“1+1: A Cross-Strait-Four-Region Artistic Exchange Project”
(Mainland /Hong Kong /Taiwan Touring Exhibition)
Hong Kong‧ May 19 – Jun 12

The Hong Kong Arts Centre, in collaboration with the Shenzhen HeXiangning Art Museum and the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts at Taipei National University of the Arts, presents the “1+1: A Cross-Strait-Four-Region Artistic Exchange Project”. This inter-regional exhibition features the collaborative works of 14 eminent artists paired up in 7 artistic units. Each pair will work around a thematic approach to produce one collaborative work in an attempt to explore the possibility of one plus one equals two or more than two: “1+1≥2”. The exhibition will feature paintings, moving images, installations, performance art, etc. The first stop was at the Shenzhen HeXiangning Art Museum in April and was received with an overwhelming response; it now comes to the second stop, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, starting from today through mid June, whilst  the final stop will be the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan this August.

The aim of this Exhibition is to set up a “mechanism of exchange”, allowing artists to have a brand new approach to creativity through the inspiration derived from exchanging ideas. Officiating guests at today’s ceremony (May 19) include Mr. Lee Kam-yin, Chairman of the Visual Arts Group, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council; Mr. Nelson Leong, Deputy Chairman, the Board of Governors, the Hong Kong Arts Centre; Ms. Le Zhengwei, Deputy Director of the He Xiangning Art Museum; Mr. Chu Teh-I, Director of the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts; and Mr. Feng Boyi, Chief Curator of “1+1” / Artistic Director of the He Xiangning Art Museum.

Mr. Nelson Leong, Deputy Chairman, the Board of Governors, the Hong Kong Arts Centre said, “The Hong Kong Arts Centre has always been dedicated to promoting Contemporary Art and encouraging communication and interaction between the arts of various cultures. Through this exhibition, the audience can appreciate not only the unique creativity demonstrated in the individual art works, but also the similarities and differences in terms of artistic values and cultures between the artists from the four regions through the process of their collaboration. 

The Chief curator, Feng Boyi (Beijing, China) hopes to cultivate and foster a deeper understanding between artists from diverse backgrounds given the capacity of the Project. He said, “The Project brings together artists from different places and encourages in-depth cultural exchange and collaboration. We see this project as a great chance to take a different approach to individual creativity, seeing how different thoughts and concepts can be blended. Through this exciting collaboration and communication, we hope to exhibit how the differences in social contexts and conditions can influence the attitude of the artists towards life and art, and put these interesting differences into meaningful juxtaposition.” 

The curator from the Mainland, Wang Xiaosong said, “This Project has been a continual emphasis of the HeXiangning Art Museum over the past two years. We hope to build a good platform and a healthy mechanism for cultural exchange between the four participating regions. We can see that there’s always a focal city for contemporary art in every country. For China, it may be Beijing. However, if we try to synchronize every city with Beijing without considering their respective individuality, it would cause great harm to the overall development of contemporary art. Shenzhen is a relatively open city in China and we hope to make use of this privilege to set up the cultural exchange between the four regions on both sides of the strait. This is going to be a helpful phenomenon for daring young artists.”

The Hong Kong curator, Jeff Leung, expects to see how the participating artists will express their diversity in culture and individuality through their artistic creations. “There will be three artists and one design unit from Hong Kong participating in the project,” he said. “What makes the whole thing distinctive and exciting is that not only will each individual artist work on their own art piece, but through the mechanism of “1+1” – pairing up one artist from Hong Kong with one from another place, the pair will cooperate on creating a collaborative piece. We hope to see a breakthrough from the traditional form of joint exhibition, where artists usually happen to work on their own, and speak on behalf of only themselves.”  

The Macau curator, Leong Chi Kin, is glad to be part of the curatorial team for the project. “We recommended two artists to take part in this exhibition,” he said. “While the equation “1+1” represents a summation of the dynamics between different places and different people, we hope to foster a genuine exchange of thoughts through collaboration, presenting a collective exhibition which stands distinctively different. We aspire to bring something remarkable to the audience no matter whether they are from or in Macau, Hong Kong, Mainland China or Taiwan.”

The Taiwan curator, Wang Te-yu, has high expectations for the exhibition. She said, “The Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts has presented four young artists to join this project. From Shenzhen to Hong Kong and finally Taiwan, this exhibition will be an invaluable platform to display the multiple layers and the cultural plurality of the four regions. When you visit the exhibition, you are going to be amazed at how the Golden Bauhinia Square of Hong Kong and the Taiwan National Democracy Memorial Hall are thrust up at the same time on the same site at the Shenzhen HeXiangning Art Museum.”

Exhibition Details 
Title: “1+1: A Cross-Strait-Four-Region Artistic Exchange Project” 
Co-presenters: 
The Hong Kong Arts Centre
The HeXiangning Art Museum & 
The Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts


Exhibition Venues & Dates:
Shenzhen‧The HeXiangning Art Museum‧02/04/2011 – 08/05/2011
Hong Kong ‧The Hong Kong Arts Centre ‧19/05/2011 – 12/06/2011
Taiwan ‧The Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts‧ 19/08/2011 – 25/09/2011

Chief curator: Feng Boyi (Mainland) 
Curators: Wang Xiaosong (Mainland), Jeff Leung (Hong Kong), Leong Chi Kin (Macau), Wang Te-yu (Taiwan)
Assistant curators: Yan Ke-ning (Mainland), Jiang Qian-wei (Mainland), Gladys Chiu (Hong Kong)

Participating Artists (14 in total) & Design Units (2in total)***:
Mainland:     Bai Xiaoci, Liu Liyun, Liang Yuanwei, Wu Jianan, Zhao Zhao
Hong Kong:     George Wong, wenyau, Hui Nga Shu Rita, Trilingua***(design unit)
Taiwan:     Chen Chih-Chien, Ho Ming-Kuei, Shan Kai-ti, Yao Chung-Han
Macau:     Bai Qiang, João Ó Bruno Soares
*** The design unit will produce the promotional material for the Project. 
 
Artists’ Pairing:
1.    Non-Attack: Bai Qiang (Macau) + Wu Jianan (Mainland)
2.    Big Man No. 1‧Cities in Passé : Bai Xiaoci (Mainland) + Liang Yuanwei (Mainland)
3.    In‧Between: George Wong (Hong Kong) + Liu Liyun (Mainland) 
4.    Mnemonic Translation: Ho Ming-Kuei (Taiwan) + João Ó Bruno Soares (Macau)
5.    Two Cases: Hui Nga Shu Rita (Hong Kong) + Yao Chung-Han (Taiwan)
6.    Square: Chen Chih-Chien (Taiwan) + wenyau (Hong Kong)
7.    Insomnia :  Zhao Zhao (Mainland) /  ICE ME 9: Shan Kai-ti (Taiwan) 


Other Activities:
To further promote the continuous artistic exchange in the field across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, the Hong Kong Arts Centre will be presenting an artist talk - “1+1 ≥ 2 : Behind the Scene with Artist Duos” on 20 May, hosted by the curators, Feng Boyi, Wang Xiaosong and Jeff LEUNG Chin Fung, as well as the participating artist duo, George Wong (Hong Kong) and Liu Liyun (Mainland China).

Behind the Scene - Artist Talk // 
Date & Time: May 20, 2011 (Friday), 7pm
Venue: agnes’b cinema, the Hong Kong Arts Centre
Speakers: Liu Liyun, George Wong, Jeff Leung Chin Fung, Feng Boyi, Wang Xiaosong
Conducted in Mandarin and Cantonese. Free admission
Limited seats available on a first-come-first served basis

For event details and reservation: 
Tel: 2582 0200 | Email: info@hkac.org.hk

Buildings are not enough: Joao O’s art practice //
Date & Time: May 21, 2011 (Saturday), 3:00pm
Venue: LM Ballroom on Level 3, Le Meriden Cyberport
Speakers: João Ó Bruno Soares
Conducted in English. Free admission
Limited seats available on a first-come-first served basis

For event details and reservation, please contact: 
Tel : 2980 7788 | Email : welcome.lmc@lemeridien.com

Media Enquiry: The Hong Kong Arts Centre
Ms. Annie Ho (Marketing and Development Director)
Tel: 852- 2824 5306 / 852- 9481 8706
Email: aho@hkac.org.hk