Beijing Visitor Guide

To mark the occasion, Freya Chou, Guest Curator of the exhibition; Angela Su, participating artist; and Henry Tsoi, Deputy Representative of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels officiated at the opening reception of the exhibition in Venice which was livestreamed in Hong Kong, including to the audience at the Grand Stair at M+, and the rest of the world.

Pre-recorded messages from Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the M+ Board, and Wilfred Wong, Chairman of HKADC, are also shared on the occasion which marked the eleventh Hong Kong presentation in Venice Biennale. 

The exhibition is held from 23 April through 27 November 2022.

Angela Su: Arise, Hong Kong in Venice

Freya Chou, an independent curator based in Hong Kong, guest curated the exhibition with consulting curator Ying Kwok, senior curator at Tai Kwun in Hong Kong and guest curator of Hong Kong’s Collateral Event at Biennale Arte 2017. In her presentation, Su conveys a speculative narrative through interlocking fictional perspectives. 

The act of levitation serves as an organising metaphor that reappears throughout Su’s drawings, moving image works, embroideries, and installations. The artist assumes the guise of a fictional alter-ego to explore the myriad cultural and political valences of rising in the air. 

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a new video work, The Magnificent Levitation Act of Lauren O. This pseudo-documentary tells the story of Lauren O, a fictional character who believes she can levitate, and her involvement with Laden Raven, an activist group catalysed by the US anti-war movement of the 1960s. 

Su’s video comprises found footage and clips of a new performance by the artist. Weaving together fact and fiction, the work suggests an alternative space for action and disruption. Traces of Lauren O and Laden Raven are embedded in the constellation of artwork in the exhibition. The works on view invite the audience to take a journey in this fictional world built by Su. 

A circus ring and a swing, both exaggerated in scale and proportion, are situated in the courtyard outside the main exhibition. Su’s renowned drawings and hair embroideries are also featured in the presentation, conveying the physical and psychological experiences of living in precarious times. The world Su creates in Arise is an assemblage of various contemporary expressions of how an individual can confront a changed and changing world. Fiction allows us to create this hybrid world, a space where we can explore ideas that cannot be confronted directly. 

As was the case with the four previous collaborations between M+ and HKADC for the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Hong Kong audiences will have the opportunity to see Angela Su’s work following the close of the Venice presentation. A return exhibition will be on view in 2023 at M+ in Hong Kong. 

Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the M+ Board, says, ‘We are very honoured to join hands with HKADC to participate in this prestigious international arts event again. With the opening of M+ last November, our participation at the Biennale Arte 2022 is especially significant, not only to M+ but to the West Kowloon Cultural District as a whole. We will continue our commitment to support and promote culture and arts development in Hong Kong. I hope international audience would enjoy the exhibition in Venice and be able to visit M+ in the near future to enjoy an extraordinary cultural experience offered by the museum.’ 

Wilfred Wong, Chairman of HKADC, says, ‘For many years, HKADC has dedicated to facilitating the connection of Hong Kong to the international arts community and promoting Hong Kong arts overseas. This year marks the fifth collaboration between HKADC and M+ at the Venice Biennale. By pulling together our resources and expertise, we have devoted the biggest effort to support Hong Kong talents at this international visual arts platform and have witnessed their new level of achievements.’ 

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, underscores the importance of the ongoing collaboration between M+ and HKADC for fostering recognition of Hong Kong artists and curators on an international stage:

‘The opening of Angela Su’s presentation in Venice marks the fifth fruitful collaboration between M+ and the HKADC, in which we present the best of Hong Kong contemporary art and curatorship to a wide international audience in Venice. We are pleased to present another female artist and are extremely proud to see curators from Hong Kong taking on a more significant role in the project. We look forward to receiving an international audience in Venice.’ 

Doryun Chong, Deputy Director, Curatorial and Chief Curator of M+, who served as Co-Curator of the 2015 edition and as Consulting Curator for the 2017 and 2019 editions, emphasises the relevance of Angela Su’s Venice presentation: ‘Angela Su’s presentation features the artist’s celebrated, extremely meticulous drawings and embroidery inspired by anatomical illustrations, as well as montaged moving image narratives composed of a wide range of found footage. Traversing disciplines of arts and sciences, and cultures and times, Su’s work demonstrates not only the complex breadth of the artist’s practice, but also the depth of talent and discourse in contemporary art in Hong Kong.’ 

Freya Chou, Guest Curator, elaborates on the artist’s practice for this edition: ‘It is a great honour to be working on Hong Kong’s Collateral Event at the Biennale Arte 2022 with Angela Su. For this immensely important exhibition Angela has taken on the challenge by embracing new mediums. We are extremely excited to see the project come to life despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, and we hope it will resonate with both international and local audiences.’ 

Artist Angela Su expresses her delight with the opportunity to represent Hong Kong as a Collateral Event in Venice: 

‘I am very grateful for the generous support I have received from M+ and the HKADC to develop this new body of work and to be able to represent Hong Kong as a Collateral Event of the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, a leading international platform to exchange innovation and ideas around contemporary art. I am thrilled to represent my hometown, and a place that has shaped my artistic practice over the years. It is particularly meaningful for me to show in Venice, and to connect with a global audience through my participation in a Collateral Event at the Biennale Arte 2022.’