Art Central 2024 announces most extensive and diverse programming in the Fair’s history
Art Central and its Lead Partner, UOB, shared details of its extensive creative programme curated by Enoch Cheng for the Fair’s ninth edition. Taking place from 28 to 31 March, with a preview day on 27 March, Art Central 2024 will present an immersive on-site programme that encompasses a specially-commissioned sculptural installation by Hong Kong artist Ho Sin Tung, its popular Yi Tai Sculpture & Installation Projects sector showcasing five international artists, screenings of video art from artists of diverse backgrounds, an engaging talks programme in partnership with esteemed cultural organisations, educational activations for all ages, and a performance art showcase including a five-day performance by Japanese artist Norico Sunayama.
Art Central 2024 returns to its signature location on Hong Kong’s iconic Central Harbourfront, presenting a remastered creative programme alongside 95 galleries and reinforcing the Fair’s position as the destination for discovery during Hong Kong Art Week.
PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS In addition to its innovative gallery presentations, Art Central 2024 takes a proactive role in championing a diversity of artistic forms through its parallel artistic programme, highlighting the next generation of artists in Asia as well as art and ideas from around the world presented for the first time in Hong Kong. The Fair’s curated programme is creator-focused, ambitious, immersive and, above all, accessible.
PERFORMANCE ART Art Central’s 2024 Performance Art programme is presented throughout the Fair, cultivating direct interactions with the audience by staging artistic experiences that come alive through active participation. Norico Sunayama’s world-renowned performance artwork, A Sultry World (1995–), makes its Hong Kong debut at Art Central 2024, presented in partnership with CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile). The unique, five-day durational event opens the Fair and features a sublime red dress that beckons visitors to delve into a liminal space that straddles the boundary between the public and the private. Further highlights include Art-is-Here-Picnic (2024), a new work by Enoch Cheng, which welcomes visitors to join local arts and cultural practitioners to a picnic where the fare of the day is a discussion on the function of art and how it impacts collective and individual lives. In Planting Tastes by Scarlet Yu (2024), performers narrate and demonstrate stories about taste and the flow of culinary influences through cultures and communities, adding ingredients as new stories are cooked up through the influence of audience participation.
MAJOR INSTALLATION BY HONG KONG ARTIST HO SIN TUNG Ho Sin Tung (b. 1986, Hong Kong) has been commissioned to make a large-scale artwork to be unveiled at the Fair. The installation, titled Shadow Boxing (2024), originates conceptionally in the artist’s passion for martial arts and, critically, the discipline and self-awareness required mentally and physically to master the sport. The new work champions the Fair’s commitment to Hong Kong art and artists and celebrates the ingenuity of an acclaimed mid-career artist.
YI TAI SCULPTURE & INSTALLATION PROJECTS Five large-scale artworks that have been selected for Art Central’s 2024 Yi Tai Sculpture & Installation Projects sector invite viewers to get up close and personal with diverse artistic media and themes. These include a mesmerising rope and ceramic knots installation examining human relationships by Kyoto-based Korean artist Sangsun Bae; Prague-based Rony Plesl's masterful cast glass sculptures, which prompt reflection on the location of sacred space in society; Italian-born, Tokyo-based Andrea Samory’s otherworldly 3D-printed sculpture that explores our collective psyche about the wild tomorrow; Egyptian-born British artist Sam Shendi’s elegant steel sculptures recently revealed at London’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition; and Japanese artist Wataru Yamakami’s monumental painting of apocalyptic-themed objects.
VIDEO ART Art Central’s Video Art programme explores new art from the field of moving images, a forward-thinking showcase of leading artists who have been invited to present recent works on the Fair’s state-of-the-art LED wall. Hailing from all corners of the planet, from Africa to Australia and Europe to East Asia, the selected artists are innovative thinkers who employ the dynamic and creative nature of the audio-visual medium to address individual imaginings of the future. A notable inclusion comes from South African artists Francois Knoetze, Russel Hlongwane, and Amy Louise Wilson, whose 2023 project Dzata: The Institute of Technological Consciousness aims to foreground indigenous technological knowledge and to explore how science, technology, and innovation are part of a long-interlinked process of accumulative knowledge production that extends long into the past.
TALKS Visitors to Art Central 2024 will have access to an engaging programme of Talks, welcoming luminaries from both Hong Kong and international backgrounds to discuss compelling topics and memorable trends in contemporary art today. Stéphane Lam investigates the Cantonese heritage of his late father, Wifredo Lam (1902-82), in an insightful event hosted by Asia Society. CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) brings together curator Hsieh Feng-Rong and artist Bi Rongrong, among others, to explore soft power in art today. Asia Cultural Council connects cultural practitioners across generations and disciplines in a wide-ranging conversation between Kenneth HC Fung, Current Plans’ Eunice Tsang and Vera Lam of Hart Haus. Further programming in partnerships with the Hong Kong Art Centre and talks hosted by Enoch Cheng with Art Central artists round out the exciting programme, which will be made available in full online.
EDUCATION & TOURS Art Central places education front and centre with an abundance of programmes geared to visitors of all ages. Local artists and practitioners provide specially designed tours for children, aimed at opening the world of art to younger audiences; local educational institutions are connected to the Fair's programme of talks and performances through a special programme that welcomes university students expanding the field of discussion to the next generation of cultural leaders; members of the public from all backgrounds are welcome to join in free tours guided by docents who will share unique insights with the Fair’s audiences.
Enoch Cheng, Art Central 2024 Curatorial Director, said: “I vividly recall the experience of taking part in the performance art programme at Art Central 2017, which gave me abundant space to explore and experiment; it was a defining moment that helped shape my early artistic career. Art Central is well-known for showcasing young and fresh ideas in art, providing a diverse experience for artists, galleries, arts professionals, and its vibrant audiences. I am honoured to continue this legacy as I join the dedicated and passionate Fair team as Curatorial Director. In the upcoming edition, we explore how, in 2024, we can create an even more engaging and relevant occasion for local, regional, and international visitors to appreciate, think and exchange with, take part in and create art together.”
Corey Andrew Barr, Fair Director, Art Central, said: “Under the direction of Enoch Cheng, Art Central 2024 will feature an unprecedented range of creative programmes which place primacy on the visitor experience through connection to the most engaging art and artists of our time and place. We welcome audiences of all backgrounds to join us in this unique celebration of art and creativity with a foundation in Hong Kong and an eye to cultural influence the world around.”
