CURATED BY BILLY TANG AND CELIA HO

‘Signals’ in the context of the exhibition are modes of kinetic art, communication, actions, and interventions to create a chain of reactions. As such, the participating artists will make use of cues including sound, smell, movement, and smoke to interrogate complex issues related to dispersed communities, migratory flows, and the intersection of technology, science, and architecture. The exhibition will unfold over three phases: ‘signals...storms and patterns’ (opening 17 March) will focus on self-organisation and the politics of space in contemporary artmaking; ‘signals...folds and splits’ (opening 2 June) will in turn reflect on the temporality of artworks and alternative economies of time; and finally, ‘signals...here and there’ (opening 4 August) will explore dispersal as a strategy to think about contemporary global issues through the lens of Hong Kong.

Taking inspiration from the seminal gallery and art salon Signals London (1964–1966), the exhibition represents strategies to reconnect with the global community from the pivot point of Hong Kong in a post-pandemic world, and is conceived as an exhibition that is allowed to evolve and remain dynamic beyond its opening. The reconfigurable display system of the exhibition serves as an ongoing spatial investigation as artworks/happenings rotate, unfold, fragment, or dissolve throughout the exhibition period.

Participating artists of signals...storms and patterns (18 March–28 May 2023): Christine Sun Kim, Linda Chiu-han Lai, Candice Lin & P. Staff, Pratchaya Phinthong, Printhow, James Richards, So Wing Po, Mika Tajima, Tang Kwok Hin, Truong Cong Tung, with atmospheric interventions including a publishing project by Wing Chan featuring photography by South Ho, and a broadcasting project by Wan Ing Que, Elaine W. Ho, and Kunci Study Forum & Collective with the School of Improper Education in collaboration with Hong Kong Community Radio