday 23 March, 3pm-4pm
Speakers: Charlotte Nunn (Specialist and Head of Sale for Prints, Photographs and Works on Paper with Bonhams) moderates a panel with Cathy Lanigan-O’keeffe (Editions Manager – Bronze Orchid Ltd), Jung Lee (Founder of Rén Space, Booth A7) and Yung Sau Mui (Artist, Programme Director of Hong Kong Open Printshop, Museum Expert Adviser (Hong Kong Art) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department) and Yu Youhan (Artist – Rén Space, Booth A7)
This panel discussion will aim to explore the centuries old relationship between an artist, printmaking as an art practice and the processes involved with bringing a limited edition to market. How does an artist, through his use and choice of media, define his identity and what role does the master printmaker, publisher and museum institution play in assisting this process?
NEW PARADIGMS OF ART IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 24 March, 12pm- 1pm
Speakers: Anita Beckers (Founder of Galerie Anita Beckers, Booth D9) moderates a panel with Fei Jun (Artist), Suzanne Mooney (Artist) and Gina Wong (Founder of Experimenta)
Digital media and technology has in recent years become a progressively functional platform to create and develop works that can unite, engage and produce a dialogue between artists and their audience. This panel aims to provide a basic distinction between digital art and new media and address how the medium is defined by curators, artists and collectors.
FROM VISION TO REALITY: MOVING FORWARD IN ART AND PRACTICE
Thursday 24 March, 3pm-4pm
Speakers: YIifawn Lee (Publisher of Orientations Magazine, Founder of Asian Art Hong Kong) moderates a panel with Ting Tong Chang (Artist – Christine Park Gallery, Booth R4), Guo Donglai (Artist – Christine Park Gallery, Booth R4), Yi Ju Hsieh (Artist – NUNU Fine Art, Booth R7) and Huang Yishan (Artist – O2ART, Booth R2)
Long before art work appears in the realms of a gallery, an art fair, or the one day prized position on the wall of a collector, artists must rise through the most humble of beginnings and venture through to the proud moments that follow a tedious endeavour into the art world. This panel discussion will lead us through the efforts and experiences of four RISE (sponsored by J.CREW) gallery artists and their advance to notoriety.
THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT ART ORGANIZATION
Friday 25 March, 12pm- 1pm
Speakers: Mikala Tai (Director of 4A Centre of Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney) moderates a panel with Dominique Chan (Head of Gallery and Exhibition of Asia Society Hong Kong Centre), Cosmin Costinas (Director of Para Site Hong Kong), Christina Li (Director of Spring Workshop, Hong Kong) and You Yang (Director of Observation Society, Guangzhou)
This panel addresses the role of the not-for-profit organisation in contemporary Asian art. These small but nimble organisations play critical roles in the discourse of contemporary art through their programs. This discussion features four leading not-for-profit organisations within the region as they address the roles they play within the ecology of the contemporary Asian art world.
IN CONVERSATION WITH SHEN WEI
Friday 25 March, 3pm-4pm
Speakers: Alexandra Munroe (Curatorial Advisor for Shen Wei: Dance Strokes, Samsung Senior Curator, Asian Art and Senior Advisor, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation) and Shen Wei (Artist)
Visual artist, dancer, and choreographer Shen Wei incorporates colour, design, and imaginative use of space into his large-scale, theatrical paintings suggestive of Chinese landscape traditions. Join a discussion with Wei and Alexandra Munroe, Curatorial Advisor for Shen Wei: Dance Strokes, a site-specific installation of paintings and performances that will be on view at Asia Society Hong Kong Center March – April, 2016.
INSIDE HONG KONG: ART AND IDENTITY
Saturday 26 March, 12pm-1pm
Speakers: Cassius Taylor Smith (Curator of Event Horizon) moderates a panel with Almond Chu (Artist – La Galerie Paris 1839, Booth R10), Elaine Yan Ling Ng (Artist, designer, founder of The Fabrick Lab) and Vivian Poon (Artist – Mur Nomade, Booth D15)
A panel of Hong Kong artist and designers will come together to discuss the frequencies of their work in relation to the wake of Hong Kong’s tumultuous past and undefined future. They will discuss their plans on their continuing practice and how they identify themselves and their work, with Hong Kong.
THE CURATOR AND THE CULTIVATOR: ASIAN ART FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
Saturday 26 March, 3pm- 4pm
Speakers: Alice Mong (Director of Asia Society Hong Kong Centre) moderates a panel with Susan L. Beningson (Assistant Curator of Asian Art – Brooklyn Museum), Aaron Seeto (Curatorial Manager, Asia and Pacific Art – Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art) and Karin G. Oen (Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art – San Francisco Asian Art Museum).
This high calibre panel discussion will follow the path of Asian Art on a global scale and provide an insight into what curators of Asian art need to consider when organizing exhibitions and forming collections for audiences outside of Asia.
2015
Art and the Movies (sponsored by AXS Asia)
Saturday March 14, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Speakers: Joyce Wang (Hong Kong-based designer), Fanny Pereire (fine art consultant for films) and Fiona Kotur Marin (accessories designer). Moderator: Alexandra Seno (arts and culture writer)
Architect Joyce Wang, accessories designer Fiona Kotur Marin and Hollywood film art curator Fanny Pereire discuss movies as creative inspiration and putting fine art in films.
New Media Arts: The Transgression of the Practical and Symbolic Boundaries of Art?
Saturday 14 March, 3pm -4pm
Speakers: Kingsley Ng (Artist), Yang Yeung (Curator, Founder/Director of Soundpocket) and Island 6 (Thomas Charvériat and Jean Le Guyader). Moderator: Isaac Leung (Chairman, Videotage)
This panel aims to explore the current trends of media arts, with the intention of uncovering how new modes of production, distribution, and exhibition have fundamentally changed the landscape of cultures.
From Under the Umbrella: Art, Creativity and HK’s Evolving Identity (sponsored by Creative City)
Sunday 15 March, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Speakers: Douglas Young (Co-founder & Creative Director, GOD), Jenny Suen (Filmmaker, “Hong Kong Trilogy”) and Patricia Choi (Design Educator). Moderator: Louise Wong (Editor and Co-founder of Creative City)
Hong Kong creatives discuss the city’s changing sense of identity through artistic expression.
The New Ink Generation: Young Artists on What the Classical Ink Painting Tradition Means to Them
Sunday 15 March, 3pm -4pm
Speakers: Hung Fai (Hong Kong-based artist), Hong Wai (Macau & Paris based-artist), Peng Wei (Beijing-based artist) and Ni Youyu (Shanghai-based artist). Moderator: Tiffany Beres (Curator)
This forum will invite four emerging young artists whose artistic voice meaningfully references the age-old ‘ink aesthetic’ with the use of new artistic media and techniques. During the forum, these neo-traditionalist artists will discuss their artistic practice, and how they have been able to transform, extend and reconstruct the ink tradition in a postmodern context.
Downloading the King of Kowloon in Brooklyn: The New Global Relevance of Local Art (sponsored by Google Cultural Institute)
Monday 16 Mach, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Speakers: Lauren Nemroff, Ph.D. (Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute), David Smith (Head of Digital, Asia Art Archive). Moderator: Jehan Chu (Art Advisor)
The Internet has facilitated new and powerful tools to capture and disseminate information in the art world. From email to Instagram, the exchange of ideas and broadcast of imagery is creating awareness and resonance that was previously limited by language, culture and geography. With Hong Kong’s cultural icon the King of Kowloon (Tsang Tsou-choi) as a starting point, this panel will discuss how technology is creating new global audiences for local art.
Hong Kong Redefined: The Urban Context in Art
Monday, 16 March, 3pm -4pm
Speakers: Artists Sim Chan, Stanley Siu, Movana Chen, and South Ho. Moderator: Laure Raibaut (Senior Specialist, Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art, Christie’s)
This panel invites four native Hong Kong artists, with divergent yet complimentary practices, to comment on how the urban context has inspired them.