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.
Transiting through an extraordinary year...
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 launched in Basel presenting works by Hong Kong artists May Fung and Law Yuk Mui in February before the CV19 regulations were introduced in Switzerland. Due to CV19, all of our programmes and activities scheduled for Asia have been postponed.
Entering autumn, the Berlin exhibition featuring Hong Kong artists Kongkee, Leung Chi Wo, May Fung, Law Yuk Mui and MAP Office together with Berlin-based Japanese artist Yukihiro Taguchi opened at the gallery of our partner Momentum in Kunstquartier Bethanien on 1 October through 29 November. The VIDEO TALKS with Kongkee and Taguchi moderated by the founder of the project Angelika Li on 3 October accidentally coincided with the Germany Reunification Day. Further discussions followed with the audience after the talk with ad-hoc interviews conducted, views of 'homeland' shared and some local Berliners' experiences collected. Our project is indebted to their valuable contributions and grateful for their participations. Thank you very much! Vielen Dank!
Concurrently during the Berlin exhibition period on 30 and 31 October, five video works with strong notions of water by Kongkee, Taguchi and MAP Office were interwoven with and BY THE RIVER RHINE at the outdoor video installation at a heritage-listed building on the well-known Florastrasse in Kleinbasel under the rare blue moon on 30 & 31 October. To the neighbours' surprise, the building has temporarily turned into a house with moving images running and moving around on the exterior. If one went closer to the building, sounds from the videos could be heard which added other layers to their immediate environment by the River Rhine. Another accidental coincidence was the rare blue moon rise which was not known during the planning phase and it miraculously offered the most dreamlike backdrop for Kongkee's two works from his 'Moon in the River' series. Our team hoped that this project also did act as a tool to cheer up and inject some energies to the communities around the area during the pandemic times.
In November, Kulturkreis Zollikon has announced that 4 - 21 March, 2021 are the new dates for our exhibition HEIMAT im WANDEL at Villa Meier Severini co-curated by Martin Brauen and Angelika Li. The new programme from the organiser and the event with Asia Society Switzerland will be updated in due course. A new chapter of exhibition is being targeted to happen in Basel in June, 2021. *updated as at 8 February 2021: The exhibition has been further postponed to 5-22 May 2022.
Stay tuned for more updates of our new journeys in 2021. We wish you all a healthy and fruitful year ahead!
2020 PROGRAMME
OUTDOOR
VIDEO SCREENING
BY THE RIVER RHINE
30 - 31 OCTOBER
FLORASTRASSE 45
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
HOMELAND in TRANSIT
BY THE RIVER RHINE
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
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 info@momentumworldwide.org
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
EXHIBITION
HEIMAT IM WANDEL
05-22 MAY, 2022
(POSTPONED FROM 2020)
VILLA MEIER-SEVERINI
ZOLLIKON, SWITZERLAND
PROGRAMME UPDATES TO COME SOON.
PROGRAMME (POSTPONED FROM 2020):
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?
Venue: Villa Meier-Severini, Zollikerstrasse 86, 8702 Zollikon, Switzerland
Exhibition organised by Kulturkreis Zollikon
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
