Art, Culture & Lifestyle - Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong

“In the last two years, the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong has been actively promoting the visual arts, a medium that, like music, can express meanings beyond the limit imposed by language.

Among our projects, “Design Made in Hong Kong” (designmadeinhongkong. com) and “Italians” (italianstylehongkong.com) allowed us to present the best of contemporary Italian creativity.

The project “FUSION”, an idea originated from artists Nicolas Bertoux and Cynthia Sah, and partially supported by the ICI Hong Kong and, takes the cultural dialogue deeper.

The collaboration between different artists, aiming to create artworks that are the common result of their creativity is a rare act of generosity and a unique aesthetic experience.

I hope our audience will enjoy the exhibition this year in Hong Kong and a major exhibition next year, which will be a part of the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism celebration program.”

Stefano Fossati Director Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong

FUSION: a dialogue in the name of sculptures

The sculptural creation and the material as instruments of dialogue and encounter between two far-away cultures: a basic but challenging idea that initiated FUSION, an artistic cultural project that builds a bridge between Seravezza and Hong Kong. Launched last May, FUSION invited 10 artists, teamed up in pairs, to co-create sculptural works using the two materials that tell the story of their territory: white Carrara marble from the Apuan Alps and wood from Hong Kong . The end result of this exchange, sculptures born from a “fusion” of materials and ideas from distant worlds will be exhibited at the same time in Seravezza at the Arkad Foundation and at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (vA!) in December 2021.

The project, curated by Silvia Vannacci (林嘉玉), is organised by two influential cultural institutions: the Arkad Foundation, a centre for the promotion of arts based in Seravezza, Tuscany, and the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (vA!), that aims to arouse public interest in artistic creation and the enjoyment of art in Hong Kong. The Municipality of Seravezza and the Italian Cultural Institute of Hong Kong are partners of the project. The Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong, the Terre Medicee Foundation, the Provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara and a long list of other public and private bodies and institutions of the two territories assure their patronage.

“This year’s event is the first of a cycle that we intend to organise in creating a relationship with the Italian marble - in particular the white ones extracted from the quarries of the Apuan Alps - and other materials from all over the world: wood, that is featured in this edition, but also paper, metal, bamboo”, artists Nicolas Bertoux and Cynthia Sah (薩璨 如) of the Arkad Foundation claimed.

The sculptors involved in the FUSION project were selected by a panel of artists, curators, architects and operators from the art world. The Tuscany team includes Francesca Bernardini, Lorenzo Vignoli, Flavia Robalo, Jacob Cartwright and Aurélien Boussin; while the Hong Kong team includes Danny Lee Chin Fai (李展輝), Yaman Chau (周圓緣), Ho Yuen Leung (何遠良), Margaret Chu (朱卓慧) and Violet Shum (岑嘉慧).

After creating their own piece, the artists exchanged their works in order to complete them on the basis of a shared artistic project and with their own reference material.

The ten works, five in marble and five in wood were previewed before and after the exchange in Arkad Foundation’s headquarters in a video conference with Hong Kong. The final reveal of the completed sculptures will be exhibited simultaneously in December 2021 at the Arkad Foundation gallery and at vA! While some parts of the sculptures will not be physically presented in the place of the exhibition, guests can appreciate the missing parts virtually, bringing the artworks together.

The organisers are planning a major exhibition - with all ten completed artworks to be presented together - and a series of artist residencies to be held in 2022, the Italy-China year of culture and tourism.

Exhibition Details: FUSION Cultural Exchange Seravezza - Hong Kong

Exhibition in Hong Kong:

Date: 8 December 2021 - 27 December 2021 Venue: vA! (Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre) Address: 7A Kennedy Road, Central, HK, China Opening Hours: Monday, Wednesday to Sunday: 10am - 9pm Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, Christmas Eve, New Year Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10am - 5pm Closed on Tuesdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and the first three days of the Chinese New Year.

Exhibition in Seravezza:

Date: 8 December 2021 - 12 February 2022 Venue: ARKAD Foundation Address: 289 Viale Leonetto Amadei, Seravezza, Italy Opening Hours: Every day: 10 - 12am — 4 - 7pm (on reservation) Closed on Christmas Eve, New Year Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day.

Italian Cultural Institute Hong Kong

The Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong is part of a network of over 80 Italian Cultural Institutes worldwide. Alongside the Italian Cultural Institutes in Beijing and Shanghai, it is one of the three cultural agencies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China.

The Institute of Hong Kong has been active since 2011 as the official Italian governmental body dedicated to promoting the Italian language and culture in Hong Kong and Macau. To this end, the Institute organises concerts, exhibitions, screenings, readings and other cultural events and it also encourages cultural and scientific collaboration between Italy and Hong Kong / Macau. It closely cooperates with the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong.

Website: https://iichongkong.esteri.it/iic_hongkong/en/

About FUSION

Organizers

The Fusion project is organized by the ARKAD Foundation, co-organized by the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (vA!), in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Hong Kong and the Municipality of Seravezza.

Institutional Partners

Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong, Terre Medicee Foundation, Tuscany Region, the provinces of Lucca and Massa e Carrara, the municipalities of Massa, Montignoso, Stazzema, Pietrasanta, Camaiore.

Partners

Studio Artco Srl, Lucca Promos, The Lands of Giacomo Puccini, Sorma Srl, Sino Italian Design Exchange Center, Pro Loco Association, Contemporary Matters.

Arkad Foundation

Arkad is a non-profit Foundation, founded in 2002 with the aim of creating an intercultural centre designed to promote artistic projects, help sculptors in creating works of art, promote and spread culture, especially plastic arts, organise professional training and welcome artists.

The Foundation is housed within the structures of the ARTCO Studio, in the historic marble sawmill adjacent to the Medici Palace of Seravezza, located between the Apuan Alps and the Versilia plain.

The purpose of the Foundation is to organise exhibitions and events, train artists, transmit technical knowledge, encourage the encounter of artistic experiences in the broad field of contemporary art and connect internal activities with the main local and international artistic events.

Website: www.arkad.it IG: arkadfondazione FB: Fondazione ARKAD Email: info@arkad.it

Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre

The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre – vA! – is an open, multidirectional art space that focuses on art learning, research and exchange. It is a place where one can absorb the nutrients of art, enjoy opportunities to create art and let it transform your life.

With its specialised equipment, exhibition spaces and invigorating atmosphere, vA! is a journey of inspiration for anyone who wants to refine their skills and awaken the true artist within.

It is a journey of immersion and discovery that allows enthusiasts to experience the visual arts, gain artistic know-how, drive their creativity and push their boundaries by challenging themselves and exchanging ideas and experiences with others.

Situated in Hong Kong Park, vA! is housed in a Grade I historic building, originally called Cassels Block, which was built around 1900 as married quarters for British army officers. As a counterpart to its sister venue Oi!, also under the management of the Art Promotion Office, vA! expresses through its English name the excitement and surprise that art can bring. Representing the horizontal axis, Oi! explores the possibilities of art experimentation by providing space for projects that can inspire creativity and engage the public, while vA! as the vertical axis provides art training for the public to further their artistic development.

Website: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/APO/en_US/ web/apo/va_main.html IG: hongkongvisualartscentre FB: 香港視覺藝術中心 Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre

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To learn more about upcoming italian events you may contact:

Italian Cultural Institute Suite 3201, 32/F Central Plaza 18, Harbour Road, Wanchai - Hong Kong www.iichongkong.esteri.it | iichongkong@esteri