HKAC CREATORS FOR TOMORROW - Anchoring the Presence
Life unfolds through ruptures, navigating the vast sea of time. The changes in life are scouring, drifting, and surging; how can we anchor ourselves in the here and now? The anchor unexpectedly appears in a basket of washed fruit, in lunch shared with others, in the soles of sneakers while walking, and in an old dream that has been revisited several times. It is neither yesterday nor the future, but an anchor that exists in the present moment. We discover it, tie it, and lower it, until the next wave comes.
Anchoring the Presence is a solo exhibition by artist Sin Wah Lai, co-curated by Siu Tung (Venus Lau) and Sally Leung. In times of ongoing crises, the exhibition returns to the pure connection between art and everyday life, practicing the state of being present during ordinary routines. After several relocations, Lai describes her current situation as being in a period of “housewarming of an old home.” The works reflect her process of settling down, along with the entanglements with her family, following her return to Hong Kong and a lengthy renovation process. In the exhibition, she closely examines eating and walking—two fundamental experiences in life—as materials to build an inner home within her heart. Lai explores the notions of "anchoring" and "moving," existing in our food and steps, and transforms them into installations, images, performances, and their traces. In the intimate, trivial, and mundane pieces of life, we try to nourish resilience within, find each other, and flow together.
Workshop - Walking
Curation tour
Details coming soon
Sin Wah Lai is an interdisciplinary artist. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts from Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan (2014) and an MA in Fine Art and Design from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, the Netherlands (2020). Her practice involves illustration, in-situ collage, installation, performance, and participatory experience. The displays often combine moving image, organic materials and natural elements, text, voice, and bodily intervention. Lai’s research explores ways of thinking beyond the human and non-human divide. She tells stories in response to the living spaces where beings co-exist. By poetically looking into minute moments that happen everywhere in the environment, her work uncovers the intimate relations between one’s inner perception, community, and the outside world.
As a curator and writer, Siu Tung (Venus) has been actively engaged in Hong Kong with projects such as “It’s Stuffy Here” (2023) and “Transcending the Days” (2022), as well as beyond with “Re-imagining Home” (VR tour, 2021) at the 18th Street Arts Center in Los Angeles. Her critique and articles have been published by various media, including Ming Pao, Art and Culture Outreach, and p-articles. Two of her texts have been selected for the archive of “Hong Kong Oral History Reference Resources” of the Hong Kong Public Libraries.
Sally Leung is a multidisciplinary artist and independent curator currently based in Hong Kong, mainly working in paintings, mixed media and conceptual works. Originating from her delicate perception of daily encounters and people around, she connects and interrogates human emotions, philosophical thoughts and daily observations. Her works mostly explore the inner state of human activities, try to reveal the invisible psychological appearance, and explore the boundaries of different matters. Her practice also focuses on memory, life and death, relationships, cities and communities.
She has collaborated with different units, including art organizations, music units, schools, publishers, commercial brands, non-governmental organizations, online media, etc. In recent years, through curatorial and art education work, she tries to get closer to the essence of human beings and open up more possibilities of life.
CREATORS FOR TOMORROW, initiated by the Hong Kong Arts Centre since 2020, aims to support the professional development of emerging artists, curators, creators, and researchers in Hong Kong. It provides resources like funding and venues to help participants unleash their creativity and bring their proposals to life. Through this programme, the Hong Kong Arts Centre curatorial team works closely with emerging creators, offering guidance and opportunities to gain valuable experience and establish their careers in the art field, enriching public life with innovative art.
About Hong Kong Arts Centre
Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All
Since 1977, the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been a platform for nurturing and supporting artists, and infusing art into everyday life. Its unique arts and educational programmes aim to make the arts accessible for all. The HKAC believes in the transformational power of art for people from all walks of life. Established more than four decades ago, the HKAC bring art to the people of Hong Kong – by presenting programmes for visual arts, performing arts, moving images and media arts, comics and animation. Other areas also cover arts education, conferences, festivals, public art and community projects, all done with the vision and mission of engaging and inspiring creativity in the Hong Kong community.
In 2000, HKAC founded its educational arm, Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). The HKAS provides award-bearing programmes to nurture artists and art practitioners, as well as short enrichment courses for the general public. The HKAC aspires to engage everyone in the community to become an active participant in the arts – as an enthusiast, an artist or a patron.
Let’s continue to embrace ‘Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All’, and share the inspiration.
Official website: hkac.org.hk | Facebook: Hong Kong Arts Centre | Instagram: @hongkongartscentre
Financial Support
Hong Kong Arts Centre is financially supported by the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The content of this activity does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
