Tsang Kin-Wah The Infinite Nothing Collateral Event of the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia
Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing, Hong Kong in Venice at the 56th International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia features a series of new video installations by Hong Kong artist Tsang Kin-Wah
Exhibition Period: 9 May - 22 November 2015 Venue: Campo della Tana, Castello 2126-30122, Venice, Italy (Opposite the main entrance of Arsenale)
TSANG Kin-Wah, The Infinite Nothing: 0
Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing, Hong Kong in Venice, a solo exhibition by Hong Kong artist Tsang Kin-Wah, opened to the public on 9 May at the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. To mark the occasion, Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), and Dr Wilfred Wong, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) came to Venice to officiate the inauguration of the exhibition. This is the second time that HKADC collaborates with M+, the museum for visual culture scheduled to open in 2019 in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), to bring the work of a Hong Kong artist to the world’s most important contemporary art event. The occasion also marks the eighth time that Hong Kong has participated in the International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia. The show will run through to 22 November 2015 with a supporting programme of talks taking place in Hong Kong.
Curated by the M+ curatorial team – Doryun Chong, Chief Curator and Stella Fong, Learning and Interpretation Curator, with Lars Nittve, M+ Executive Director, as Consulting Curator – Tsang Kin-Wah’s new work for the exhibition, The Infinite Nothing consists of four separate video installations that intends to represent a perpetual cycle of self-inquiry and discovery. Taking the viewer through a narrative of transformative journeys, the work brings together a host of philosophical concepts expressed through metaphors and allegories, along with religious symbolisms and popular cultural references. The exhibition received a warm welcome during the vernissage and attracted over 5,500 visitors throughout the preview period.
Speaking at the ceremony Mrs Carrie Lam said: “I am delighted to open this exhibition curated by M+, which is Hong Kong’s new museum for visual culture, and will become an iconic landmark along the Victoria Harbour waterfront setting against the massive backdrop of skyscrapers. M+ is part of the wider West Kowloon Cultural District, which is a long-term strategic investment made by the HKSAR Government to transform a 40-hectare prime waterfront site into an integrated arts and cultural district with world-class arts and cultural facilities, commercial developments and a public park. The West Kowloon Cultural District is a leading example of the HKSAR Government’s commitment to promoting arts and culture in Hong Kong.”
Dr Wilfred Wong, Chairman of the HKADC, noted, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. In the past 20 years, we have been making tremendous efforts in supporting the arts development of Hong Kong and promoting our artists locally and abroad. Since our inception in 2001, the Hong Kong’s participation in the Venice Biennale has become one of our flagship programmes to promote Hong Kong artists to the international audience, connecting them with the world’s leading curators, collectors and arts critics. We have much pleasure to collaborate again with M+ to combine our expertise and strength to showcase the best of Hong Kong artists in the global platform.”
Doryun Chong, Co-curator, commented, “Tsang Kin-Wah has left us with a thoughtful exhibition that illustrates the nature of life. It’s been great to see viewers of the work spend time within the installation and engage with his thought-provoking concepts. We are confident that his work and exhibition will be a special, even transformative experience for thousands of visitors that convene in Venice over the coming months.”
In support of this project, the HKADC and M+ have launched an internship scheme that enables young professionals to gain international experience and exposure in line with their career objectives. Follow the journey of the 12 exhibition interns via the blog at http://2015.venicebiennale.hk/blog/.
The exhibition is situated at a prime location adjacent to the main exhibition area – Arsenale, Campo della Tana, Castello 2126 - 30122 Venezia. It is open until the 22 November 2015 (it is closed on Mondays, except 11 May, 1 June and 16 November 2015).
General Information
Exhibition Period: From 9 May until 22 November 2015 10 am – 6 pm (10 am - 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 May till 26 September 2015) Closed on Mondays (except 11 May, 1 June and 16 November 2015)
Location: Campo della Tana, Castello 2126-30122, Venice, Italy (Opposite the main entrance of Arsenale)
Talks: As part of ‘Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing’, M+ has organised a series of talks in Hong Kong from May to July 2015 that take Tsang’s artistic practice and influences as a starting point to expand public understanding about key concepts in contemporary art, as well as providing a greater context for Tsang's newly-commissioned work for Venice. Among the topics will be philosophy and film, and the relationship between art and language.
For further information visit the website http://2015.venicebiennale.hk/#TalksCatalogue: The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with contributions from Tsang Kin-Wah, Doryun Chong, Stella Fong, Winnie Lai and Sharon Chan, exploring the intricate layers of Tsang's artistic practice from various perspectives.
Websites:www.venicebiennale.hk
www.hkadc.org.hk
www.westkowloon.hk/en/mplus
Social media: Please join the conversation with the The Infinite Nothing at the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia on:
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