Inaugural Exhibitions at Tai Kwun Contemporary Presents Dismantling the Scaffold and Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition
PUBLISHED ONJune 08, 2018 5:00 PM
HONG KONG, June 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Inaugural Contemporary Art Exhibitions of Tai Kwun: Centre for Heritage & Arts – Dismantling the Scaffold and Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition, will be opening to the public on 9 June, 2018. The large-scale group exhibition Dismantling the Scaffold brings together two different aspects of Tai Kwun: its collaborative approach in the present as well as the historical nature of Tai Kwun's site, with the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy, and Victoria Prison. Meanwhile, Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition, an exhibition by a local Hong Kong artist, explores the artist's interests in Chinese medicine and pharmacology.
A constellation of engaging local and international artworks
Presented by Spring Workshop and curated by the Hong Kong curator Christina Li at Tai Kwun Contemporary, the group exhibition Dismantling the Scaffold deploys the metaphor of the scaffold to explore on the one hand the more complicated issues in history and society, while on the other hand looking at art's potential to think through new possibilities. Featuring more than 40 pieces of artwork contributed by 31 artists or artist groups from around the globe, the exhibition reflects the context of the site and the collaborative spirit between Spring Workshop and Tai Kwun Contemporary.
'Spring Workshop is honoured to present Tai Kwun Contemporary's inaugural exhibition Dismantling the Scaffold,' said Mimi Brown, Founder of Spring Workshop. 'Together with Tai Kwun Contemporary, we aim to present the power that art has to open conversations, to make voices heard, and to bring us closer to recognising our positions in the collective present.'
With the motif of the 'scaffold', artworks within the exhibition explore the potential of art as the means to illuminate and unpack our relationship with society at large. They are poignant reflections of the invisible and visible structures of power and space that constitute and organise our daily existence with our surroundings and with one another. 'Dismantling the Scaffold as an exhibition could also be regarded as a temporary support structure in itself. Produced at the intersection of two institutional timelines at the cusp of a new chapter of the former Central Police Station compound, this platform gives room to present a multitude of artistic positions that lay bare the intricate interplay of organisations.' said Christina Li, Curator of Dismantling the Scaffold and Spring Workshop.
A journey of the senses to an alternate universe
Curated by Kurt Chan Adjunct Professor, Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and presented by the MA Programme in Fine Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition presents a world where the physical body is dissected into its tiniest details and then expanded out to a celestial, even cosmic scale.
Wing Po So takes inspiration from her family history of keeping a pharmacy of Chinese medicine and presents her first solo exhibition that delves into Chinese medicine, pharmacology, and scientific perspectives. 'My grandfather founded a traditional Chinese pharmacy in the 1970s,' said Wing Po So. 'In this exhibition, I have selected six materials from my family's pharmacy; in the form of sculpture, installation, and video, I set forth to explore the characteristics and personalities of these materials.'
'So's interest in Chinese herbs is both material and physical, opening up a gateway for associations to emerge among plant reproduction, energy flow, structural assemblages, metaphors and substitutions,' said Kurt Chan. 'In her art practice, poetry and science have found a suitable occasion and locus for exchange.' There will also be a textual collaboration with the esteemed Hong Kong writer Dung Kai Cheung. An artist book will also be published, documenting the artist's uncertainties, hesitations, and imaginative connections in the studio.
Tai Kwun Contemporary inspires people through contemporary art
Tai Kwun's art galleries, Tai Kwun Contemporary, is dedicated to presenting six to eight contemporary art exhibitions and programmes every year by working with like-minded institutions and art groups. 'Tai Kwun Contemporary aspires to be a space that activates people through contemporary art, thereby to transform Hong Kong's experience of contemporary art in a meaningful way.' said Tobias Berger, Head of Arts, Tai Kwun. With 1,500 square metre exhibition space, Tai Kwun Contemporary strives to offer an informed, curated Hong Kong point of view to the audience by presenting the highest standard of exhibition making, arts and education programmes.
Exhibition overview
Dismantling the Scaffold
Date: 9 June -- 15 August 2018
Time: 11am -- 7pm
Location: Tai Kwun Contemporary, JC Contemporary
Price: Free of charge
Dismantling the Scaffold Guided Tour
Date: 9 June -- 12 August, 2018
Time: Every Sat & Sun 3pm (Cantonese); Sat & Sun 4pm (English)
Location: Tai Kwun Contemporary, JC Contemporary
Price: Free of charge
Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition
Date: 29 May -- 15 August 2018
Time: 11am -- 7pm
Location: Tai Kwun Contemporary, JC Contemporary
Price: Free of charge
Six-Part Practice: Wing Po So Solo Exhibition Guided Tour
Date: 9 June -- 12 August, 2018
Time: Every Sat & Sun 2pm (Cantonese); Sat & Sun 3pm (English)
Location: Tai Kwun Contemporary, JC Contemporary
Price: Free of charge
Plan your visit
Tai Kwun is committed to be a place of inspiration and enjoyment for the people of Hong Kong. We are open to the public from 11am to 11pm on a daily basis. Visitors are strongly encouraged to book their free Tai Kwun Pass online, prior to their visits. Tai Kwun Pass is available on Tai Kwun Official Website. For details, please visit https://www.taikwun.hk/en/visit/taikwun_pass.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Tai Kwun: Centre for Heritage and Arts
"Arts, culture and heritage" is one of The Hong Kong Jockey Club's strategic areas of charitable contribution. The Central Police Station (CPS) Revitalisation Project is the largest heritage conservation and revitalisation project undertaken by the Club and has been carried out in partnership with the Government of the HKSAR.
The CPS compound comprises three declared monuments (Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison), with a total of 16 heritage buildings and some outdoors spaces, on a 13,600 square-metre site in the heart of Central. An international-grade art gallery and an auditorium have been added to contribute to the adaptive reuse of the site.
In addition to undertaking the CPS Revitalisation Project, the Club's Charities Trust has set up The Jockey Club CPS Limited to manage and operate the site as Tai Kwun -- Centre for Heritage and Arts.
Tai Kwun is the local colloquial name used by police officers and the public alike to refer to the former police headquarters and the surrounding CPS compound. The name has been adopted by The Jockey Club CPS Limited as a reminder of the historical importance of the site.
Please contact the following personnel should there be any enquiries.
Ms. Alice Chan
Lighthouse Consultant
media@lighthouse.hk
