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.
2020 PROGRAMME
EXHIBITIONS
MARCH-APRIL 2020
ZOLLIKON, SWITZERLAND
POSTPONED
AS A PRECAUTION TO
THE CORONAVIRUS
NEW DATES WILL BE
ANNOUNCED SOON
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
JUNE 2020
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
More information coming soon.
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)
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
