Contribution from Art Central
Art Central, presented with Lead Partner UOB, is delighted to announce the Fair’s immersive installation art projects alongside an extensive programme of public talks, and video art presented in collaboration with Asia Society Hong Kong Center. As a cornerstone event of Hong Kong Art Week, the Fair’s eighth edition will be held from Wednesday, 22 March to Saturday, 25 March 2023 (Preview Tuesday, 21 March) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, showcasing the next generation of talent from Asia’s most ambitious galleries and artists.
Art Central previously announced its gallery line-up and highlights across three gallery sectors – Central Galleries, Curated Booths, and Solo Presentations, featuring 72 influential galleries from Hong Kong, Asia and beyond.
Differentiated as the incubator of the next generation of contemporary art in Asia, Art Central works with a distinguished Hong Kong-based curator in each edition to identify up-and-coming artists and cutting-edge projects from the region.
For its 2023 edition, Art Central has invited independent curator, writer and publisher Chris Wan to curate the popular Yi Tai Sculpture and Installation Projects, the Fair’s sector for ambitious, large-scale installations and spatial interventions.
Large-scale installations at Art Central
This year, Art Central presents four large-scale projects, under the direction of Chris Wan, the Fair’s 2023 Curatorial Advisor. Unified by the non-traditional, transitory and sensory experiences they inspire, the selected projects examine the fluid and elusive nature of art while hinting at a subverted reality that collapses the rigid structures of history, materiality and emotions. Through the intense visual richness and pleasure of “art spectacle”, audiences are invited to question how the social values that have been subliminally pushed to the surface via mass media may displace our understanding of present-day reality.
BAHK Seon-ghi is renowned for his suspended installations that create three-dimensional illusions in space. Specially made for Art Central, the large installation, An aggregation-Space 2023, doubles as a maze that welcomes the audience to walk through it. Its black charcoal parts float precisely in space to form geometric perspectives at unexpected angles, suggesting an examination of human rationality. Presented by 021gallery, Daegu.
Clara Wong uses comedic visual language and dark humour to discuss frustrations with daily life. Merging vibrant painting techniques and ready-made objects to form a domestic theatre, her installation, Prelude in A minor Trauma,constructs a cramped fictional living space with a leaky water pipe and a computer that inevitably gets wet – a metaphor for the oppressive reality of life in Hong Kong which allows for the exploration of personal traumas and their consequences. Presented by Square Street Gallery, Hong Kong.
In When Memories Metamorphose into What You Imagined, Huo Yun challenges the perception and imagination of paper as a traditional material. The artist’s time spent in Italy inspired him to search for a shared, material-based artistic expression in Eastern and Western art. Huo’s sculptural forms evoke a deep sense of history and tradition, as if perceived from a viewer’s long-lost memories. Presented by a|n Gallery, Hong Kong.
In her reflective connections, the Johannesburg-based artist Bev Butkow constructs a dancing installation of locally-sourced materials that reflects on macroeconomic concepts of capital, information and labour. Comprised of four large, fabric-net forms of various suspended shapes, the hand-woven construction suggests a certain rhythm of use, like a set of giant fishing nets just pulled up from the sea. Audiences are drawn to the interplay of Butkow’s abstract soft sculptures, reflective materials and use of light, which invites viewers to explore their myriad details.Presented by Guns & Rain, Johannesburg.
Talks and video art
Art Central 2023 continues its strong relationship with longstanding Education Partner Asia Society Hong Kong Center to present a programme of talks and video art, gathering the art-loving community in Hong Kong and beyond.
The talks will be led by prominent voices in contemporary art today. The lineup features artists, curators, collectors, writers, publishers, critics and more. A highlight is ‘Looking Forward: Hong Kong as an International Art Hub’ on March 23, when speakers from distinct creative fields will share insights on how the Hong Kong art world is emerging from the pandemic – and what projects and patterns we can look forward to.
Citrus Worlds, a collection of video art projects presented by Asia Society Hong Kong Center, invites us to a refreshment of ten Hong Kong artists’ digital narrations. Encompassing interpretations of absurdity, odes, fairy tales and observations, the artists’ creative visions are emulated in multimedia form. The selected works offer tart reminders of revisiting memories and embracing fantasy, welcoming everyone to dive into a world of digital fun and immersion. Featured artists Herman Chan, Jeff Cheng, Choi Sai Ho, Colbie Fung, Lau Wai, Florence Lee, Masahiro Nakamura, So Siu, Tsui Hou Lam and Winsome Wong.
Fair dates and opening hours
Preview (by invitation):
- Tuesday 21 March 2023
General opening:
- Wednesday 22 March 2023, 2pm – 8pm
- Thursday 23 March 2023, 12pm – 8pm
- Friday 24 March 2023, 12pm – 8pm
- Saturday 25 March 2023, 11am – 6pm
Visit Art Central’s website for more information. Tickets are available from HK$125 on HKTicketing.
Image credits: Courtesy Art Central
