Closer Together – Hong Kong Art School and RMIT University School of Art In Partnership for 25 Years
[Hong Kong – 2 January 2024] To celebrate 25 years of partnership between the Hong Kong Art School and RMIT, the two institutions are proud to co-present a spectacular exhibition, Closer Together. This exhibition is a testament to relationships formed through collaboration and discussion despite situations of distance or isolation, featuring 15 artists from this community to honour the intimate connections and ground-breaking exchanges fostered in this partnership.
In the development of Closer Together, the co-curators of the exhibition – Rachel Cheung (Hong Kong Art School Lecturer and Program Coordinator), Shirky Chan (Hong Kong Art School Alumni Network Vice-Chair person) and Tammy Wong Hulbert (Senior Lecturer & International Co-ordinator of BAFA, RMIT University ) – considered what constitutes intimacy and how this may be expressed through action and material form in the art-making process. The curators examined the ideas of “closeness” and “togetherness” and how intimate relations are formed over time.
“Not only is intimacy defined as physical closeness; it can also be interpreted as an emotional, chemical or embodied response to the sharing of thoughts, feelings and activities. This kind of togetherness forms a level of closeness that is not limited by distance, time or space – a closeness that can have a long-lasting impact on how we think, act and make creatively in our world”, Shirky Chan, one of the curators, explained.
While this institutional partnership has graduated hundreds of students over the past 25 years, this exhibition shines a light on the voices of 15 artists from Hong Kong and Melbourne. Closer Together includes the artist Kay Mei Ling Beadman, Movana Chen, Ryan Christopher Cheng, Kris Coad, Carolyn Eskdale, Daphne Alexis Ho, Jaffa Lam Laam, Ivy Ma King Chu, Sally Mannall, Drew Pettifer, Kate Siu Man Kit, Scotty So, Tang Kwong San, Fiona Wong Lai Ching and June Wong Siu Ling. Artists in this exhibition were asked to consider the complexities of being closer and together. They responded in diverse ways, demonstrating their ability to creatively transform ideas and open our eyes to new ways of perceiving and being in the world. While some of the themes explored in the exhibition are universal, others are specific to Hong Kong and Melbourne.
Closer Together portrays intimate moments of vulnerability and reminds us that we are ultimately stronger when brought together as a community. This exhibition is a space to honour the intimacy and trust of our relationships and to celebrate our sense of community, kinship and connectivity. Through the eyes of artists, Closer Together provides a path to the hidden and offers us a glimpse of the future, which is both hopeful and optimistic.
Closer Together
Exhibition Period: 2 Jan 2024 – 28 Jan 2024
Time: 10 am – 8 pm
Venue: Pao Galleries, 4-5/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Curators: Shirky Chan, Rachel Cheung and Tammy Wong Hulbert
Artists: Kay Mei Ling Beadman, Movana Chen, Ryan Christopher Cheng, Kris Coad, Carolyn Eskdale, Daphne Alexis Ho, Jaffa Lam Laam, Ivy Ma King Chu, Sally Mannall, Drew Pettifer, Kate Siu Man Kit, Scotty So, Tang Kwong San, Fiona Wong Lai Ching and June Wong Siu Ling