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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) will jointly present an exhibition, entitled "All Are Guests", in the "City States" programme of the 7th Liverpool Biennial to be held in the UK from September 15 to November 25.
This is the first time for Hong Kong to stage an exhibition as an invited guest city in the Liverpool Biennial. Speaking at a press conference held today (August 21), the Chief Executive of the ADC, Mr Chow Yung-ping, said, "The ADC hopes to build close ties with overseas counterparts to introduce the outstanding works of Hong Kong artists in the international art arena."
The exhibition is curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art under the LCSD. The Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng, noted that the department has been glad to have the curatorial team of the Hong Kong Museum of Art collaborate with local artists to take part in the Liverpool Biennial.
Dr Ng said the LCSD is committed to fostering cultural exchanges with different places and has taken a proactive role in recent years in presenting the works of Hong Kong artists outside the city for exhibition. He pointed out that the Liverpool Biennial, a renowned international contemporary art extravaganza, offers a good opportunity to present Hong Kong art in the international art scene and strengthen co-operation in art between Hong Kong and overseas.
Curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the "All Are Guests" exhibition will feature the works of local artists Leung Mee-ping and Chow Chun-fai and local design team CoLAB x SLOW. It will explore the intricate subject-object contrast between the individual and the city in response to the theme of the Liverpool Biennial this year - "Hospitality".
Through the wide-ranging media selected by the participating artists and design team, the exhibition will re-examine the artists' sense of self in relation to the city, and the power structures inscribed in the city in the light of the intricate yet subtle host-guest dynamics of the contemporary world. The selected works provide an open space wherein viewers can see the relationship between the individual and the city in a new light by forming their own interpretation of the works on display. Bursting with imagination, the poetry of local poet Professor Leung Ping-kwan (Ye Si) will also be presented in the exhibition, enabling visitors to gain insight into the exhibition from different perspectives.
Besides the exhibition, a range of fringe activities will be held in Liverpool during the exhibition period. CoLAB x SLOW will collaborate with the UK's Chinese Arts Centre and partner with community organisations in Liverpool to organise workshops for women from different communities to introduce the concept of running a sustainable, eco-friendly, happy and self-fulfilling business by making handmade soap.
The ADC and the Hong Kong Museum of Art have also partnered with Fleurs des Lettres, a local literary magazine, to organise creative writing workshops with an aim of addressing the exhibition's artwork through literary works. Students from seven local tertiary institutions will participate in a series of writing workshops to be led by local literature figures and scholars, including Professor Leung, Liao Wei-tang, Cally Yu and Wen Yau, and will also visit the Liverpool Biennial by themselves. They will reinterpret the city spaces by observing the rejuvenated city and experience the vibrant cultural atmosphere throughout their trip to the Liverpool Biennial.
To nurture local arts administrators, the ADC has also launched an exhibition internship programme. Two university students majoring in arts management have been selected to participate in the programme and will be sent to Liverpool for seven weeks during the exhibition period to assist in the operation of the exhibition.
Those who wish to learn more about the "All Are Guests" exhibition, the participating artists, selected images of the works to be exhibited and information on the Liverpool Biennial and "City States" can visit the project website at www.liverpoolbiennial.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:00
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