HKADC Supports Five Artists Participating in OzAsia Festival 2017

Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) is committed to explore development opportunities for Hong Kong artists. In recent years, it takes an active role in promoting Hong Kong arts and culture overseas and cultivating international networks for Hong Kong artists. After the success of “Hong Kong Music Series” in London this July, HKADC collaborated with Australia’s Adelaide Festival Centre for the second time, supporting Hong Kong artists to participate in the 11^th edition of the OzAsia Festival held from 21 September to 8 October.

Established since 2007, the OzAsia festival is one of the most important international arts festivals in Australia with an aim to showcase Asian contemporary artworks with unique form and style, including performances, exhibitions, film screenings, talks, workshops and more. With the signing of a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Adelaide Festival Centre in 2016, HKADC supported the OzAsia Festival in presenting outstanding Hong Kong artworks to the South Australian audience.

This year, the Festival selected to showcase a diversity of Hong Kong artists, including visual artist Doris Wong Wai-yin’s solo exhibition of A place never been seen is not a place, where 5 installations using real-life objects in the setting of dreams, led audience to discover the metaphor between reality and dreams. Choreographers Victor Fung and Chloe Wong participated in Dance Lab, a dance exchange platform led by renowned Australian choreographer Leigh Warren. Apart from the exchange with other Asian and Australian choreographers and exploration of cross-regional exchange possibilities, they had a chance to share their creation experience with local dance lovers in public sessions.

New media artist GayBird’s outdoor solo exhibition Home revolved around the Chinese character of ‘home’ (家), and explored the nature of family. GayBird also collaborated with renowned Australian music group, Zephyr Quartet, in the performance Music in Anticlockwise. The show explored the concept of time and space, and staged a splendid cross-media music performance. In addition, the Festival organised a literary art activity entitled Writing China for its very first time. This event featured literary works from Hong Kong as well as the Greater China region. Hong Kong writer Dorothy Tse was invited as one of the speakers to discuss with readers the idea of contemporary novels penetrating into the sophisticated modern life.

Chief Executive of the HKADC, Ms Winsome Chow, attended a dinner on 7 October hosted by the South Australian Government during the Festival. Ms Chow said “With the signing of MoU between HKADC and the Adelaide Festival Centre, we smoothly sail into the second year of collaboration, and both Hong Kong and South Australia have attached great importance to exchanges and cooperation in arts and culture between the two regions. It is the mission as well as the strength for HKADC to nurture and support our artists to reach new heights as well as to broaden their horizon by connecting with international peers. I believe there will be more and more stimulating collaborations in the arts between Hong Kong and Australia in the coming future.”

For more festival information, please visit http://www.ozasiafestival.com.au