Samson Young per Hong Kong

dal sito HKADC

Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) and M+ at the West Kowloon Cultural District announce that the two organisations will co-present Hong Kong’s participation in the 57th Venice Art Biennale (the Biennale), opening on May 13, 2017. This is the third collaboration between HKADC and M+, following the acclaimed 2013 and 2015 editions, on this representation of Hong Kong contemporary art at one of the most important international platforms.

Dr Wilfred Wong, Chairman of HKADC said, “Building on the successful collaborations in the last two Venice Biennales, HKADC and M+ are again ready to contribute our resources and expertise to promoting outstanding Hong Kong visual artist in the 57th Biennale.”

Recommended by M+ and endorsed by HKADC’s Venice Art Biennale Working Group, Mr Samson Young has been selected as the artist for the exhibition, which will be submitted to the Venice Biennale as a Collateral Event in the 57th Venice Biennale. For this edition, M+ will engage a guest curator, in an effort to nurture local curators through providing experience in a major international setting. In close consultation with Mr Young, Ms Ying Kwok, a widely respected Hong Kong-based curator, has been appointed as the guest curator. Mr Doryun Chong, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, and Acting Director, M+, who was a co-curator with Stella Fong for the 2015 edition, will serve as consulting curator.

Mr Chong said, “We are honored and pleased to co-present with HKADC Hong Kong’s participation in the Venice Biennale for the third time. I am proud of what we at M+ accomplished in the last two Biennales with one-person presentations of Hong Kong artists—Lee Kit in 2013 and Tsang Kin-Wah in 2015—both in terms of the polished, professional exhibitions and in successfully raising the profiles of the artists as well as the international understanding of the Hong Kong contemporary art scene in general. I am confident that we will have yet another successful presentation, which will also be a vital opportunity for growth for Mr Samson Young’s critically respected practice.”

Commenting on being selected as the artist of Hong Kong’s submission, Mr Young said “I am naturally thrilled, and feel very honoured to have been given the opportunity to represent my native Hong Kong within such an important international context. I look forward to collaborating with the curatorial team in the months to come.”

Ms Kwok said “I am much honoured and privileged to be invited to work on this prestigious event. I look forward to developing an in-depth dialogue and collaboration with Samson to create something really special. I would also like to thank HKADC and M+ for their forward-thinking approach in engaging an independent curator.”

Same as the last two editions, interns will be recruited locally and given the chance to assist with the exhibition and experience the Venice Biennale. M+ will create one position of assistant curator and HKADC will fund a curatorial intern position specifically for this project in order to foster and develop local expertise by providing an opportunity to work with the M+ team over an extended period. The 57th Biennale will be held from 13th May to 26th November 2017. More information on Hong Kong’s participation and related programmes will be announced later.

HKADC has organised the Hong Kong exhibition at the Biennale since 2001. To examine the experience of past participation and explore future strategies to participate in the Biennale and promote Hong Kong visual arts overseas, the HKADC engaged external experts to conduct a study. For the executive summary of the study and the HKADC’s response, please visit http://www.hkadc.org.hk/?p=14908&lang=en.