Show and Tell Hong Kong Culture series - #1 Community Art and Culture

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 series - #1 Community Art and Culture

從《夏𢡱道》開始

Starting with “Harcourt Road”

(Please scroll down for the English version)

張嘉莉於香港的藝術創作，不少是回應當下的社會議題，策展工作亦著重社群參與。2021年來到英國後，她必須思考：身處於一個陌生社區，能否繼續進行以社區為本的藝術計劃。2023至2024年在錫菲進行的 《夏𢡱道》比較歷史計劃，由Bloc Projects策劃，得到National Lottery Heritage Fund資助，讓她有機會嘗試再演繹和再定義「社區」及「文化傳承」（Heritage）。

是次分享將由 《夏𢡱道》開始，帶大家由2024年，走回2019、2014年， 再「回帶」看1980年代，在香港出現的一些「社區藝術」（community art）及「社會介入/參與藝術」（socially engaged art） 案例，及後來由藝術發展局主動招標建立的「上海街404號」社區藝術空間之前世今生。最後，我們會追問：雖然不同年代於香港孕育的社區藝術，都必然是回應當時的當下，但當中有沒有累積到甚麼，是可供來者參考，或者幫助來者找到甚麼突破？

註：活動主要以香港話進行。

對談嘉賓 ： 羅文樂、葉曉燕

Much of Clara Cheung’s artistic creation in Hong Kong responded to current social issues, and her curatorial work has also placed a strong emphasis on community engagement. After arriving in the UK in 2021, she had to contemplate whether she could continue carrying out community-based art initiatives while living in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Curated by Bloc Projects and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Harcourt Road comparative history project, conducted in Sheffield between 2023 and 202, afforded her the opportunity to re-interpret "community" and "heritage."

Starting with Harcourt Road, this session invites the audience on a journey backward from 2024 to 2019 and 2014, ultimately "rewinding" to the 1980s to examine the roots of Hong Kong’s "community art" and "socially engaged art." We will also trace the lifecycle of "404 Shanghai Street," a community art space born from a top-down initiative later tendered by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Finally, we will ask: as Hong Kong’s community art shifted to reflect changing times, what legacy has it left behind to guide or inspire future generations?

Note: This event will be conducted primarily in Cantonese.

Guest respondents: LAW Man Lok, Rachel IP

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張嘉莉從事藝術及策展工作，喜以行為藝術作個人創作媒介，亦多作社區及社群藝術計劃。她現於錫菲繼續營運於2007年在香港創立的藝術空間「C & G藝術單位」，為港人團體 Re-Water CIC的創辦人之一、「香港公民代表會議」的英歐地區召集人，正於約克大學進修博士學位，書寫香港於1950年代末至1970年代的對外藝術展覽歷史。

As an artist-curator, Clara Cheung has strong interest over performance art and community-based projects. Based in Sheffield, UK, she is currently running the art space C & G Artpartment, which was founded in Hong Kong in 2007. Co-directing the Hong Kong community group, Re-Water CIC, she is also the convenor of “The UK-EU committee of The Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong” (formed by a group of former Hong Kong District Councillors and LegCo members), and working on her PhD research project at University of York about the history of Hong Kong’s outward-facing art exhibitions between the late 1950s and 1970s.

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羅文樂（羅文），獲倫敦大學金匠學院藝術碩士學位。受觀念藝術與波普藝術影響，其創作探討再現代化、去殖民化及 90 年代流行文化。

除個人創作外，他是藝術團體「活化廳」的共同創辦人，也是創意二人組 Penguin Lab 成員，曾參與製作《哈爾流動肥佬》等多部獲獎動畫。羅文樂亦是策展人，曾策劃及協助多個國際展覽，包括備受讚譽的「江康泉：戰國龐克」。無論是社區藝術、策展項目還是數位敘事，羅文樂的作品始終連結著想像力與批判性的社會對話。

Law Man Lok (Lawman), MFA, Goldsmiths College, University of London. Influenced by Conceptual and Pop Art, his practice explores re-modernisation, decolonisation, and 90s pop culture.

Beyond his individual work, he co-founded the artist collective Wooferten and is half of the creative duo Penguin Lab, known for award-winning animations like "Howl the Mobile Fatty". Lawman is also a curator and mastermind behind international exhibitions, including the acclaimed "Kongkee: Warring States Cyberpunk". Whether through community art, curatorial projects, or digital storytelling, Lawman’s work continuously bridges the synergy between imagination and critical social dialogue.

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葉曉燕為視覺藝術家、策展人、藝術教育工作者及藝術寫作者，其創作與研究聚焦於攝影及藝術史。

她為Women Art Creative創辦人，曾任The Upper Station Gallery畫廊經理，並創辦RAC（一人藝術學校）。自2013年起為大學藝術系講師，並將藝術教育融入其創作實踐之中。

葉氏的作品曾於各地展出。著有《100香港人自攝像》及《春光》，並曾於《Milk》及《Res()nate》雜誌撰寫「racvisual」藝術專欄，為《明報》〈A–Z藝術字典〉作者。香港電台藝術節目《呼吸美學2》主持。

現居倫敦，持續從事藝術創作、寫作及教育工作。創辦藝術播客《藝術問米》，致力拓展藝術與公眾之間的連結。

Rachel Ip is a visual artist, curator, art educator, and writer whose practice and research focus on photography and art history.

She is the founder of Women Art Creative and previously served as Gallery Manager of The UpperStation Gallery. She also founded RAC (One-Person Art School). Since 2013, she has taught in university art programmes in Hong Kong, integrating art education into her creative and curatorial practice.

Ip has exhibited her work in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Her publications include100 Self-Portraits of Hongkongers and Chun Gwong. She has contributed the “racvisual”column to Milk and Res()nate magazine, written for the A–Z Art Dictionary series published by Ming Pao, and hosted the RTHK arts programme Aesthetic Encounter 2.

Based in London, Ip continues her artistic practice, research, writing, and education, with a focus on women artists and creative practices. Meanwhile, She is also the founder and host of Artrice, a podcast dedicated to making art more accessible to the public.