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International artists and designers, including Antony Gormley, Daniel Boyd, Joana Vasconcelos and Snøhetta are showcasing their original works in Hong Kong
A still and silent sculpture; giant creations themed around sewing, knitting and crocheting; and a multifaceted installation with an interplay between light and darkness; Swire Properties' Arts Month 2024 returns this March with a captivating collection of bespoke, site-specific art experiences in Hong Kong.
The Company's annual arts celebration officially kicks off with a new permanent addition to Taikoo Place's public art collection, SHELF II by renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley. This unique work invites passers-by to reflect on their own position within the city, time and space.
Taikoo Place also plays host to two monumental, textile art installations by acclaimed Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, including ArtisTree Selects: Enchanted Forest – a gigantic kaleidoscopic sculptural art experience inspired by whimsical fairy-tale forests; and the monumental textile sculpture Valkyrie Seondeok to be installed at Two Taikoo Place – which invites dialogue on the themes of the standing of women, consumerism, and personal and societal identity.
Entering the twelfth year of Swire Properties' partnership with Art Basel Hong Kong, the fair's hallmark Encounters sector, dedicated to large-scale projects, will return featuring an offsite installation Doan by Sydney/Gadigal-based, First Nations Australian artist Daniel Boyd, on view at Pacific Place from 21 March to 7 April. The title of the work means “darkness” in the Yugambeh language of the Aboriginal Australian people of south-east Queensland. The site-specific installation comprises a newly created moving image work, a mirrored stage floor, and window treatment which plays on the movement of light throughout the day. Employing dots as both a visual and conceptual element, the work explores themes of identity, memory, perception, and history. Doan invites visitors to move through the installation and to reconsider individual and collective ways we view an ever-evolving idea of the past, present, and future.
Swire Properties VIP Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong returns as “HORIZON”, designed by Snøhetta, the award-winning architecture and design studio. The Lounge this year is created by the evocative interplay between a dramatic reflective canopy representing the sky, and the soft and colourful ground below, and is the stage for the live Dialogues Series – which brings together leading experts and voices to celebrate art and design, explore contemporary issues and inspire audiences through a series of talks and panel discussions.
Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties, said, “We're excited to launch Swire Properties' Arts Month 2024 and immerse our tenants, visitors, and communities in an incredible series of art programmes from sculptural artwork to large-scale art installations. As an international arts hub, arts and culture are part of Hong Kong's urban fabric, and we're delighted to be able to play our part. Once again, through curated collaborations with internationally renowned artists and designers, we aspire to bring arts and culture into people's everyday lives, an ambition that we've been pursuing for the past five decades.”
Swire Properties Arts Month 2024 - Highlights
Park Court, Pacific Place
Art Basel Hong Kong's Encounters sector is curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director of Artspace Sydney, and will feature 16 large-scale projects by artists from a broad spectrum of geographies, under the theme ‘I am a part of all that I have met'. Presented by Kukje Gallery (Seoul, Busan) and Station (Melbourne, Sydney), and supported by Swire Properties, Art Basel's Official Partner of offsite Encounters, Doan is the only project in the sector on view beyond the fair halls.
ArtisTree & Two Taikoo Place, Taikoo Place
A brand-new, site-specific artwork by Portuguese visual artist Joana Vasconcelos to debut at ArtisTree, Enchanted Forest transforms the multipurpose venue into a magical ground. This work is a monumental sculptural installation customised using traditional techniques such as sewing, knitting and crocheting. The creation took a team of sixty people six months to complete, and is a first for Vasconcelos to present a fully immersive work that connects the giant sculptures with visitors in Hong Kong.
Visually connected to Enchanted Forest using the same fabrics and techniques, Valkyrie Seondeok is the latest work in Vasconcelos' long-running Valkyrie series of over 30 tributes to powerful women who have made a difference in the world. Two Taikoo Place is the home for the towering textile sculpture which pays homage to a very inspiring Asian Queen, Seondeok, the second female sovereign in recorded East-Asian history, and the first reigning Queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
The two installations are deeply connected to the city and its environment, and spark contemplation on the interplay between art, people and place.
Taikoo Place – Public Art Collection
SHELF II evokes a curious, searching body, one that is thoughtful, quizzical and contemplative. Located adjacent to Taikoo Square, an expansive green open space and a key component of the Taikoo Place redevelopment, Gormley's sculpture comments on the busy daily lives of those who inhabit the urban environment; still and silent, the work allows passers-by to reflect on their own position within the city. Over time, SHELF II will show signs of oxidisation as it reacts with the elements, becoming part of Hong Kong's ever-changing, transforming landscape.
For Swire Properties Arts Month 2024's full programme, visit https://www.swireproperties.com/en/art-and-culture/hk-arts-month/2024-content/art-basel-hong-kong/
Photo Captions
Please download the images at this link: https://shorturl.at/bklIP
Renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley
Photo credit: Oak Taylor Smith, courtesy White Cube
Sydney/Gadigal-based, First Nations Australian artist Daniel Boyd
Photo credit: James Brickwood
Portuguese visual artist Joana Vasconcelos
Photo credit: Pedro Jafuno
About Swire Properties
Swire Properties develops and manages commercial, retail, hotel, and residential properties, with a particular focus on mixed-use developments in prime locations at major mass transportation intersections. Swire Properties is listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and its investment portfolio in Hong Kong comprises Taikoo Place, Pacific Place, Cityplaza, Citygate Outlets. The Company's completed portfolio in Hong Kong comprises approximately 16.6 million sq ft (approximately 1.54 million sqm) of space.
In the Chinese Mainland, Swire Properties has six completed mixed-use developments in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. They include Taikoo Li Sanlitun and INDIGO in Beijing, HKRI Taikoo Hui and Taikoo Li Qiantan in Shanghai, Taikoo Hui Guangzhou and Taikoo Li Chengdu. INDIGO II in Beijing, Taikoo Li Xi'an, two new, mixed-use projects in Shanghai and a new retail project in Sanya are currently under development. The Company's completed portfolio in the Chinese Mainland comprises approximately 14.1 million sq ft (approximately 1.31 million sqm) of space.
In addition to Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, the Company has investments in the United States, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Visit Swire Properties' website at www.swireproperties.com
About Art Basel
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel's engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. Art Basel's Global Media Partner is The Financial Times. For further information, please visit artbasel.com.