Acentered: Reterritorised Network of European and Chinese Moving Image
videoclub will take part in Acentered: Reterritorised Network of European and Chinese Moving Image during Art Basel’s show in Hong Kong. Presented by the Art Basel Crowdfunding Initiative, Acentered is part of the Crowdfunding Lab and curated by Videotage.
The 21st century defines an emerging set of complex relationships between creativity, knowledge, capitalism, and innovative technologies. Today, we live in a world that revolves around networks and necessitates a belief in a future that is powered by the connection of people – a culture that embraces fluidity, collaboration, and creative mobility.
During Art Basel’s show in Hong Kong, the Crowdfunding Lab will feature video art works from the Videotage Media Art Collection, and also works from international art organisations, which include Casa Asia (Barcelona & Madrid), Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art/University of Salford Art Collection (Manchester), The Chinese University of Hong Kong/Department of Fine Arts, City University of Hong Kong/School of Creative Media, Connecting Spaces (Hong Kong-Zurich)/Zurich University of the Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University/Academy of Visual Arts, The Hong Kong Institute of Education/Department of Cultural and Creative Arts, Momentum (Berlin), and videoclub (London). Videotage will also organise a series of roundtable discussions at the booth on a variety of relevant topics in the art world today.
Works selected by videoclub include: Anjin 1600: Edo Wonderpark – David Blandy, From Our Own Correspondent – Lucy Clout, A Rat Biting Another Rat – Anita Delaney, The Lion and the Unicorn – Rachel Maclean, Common Descent – Daniel Shanken and The Udder – Marianna Simnett.
Exhibition
videoclub’s selection of British artists’ film and video is drawn from the recent programme, Both Sides Now II, a collaboration between videoclub and Videotage. This selection of films reflects upon the current psyche of the British people, arguably in a state of flux and uncertainty, echoed by the artists’ works.
In September 2014, Scotland had a referendum, to decide whether or not to stay part of the United Kingdom. Rachel Maclean’s ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’ represents both opposition and alliance to explore national identity and the tension felt in the country at the time of referendum.
In David Blandy’s ‘Anjin 1600: Edo Wonderpark’ we see the British explorer William Adams venturing to a new world, Japan, in 1600. The torturous journey, and Adams’ solitude, is pictured by Blandy through space battles and the starkness of a technology-filled future.
This state or sense of unfixedness in the UK perhaps stems from media-induced tension about personal concerns. ‘A Rat Biting Another Rat’, by Anita Delaney, harasses and unnerves with big beats and fast edits, nipping at our anxiety. And in Daniel Shanken’s ‘Common Descent’ we are challenged, unwittingly, to recognise what happens inside our head without us knowing about it, while exploring a psychedelic dreamland.
Irreverent images, playful characters and dance tunes slip and slide against anxiety and frayed nerves throughout the programme, forming unknown questions in our minds without us realising.
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
Address: 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China
Vernissage
Wednesday, 23 March 2016, 5pm to 9pm
Public days
Thursday, 24 March 2016, 1pm to 9pm
Friday, 25 March 2016, 1pm to 8pm
Saturday, 26 March 2016, 11am to 6pm
Salon Program: Collaborative Network – Curating in the 21st Century
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
Address: Auditorium, Entrance Hall 1A, Level 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China
Date and time: Friday, 25 March 2016, 2 to 3pm
How should curating be in the 21st century? By bringing together veteran curators across the globe,this discussion contemplates different views regarding contemporary curating, with a focus on new networking channels.
Speakers:
Menene Gras Balaguer, Culture and Exhibitions Director, Casa Asia, Barcelona & Madrid;
David Elliott, Freelance Curator, Writer and Teacher, Berlin & Belgrade;
Isaac Leung, Artist, Curator and Chairperson, Videotage, Hong Kong;
Jamie Wyld, Director, videoclub, London.
Moderator:
Adrian George, Deputy Director and Senior Curator, UK Government Art Collection, London.
Roundtable Discussion: Inside Out: The Rise and Rise of the Youtube Generation
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
Address: Crowdfunding Lab, Level 3 Concourse, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China
Date and time: Saturday, 26 March 2016, 2-4pm
Practicing video artists, famous local YouTubers, and film directors host a roundtable discussion exploring the impact of new channels and the rise of artists with non-conventional training, and how that is changing the art-making environment in Hong Kong.
Speakers:
Susie Au, Film Director, Installation Artist, Handmade Films, Hong Kong;
Chan Ka Ming, Angus Kwok & Yeung Chun Yin, One Letter Horse, Hong Kong;
Jan Cho, General Manager, TBWA\ Hong Kong, Head Of Digital, Hong Kong;
Ben Tang, Programme Manager in Arts Programme; TV and Advertising Director, Hong Kong;
Jamie Wyld, Director, videoclub, London.
Moderator:
Ellen Pau, Founding Director, Videotage, Hong Kong.
