The Artists Taking Over a Historic Hong Kong Tenement House

The takeover builds on Schoeni Projects' disCONNECT LDN, which saw street artists transform a Victorian townhouse.

Fourteen artists will take over a 1950s Hong Kong tenement house in an exhibition opening to visitors 10 October–19 November.

The show will include works by artists from Europe and Iran as well as site specific installations by Hong Kong's Go Hung, Jaffa Lam, Kacey Wong, and Wong Ting Fung.

Organised by Schoeni Projects in collaboration with HKwalls, a non-profit that promotes street art, disCONNECT HK builds on disCONNECT LDN, which saw ten artists install works in an 1850s townhouse in Southeast London. Works by all ten artists who showed in London will appear in the Hong Kong show.

Among the standout works at disCONNECT LDN, which ran from 24 July–23 August, were a paint and cardboard installation by Berlin-based Herakult (pictured top), carved doors by Portuguese artist Vhils, and colourful, gauzy spray paint portraits by South London street artist Mr Cenz. The other artists were Adam Neate (UK), Aida Wilde (Iran), Alex Fakso (Italy), David Bray (UK), Icy and Sot (Iran), Isaac Cordal (Spain), and Zoer (Italy).

One of the major themes of disCONNECT LDN was the challenges posed by the pandemic. True to the exhibition title, restrictions on travel meant only the four participants living in the United Kingdom were able to install their work in person.

The pandemic is a major motif in the works of the Hong Kong artists too, including a drinking fountain and old fashioned water tap carved out of soap by Go Hung. The works, which illustrate our new hyper-attention to hygiene, are called I So Late, a Chinglish pun on the imperative to socially distance.

disCONNECT LDN was Schoeni Projects London's inaugural exhibition in anticipation of an official opening in Northern Hemisphere summer 2021. Following disCONNECT HK, Schoeni Projects HK plans to open in a warehouse loft in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen.

A virtual version of the Hong Kong exhibition, similar to this excellent VR version of the London show, will launch on October 24.

Schoeni Projects was founded by Nicole Schoeni, former director of Schoeni Art Gallery. The gallery was established by Nicole's father, Manfred, in 1992, and showed work in London and Hong Kong before closing in 2013. —[O]