HOMELAND in TRANSIT

HOMELAND in TRANSIT is a curatorial project conceptualised by Angelika Li in 2018 soon after her move from Hong Kong to Switzerland in 2017.

"Where are you from?” This simple question opens up thoughts and conversations about the notion of homeland and triggered the idea of the curatorial project HOMELAND in TRANSIT. On the surface, the word 'homeland' recalls a physical and permanent form, yet when we dive a little deeper into our memories and emotions, the word urges us to reflect on its shifting nature. The inaugural exhibition in 2019 channeled narratives of ‘homeland’ from Hong Kong perspectives: borders, boundaries, roots, diaspora, cultural identity, colonial ideologies and beyond.

Transitioning into a fresh decade and a new lunar zodiac 12-year cycle with unknown possibilities, we expand our community and explore new forms of exchange: first with a VIDEO TALKS series planned for different locations including Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan and with an upcoming exhibition at Villa Meier-Severini in Zollikon, Switzerland.

Due to CV19, all of our programmes and activities scheduled for Asia have been postponed until further notice. The exhibition and VIDEO TALKS in Berlin will take place as scheduled from 1 October to 29 November 2020, the outdoor screening BY THE RIVER RHINE around the heritage-listed house on Florastrasse 45, Basel on 30 & 31 October and exhibition HEIMAT im WANDEL in Zollikon will take place between 4 & 21 March, 2021. Please scroll down for more information.

2020 PROGRAMME

OUTDOOR

VIDEO SCREENING

BY THE RIVER RHINE

30 - 31 OCTOBER 19-22h

FLORASTRASSE 45

BASEL, SWITZERLAND

HOMELAND in TRANSIT

BY THE RIVER RHINE

Artists

Kongkee

MAP Office

Yukihiro Taguchi

Curator

Angelika Li

in collaboration with Donald Mak

and Edward Wang on Visual Design

30th – 31st October 2020 19-22h

Florastrasse 45, 4057 Basel

We screen five video works by three artists from Hong Kong and Japan: ‘River’ and ‘I just can't find myself, most of the time’ (2020) from Kongkee's Moon in the River series; ‘Magu’ (2012) and ‘Terasu’ (2015) by Yukihiro Taguchi and ‘The Book of Waves’ (2018) by MAP Office which delve into the notions of self-searching, identity, memory, and our resilience as humans. The intrinsic and characteristic element of Hong Kong – Water – occupies a strong presence around the heritage-listed house at Florastrasse 45 which, as a vessel, perpetuates the stories and energies to the River Rhine and the next destinations.

Come join us in this experience where art, architecture and water interweave in the continuing exploration of HOMELAND in TRANSIT. The total duration of the videos is approximately 20 minutes and all can be viewed from the outside.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, visitation is limited to 15 persons. We kindly ask you to click this link and select a 30 minute timeslot for your visit.

We will be respecting current COVID-19 regulations. Please wear a mask. Thank you for your understanding and support in maintaining our mutual health and safety.

EXHIBITION+

VIDEO TALKS

1 OCTOBER - 29 NOVEMBER

KUNSTQUARTIER BETHANIEN

BERLIN, GERMANY

HOMELAND in TRANSIT

next stop: BERLIN

Angelika Li, Basel, Autumn 2020

The word ‘homeland’ evokes a physical and permanent form on the surface, yet when we dive a little deeper into our memories and emotions, the word urges us to reflect on its complex and shifting nature. The inaugural exhibition of HOMELAND in TRANSIT in 2019 channeled

narratives of ‘homeland’ from Hong Kong perspectives: the floating islands, borders and boundaries, unfolding histories of diaspora, the metamorphosis of cultural identity, colonial ideology and beyond.

In only a few months, our world has changed dramatically and each word in this title has developed a wider scope of meanings and expanded relevance: we feel an urgent need to further communicate and encourage more exchanges and discussions. The HOMELAND in TRANSIT VIDEO TALKS launched in Basel in February 2020 continues the exchange and leads to the next exhibition taking place at MOMENTUM, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin in October 2020 with time-based works by 7 artists from Hong Kong and a Berlin-based Japanese artist exploring the notions of migration, self-searching, cultural identity, memory, and our resilience as humans. An intrinsic and characteristic element of Hong Kong - water - occupies a strong presence.

Continue to the curator's notes

Artists

May FUNG

Kongkee

LAW Yuk Mui

LEUNG Chi Wo

MAP Office (Valerie Portefaix & Laurent Gutierrez)

Yukihiro TAGUCHI

Curator

Angelika Li

Exhibition: 1 October - 29 November, 2020

1 October – 1 November 2020: Wednesday – Sunday 1-7pm
2 – 29 November 2020: Due to the November Lockdown, the gallery is open only by appointment on

VIDEO TALKS: 3 October, Sat 1600-1900

Angelika Li in conversation with Kongkee and Yukihiro Taguchi

Scroll down for the link

Venue: MOMENTUM, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, Berlin

Co-presented by

VIDEO TALKS

online

LEUNG Chi Wo x Valerie Portefaix/MAP Office

in conversation with Angelika Li

20 September 2020

May FUNG x LAW Yuk Mui

Screened in Basel on 25 February 2020

Kongkee x Yukihiro Taguchi

in conversation with Angelika Li

VIDEO TALKS in Berlin on 3 October 2020

MAP OFFICE ‘The Book of Waves’ (2018), animation, duration: 2 min. 250 hand drawings on computer screen inspired by Ha Bun Shu by Mori Yuzan, 1917 Sound recorded around Shek O Headland, 2018.

MAP Office’s ‘The Book of Waves’ (2018) brings to mind the often forgotten natural geography of Hong Kong, which consists of more than 260 individual islands, though it is better known as a densely populated modern cityscape. Engulfed in the sound of waves recorded from Hong Kong’s Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay, MAP’s video animation of 250 hand-drawn waves and ripples in the nihonga style takes as its starting point the ‘Ha Bun Shu’ of Mori Yuzan, an archive of waves drawn from the Edo period. To achieve the quality of an animation, the artist duo had to imagine what the missing links of waves would be in order to weave the stories together. The traditional technique of handwork merges with new technology through the form of animation. MAP construct their own representation of the oceans around the world, which is the core of their current research.

Not only does this work reflect the ocean condition, it also metaphorically represents the life of our city as ups and downs, calm and unsettling, in between the foreseeable and unpredictable. The water element recalls the controversial scientific theory by French scientist Jacques Benveniste that water retains its own memory. If these are all true, can we presume that water also carries evidence of our history?

MAP OFFICE 'The Book of Waves' (2018) Inkjet print on 160gsm Japanese Art Paper. Paper: 27 x 16.2 cm. Box: 28.4 x 17.6 cm. In a box, numbered, with certificate. Viewing upon request by appointment. Edition of 3/7

LEUNG CHI WO ‘My name is Victoria’ (2008) video, duration: 21 min. 30 sec. Edition of 5

Leung’s practice primarily draws from references and archives with history as a subject matter. He often digs up small details and reveals unknown facts. Eleven years after Hong Kong’s sovereignty changed hands from Britain to China in 1997, the artist created this work in 2008 to explore the perception and interpretation of the name ‘Victoria’. This video work unveils an unfamiliar route in the city: starting from Victoria Road in Kennedy Town, the border of Victoria which was the former capital of the crown colony, to Aberdeen where the British, under the reign of Queen Victoria, landed for the first time in Hong Kong in 1841. Through an open call on the internet, the artist collected forty women’s stories behind their name ‘Victoria’ which are narrated by a soft female voice in a distinctive British accent with music by Franz Schubert playing in the background.

The light-hearted atmosphere in the video juxtaposes the heavy cultural and political issues the work is concerned with. The name ‘Victoria’ carries a majestic air and represents a time in the past in the Hong Kong context. In these stories, one notices how different generations think about naming and in the artist’s curiosity on how a name is re-interpreted over time and across cultures and beliefs play. Once a foreign name is transplanted, new meanings are born.

Leung brings up these multiple layers of naming with irony and wit. The proper phonetic transliteration for Victoria in Cantonese is ‘Wai Dor Lei Nga’ which connotes a majestic and elegant air. But it is commonly written as ‘Wik Dor Lei’ literally meaning ‘Region of Profit’ which reflects certain local values and also contradicts or even ridicules the regal background of the name. How does history and the knowledge of history shape our perception and self-recognition?

LAW YUK MUI ‘On Junk Bay, The Plant’ (1990-present), duration: 2 mins 56 secs. Cyanotype of plants from Junk Bay

Moving from Victoria Road to the opposite side of the Victoria harbour of Hong Kong – we find Junk Bay, now known as Tseung Kwan O (TKO). The earliest inhabitants of the area can be traced back to the 13th Century and major settlements dated back to the late 16th Century when small fishing villages were formed. With its geographical advantage, shipping industries emerged in the 1960s until 1982 when the local government kicked off the development of TKO as a new town which saw a chain of humongous reclamation constructions. Notably, the government never addressed the old name ‘Junk Bay’.
In ‘On Junk Bay, The Plant’ (1990-present), Law Yuk Mui leads us to revisit the geographical history and metamorphosis of Junk Bay, where the artist used to live. Her lens captures the natural landscape of the area mixed with the history of its phenomenal land development through reclamation where foreign plants were transplanted and re-rooted. Through her investigation of Hong Kong cartography and passion in geology, the narratives delve deeper into the contemplation of migration, native vs foreign, borders and the relationship or negotiation between human and nature.

Using plants as metaphors, foreign plants are like migrants and refugees transplanted to a new land, as in her parents’ migration from China to Hong Kong. As the speed in Hong Kong is always so fast, the artist strategically paces the video in slow motion to prolong 15 seconds of real life to create time to engage the audience with her subject matter. The distorted sound is excerpted from Hayao Miyazaki’s animation ‘Castle in the Sky’ with its tree trunks growing into the sky offering a sense of future and hope.

MAY FUNG ‘Image of a City’ (1990), video, duration: 11 mins

With rapid urbanisation in Hong Kong since the 1970s and an influx of migrants from China, how do we perceive the changes of our city and our own identity? May Fung is one of the most influential video artists at the forefront of experimental practice for over three decades in Hong Kong. Her work often interweaves local history, cultural landscapes, politics and poetics. Her two works ‘Image of a City’ (1990) and ‘She Said Why Me?’ (1989) offer images of Hong Kong through a time tunnel from the 1967 Hong Kong riots to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests with footage drawn from the Hong Kong Government Record Service. Cityscapes marked with architectural references that reflect the parallel worlds of both Chinese and British, the artist channels out her emotions and memories along the pivotal transformations or negotiations between the two worlds in one city. The anxiety and frustration expressed in the works have become self-fulfilling prophecy. What the footages depict keep resurfacing through our timeline, as seen in the recent movements in Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

Recordings of scholar Ackbar Abbas’ lecture on the notion of ‘culture in a space of disappearance’ guides us through ‘Image of a City’ (1990): “Hong Kong…has never seized being a port, a door, a threshold, a passage way. It is a space in transit. Everything is provisional, temporary and ad hoc.” Overlapping the voice of Abbas in the video is Margaret Thatcher’s speech on ‘one country, two systems’. Abbas described Hong Kong as “not so much a place as a space of transit,” whose residents consider themselves as transients and migrants on their way from China to the next place. What is disappearing? Is it something visible or intangible? Is it our heritage and identity or sense of belonging? Is it the memory of our past or our imagination of the future?

MAY FUNG ‘She Said Why Me’ (1989), video, duration: 8 mins

The narratives of disappearance and the cityscapes linger with a strong sense of frustration and self-searching in ‘She Said Why Me’ (1989) in which a blind-folded female protagonist starts her journey from a Tin Hau temple where traditionally fishermen in Hong Kong worship and pray to the deities for protection in the waters. The artist uses the temple as a form of attachment to her heritage. Interwoven with historical footages with focal points or quasi surveillance on women, the protagonist transits into the modern cityscape of Central finding her way along the monuments that represent the colonial era. At one point, she loses her blindfold yet she still moves like a sleep-walker. When she comes to realise her blindfold is no longer there, she starts running aimlessly, but from what and where to? Seemingly lost with a sense of displacement and despair, the woman acts as the artist’s outlet of emotions, vents out her emotions and frustrations about her gender, cultural identity, the transformation of our city during this self-searching process. At the pivotal junction on Queen’s Road Central, she turns and stares back sharply at the camera with anger and fear: ‘Why me?’ She then finds her way, though blindfolded, back to where she came from. That leads us back to the sea, the notion of water.

Kongkee ‘I just can't find myself, most of the time' (2020) Animation, 1 min. 56 sec.

Greek philosopher Heraclitus had a famous analogy about life: “You cannot step twice into the same river”, which recalls the Chinese philosophy of change in the Yijing (I-Ching or Book of Changes): the only certainty is change, as such each moment is unique. Kongkees latest animations, created in 2020, are anchored by these concepts. Time cannot travel backward, everything is always in a state of becoming. During the process of making animation, with the help of software and tools, characters can flow fluidly back and forth in time, as though existing beyond time itself. Travelling between dimensions, pasts and futures and grabbing hold of the most precious moments; however, the ending has always already been drawn out for the animation characters. In “reality” we are unable to see the future and there is no way of reading the script of our lives. We are part of the current of time. There is a feeling that our destiny, unfinished, is still to be written.

Both videos shown here are silent, focusing the viewers on the movements and visual expressions of the artist. Kongkee uses I can’t find myself, most of the time (2020) as a mouthpiece to project his state of mind. The motion and gestures of the walking man are those of a sleepwalker or someone in a state of dreaming. To the artist, dreaming also feels like walking through water. The walking man has a strong sense of direction but where is he heading? Could it be read as an analogy of the discoordination between the mind and body, consciousness and physical strength? In the water and above the surface, time is lapsing between the two realms. The work becomes a meditation for the artist to release his emotions from what can perhaps be felt – distress and powerlessness. Like a self-reflection, with his head being trapped in a box through the complex process of thinking, he does not seem to be able to escape from the situation.

YUKIHIRO TAGUCHI ‘Magu’ (2012), stop-motion video, duration: 4 min. 49 sec.

‘Magu’ (2012) is a stop-motion animation set in Male, Maldives by Yukihiro Taguchi who deals with objects and memories of a place of transit. Male is the capital of the island country Maldives and it is a famous transit hotspot for tourists travelling to the other islands. The majority of its inhabitants consists of locals and migrants. Roaming around the island, the colourful island fabrics are rhizomic and absorbing imprints from daily elements of the vibrant island life - wall textures, manhole covers, iron grills and street signs - and the interactions in the local environment in every aspect. These fabrics become records of memories and spirits of the place and people. During Taguchi’s stay, he learns from the locals that certain colours represent certain cultural, political or religious ideals and identities, and some colours should be avoided. Colours carry different cultural, social and political meanings with them in every culture. This notion of colours also broadens the discussion of Leung’s exploration in ‘My name is Victoria’.

Kongkee 'River' (2020) Animation, 5 min. 3 sec.

In Kongkee’s River (2020) the familiar daily objects in Hong Kong are floating in the same direction as in I can’t find myself. The colours are vibrant yet the manifestation of the beaten, powerless or lifeless objects evoke fear, melancholia and darkness. What are their stories? Where are they going? Fear often comes from the unknown, uncertainty and instability. Based on the artist’s sensitivity in terms of challenging global situations, people are getting closer and building solidarity, exporting and importing ideas. Along this line of thought, the idea that construction is built on destruction is once again obvious. In reality, we are quite uncertain as to what is coming in the future and can we really write the script and storyboard of our lives like in an animation? In the artist’s words: “there is a feeling that our destiny, unfinished, is still to be written.” One might easily be drowned in this melancholic blackhole of current affairs and situations in her or his homeland. Humans are resilient. By going forward, one shall see hope. In the darkest hour, the slightest ray of light will illuminate the darkness and show us the way.

YUKIHIRO TAGUCHI ‘Terasu’ (2015), stop-motion video, during: 4 min. 44 sec.

‘Terasu’ is a Japanese word meaning ‘to illuminate’. Taguchi contemplates on the notion of darkness and light. It was during the winter time when he was invited to create a site-specific project in Arnsberg, Germany. What would the strategy be when the sky goes dark so early? Taguchi applies his survival instinct to use fire and he starts by the most primitive method – hand drilling. The artist draws with the fire across the town in lines and signs, creating soul-like energies. Like a magic touch harmonising the contradictory the yin and yang, using fire to draw a boat and a waterscape. At the end, the fire is transferred onto torches, and the people from the town draw the signs that represent themselves and their place. These are records of the collective memories and solidarity of people.

EXHIBITION

HEIMAT IM WANDEL

POSTPONED TO

4-21 MARCH, 2021

VILLA MEIER SEVERINI

ZOLLIKON, SWITZERLAND

PROGRAMME UPDATES TO COME SOON.

2019 POSTPONED PROGRAMME:

The inaugural exhibition in 2019 of the curatorial project HOMELAND in TRANSIT channeled narratives of ‘homeland’ from Hong Kong perspectives: borders, boundaries, roots, diaspora, cultural identity, colonial ideologies and beyond. In the new chapter in 2020 with the German title HEIMAT im WANDEL, Martin Brauen and Angelika Li form a curatorial partnership to interweave the different perspectives and experiences of Bern-based Tibetan artist Sonam Dolma Brauen and six Hong Kong artists Hung Fai, Lee Ka Sing, Leung Chi Wo, MAP Office, Lulu Ngie and Wai Pong Yu.

The word ‘homeland’ has complex meanings: a clearly defined place/space, a tradition/culture that you share with others, a common history, belonging to a certain community in which you feel at home - and thus also feelings such as security and trust. It evokes a permanent form on the surface, yet when we dive a little deeper into our memories and emotions, the word urges us to reflect on its shifting nature. The definition of ‘homeland’ fluctuates under socio-political pressures which can lead to alienation and discontent, and potential fragmentations in our societies. Despite many differences, Tibet and Hong Kong share something in common: the sense of homeland of its inhabitants is constantly being questioned and reinterpreted. How do artists perceive these transformations and how do they represent it in their art?

Vernissage: March 19, 6–8pm

Opening performance by Kay Zhang (Saxophone) & Nuriya Khasenova (Flute)

Exhibition: March 20 – April 5, 2020

Asia Society Switzerland Talk & Tour: March 27, 6.30-8.30pm

https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/events/homeland-transit

Finissage: April 5, 6-8pm

Venue: Villa Meier-Severini, Zollikerstrasse 86, 8702 Zollikon, Switzerland

Exhibition organised by Kulturkreis Zollikon

Press Release - English

Artist Biographies

Press / Enquiry

HUNG Fai 熊輝 VESSEL IV 2019 Ink on Chinese Paper 136 x 69 cm	Sonam Dolma, Yishen 28, 2014, 94 x 138 cm	MAP Office (Laurent Gutierrez, Valérie Portefaix) HONG KONG IS OUR MUSEUM 2006 White neon mounted on
WAI Pong Yu韋邦雨 LAKEDREAM 2 2019 Ballpoint pen on paper 68 x 100 cm	Sonam Dolma, Yishen 71 2016 Acrylic on Canvas 34x34 cm	Sonam Dolma, Abschied No 3 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 140 x 100 cm
WAI Pong Yu韋邦雨 A RHYTHM OF LANDSCAPE 9 2019 Ballpoint pen on paper 57.5 x 68.4 cm	LEE Ka Sing 李家昇 THE PART OF HISTORY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD 2010 Photographic work 40.64 x 50.8 cm	Lulu NGIE倪鷺露 RECOGNISING IT 2019 Ink on paper mounted on silk 215 x 95 cm
LEE Ka Sing 李家昇 EVERYBODY SAID CAMEL WAS THE FATHER OF GPS 2011 Editions: 4/10 & 5/10	Sonam Dolma, Gone with the wind	LEUNG Chi Wo 梁志和 MY NAME IS VICTORIA 2008 Video: HDV, PAL, 21 min. 30 sec. Artist book: 15 x 21 cm
Sonam Dolma, My Fathers Death	WAI Pong Yu A MOMENT OF TRUTH 57 2019 Archival Ballpoint Pen on Japanese Art Paper 29.7cm x 21cm	WAI Pong Yu A MOMENT OF TRUTH 55 2019 Archival Ballpoint Pen on Japanese Art Paper 29.7cm x 21cm
Upper: WAI Pong Yu A GOLDEN BOUGH 3 2019 Archival black water pigmented ink, silver ballpoint pen, w	WAI Pong Yu A Golden Bough 3, 2019, deta	MAP Office (Laurent Gutierrez, Valérie P

BY THE RIVER RHINE - 'I JUST CAN'T MYSEL

VIDEO TALKS

FEBRUARY 2020

BASEL, SWITZERLAND

We are very proud to present video works by Hong Kong artists May Fung and Law Yuk Mui in the first HOMELAND in TRANSIT VIDEO TALKS. The two artists will appear in Basel by means of video during the sharing session.

May Fung’s two works offer images of Hong Kong through a time tunnel from the 1967 Hong Kong riots to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests with footage drawn from the Hong Kong Government Record Service. Recordings of scholar Ackbar Abbas’ lecture on the notion of ‘culture in a space of disappearance’ guides us through ‘Image of a City’ (1990) while the narratives of disappearance linger with a strong sense of self-identity-searching in ‘She Said Why Me’ (1989).

Image of a City (1990), video duration: 11 mins

She Said Why Me (1989), video duration: 8 mins

Law Yuk Mui’s ‘On Junk Bay, The Plant’ (1990-present) leads us to revisit the geographical history and transformation of Junk Bay, later known as Tseung Kwan O, a reclaimed-land area in Hong Kong where the artist used to live. Her lens not only captures the natural landscape of the area but also the history of its phenomenal land development through reclamation where foreign plants migrated, were transplanted and re-rooted. Through her investigation of Hong Kong cartography and passion in geology, the narratives delve deeper into the contemplation of migration, native vs foreign, borders and the relationship or negotiation between human and nature.

On Junk Bay, The Plant (1990-present), video duration: 3 mins

About the Artists

May Fung is a video artist at the forefront of experimental practice for over three decades in Hong Kong. She is also a filmmaker, curator and art critic. Her work often interweaves local history, cultural landscapes and politics.

Using image, sound and installation as her mediums of preference, and adopting the methodology of field study and collecting, Law Yuk Mui often intervenes in the mundane space and daily life of the city and catches the physical traces of history, psychological pathways of human, the marks of time and the political power in relation to geographic space. Law often digs beyond the surface, through which she would recover fragments of narratives and micro histories.

Limited seating of 30. RSVP is essential. Location provided upon RSVP.

Please bring a non-native plant.

The HOMELAND in TRANSIT VIDEO TALKS programme is in partnership with cmbb (culture matters beyond borders, Hong Kong)

1/1

Thank you very much for joining us at our first HOMELAND in TRANSIT VIDEO TALKS which was launched in Basel on Tuesday 25th February in which we presented Hong Kong artists May Fung and Law Yik Mui’s video works. Many congratulations to the two artists on the first presentation of their works in Switzerland.

A big thank you to the audience who brought us non-native plants and shared with us their stories to make the video installation of Law Yuk Mui’s ‘Junk Bay, The Plant’ (1990-present) more alive. Stay tuned as the installation will continue to grow in Basel.

Thank you again to the two Hong Kong artists May Fung and Law Yuk Mui for making a video conversation for our VIDEO TALKS in Basel, especially during this difficult time of the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong. Our thoughts go to the Hongkongers.

28th February 2020

2020 PROGRAMME

OUTDOOR

VIDEO SCREENING

BY THE RIVER RHINE

30 - 31 OCTOBER 19-22h

FLORASTRASSE 45

BASEL, SWITZERLAND

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