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 October to November 2020 and HEIMAT im WANDEL in Zollikon will take place between March 4 & 21, 2021. Please scroll down for more information.
2020 PROGRAMME
EXHIBITION+
VIDEO TALKS
OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 1, 2020
BERLIN, GERMANY
HOMELAND in TRANSIT next stop: BERLIN
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.
Artists
May FUNG
Kongkee
LAW Yuk Mui
LEUNG Chi Wo
MAP Office (Valerie Portefaix & Laurent Gutierrez)
TAGUCHI Yukihiro
Curator
Angelika Li
Exhibition: October 1 - November 1, 2020
Open hours: Wed - Sun, 1-7pm
VIDEO TALKS: October 3, Sat 4-7pm
Venue: MOMENTUM, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, Berlin
Co-presented by
EXHIBITION
HEIMAT IM WANDEL
MARCH-APRIL, 2020
ZOLLIKON, SWITZERLAND
POSTPONED TO
MARCH 4-21, 2020
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
 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 |
JUNE 2020
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER, 2020
HONG KONG, JAPAN, TAIWAN POSTPONED
EXHIBITION+
VIDEO TALKS
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
