First Edition

For our final episode this year, First Edition is stoked to meet Hong Kong native and internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist, Samson Young, and understand more about his original sound compositions and accumulated studies of sound in the context of Contemporary art, and its direct impact on our visual and auditory experience. Samson graduated with a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Princeton University in 2013. In 2017, he represented Hong Kong at the 57th Venice Biennale. Samon’s works have been presented in major institutions, such as the Guggenheim Museum, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Mori Art Museum Tokyo and Sydney Opera House. In 2017, Samson represented Hong Kong at the 57th Venice Biennale. He is also a recipient of multiple awards for his progressive works, including the M Plus Sigg Prize in 2020, BMW Art Journey Award in 2015 and Bloomberg Emerging Artist Award in 2007.From virtual instruments, muted performances, video and sound-based projects showcased in international fairs and exhibitions, this interview records the refreshing thoughts and processes Samson adopted in his mixed media compositions. Join us this episode to “earwitness” Samson’s musical sensibilities and training, artistic observations, as well as his ‘quirky’ and experimental approach to art.

This month, First Edition connected with RNH Space founder and curator, Yang Jiang, and artist, Cucurrucucu, to discuss the themes and works presented in her first solo exhibition in Hong Kong - Waste Not. Ongoing till 23 October 2021 at RNH Space, an intimate independent art space located in Tai Kok Tsui, Waste Not is the first chapter of the three image-based satellite exhibition series Reality Overdose. Designed for encapsulating free and multi-faceted manifestations of emotions and philosophies, RNH Space regularly hosts cross-media art exhibitions and related programmes since 2020. It aims to explore the diverse trajectories of vulnerability as a discourse upon the interweaving nature between meticulous observations and intricate perceptions through close collaborations with artists of all kinds. Composed by cut outs from vintage magazines published in the last century, Cuccurucucu’s collages create novel images based on personal memories and fantasies. As we learned more about the artist’s habit of collecting magazines in batches from second-hand stores during her years abroad in San Francisco, we began to realize how much this intricate process has shaped her creative vision. Her playful method of decontextualizing images and repurposing them to create alternate realities evoke both empathy and humour from the viewer.Apart from covering significant topics in Waste Not, we also had the opportunity to hear Yang and Currucucu share about their unique cultural experiences in mainland, Hong Kong and the US, such as sourcing retro frames in local neighborhood thrift stores. Tune in for more content that inspires you to creatively and unapologetically express yourselves!

Our guest this month, Leung Chi Wo, Warren, is a visual artist who needs no formal introduction as most of us in Hong Kong are acquainted with his conceptual and inquisitive approach to his multi-media works, which have been featured in major international exhibitions and publications since the 1990s. Warren is widely known as the co-founder of Para Site, a leading non-profit contemporary art organisation in Hong Kong and one of the oldest independent art institutions in Asia. He is also an Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. First Edition had the opportunity to interview Warren about his interest in exploring the intrinsic connections between site, history and memory in his interdisciplinary works, and recent exhibitions, such as ‘Home and Non-home’ at the Eaton Hotel in 2020, that explore community relationships. In addition, it was a delightful experience to learn about Warren’s memorable private encounters with artists and early education background firsthand. During our conversation, it came as a pleasant surprise when he vividly recalled his early training days to become a professional swimmer before pursuing art seriously. He explained that studying art stemmed from practical circumstances, which unexpectedly turned into a lifelong pursuit after his formative exchange years in Europe and his editorial role in Joint Publishing. Make sure to tune in to this episode to learn more about Warren’s career in retrospect, current state of mind about practicing art under covid withstraints or the “new normal”, and for some invaluable insights into what it takes to be an artist in Hong Kong.

In this episode, Arts writer Enid Tsui candidly offers her expansive knowledge of the globalization of the art market and shares with us her fascinating journey in becoming a full-fledged cultural journalist in Hong Kong. Enid first joined South China Morning Post as their senior culture writer in 2015 after a long career as a business and politics journalist at the Financial Times, the Nikkei Asian Review, RTHK Radio 3, and the Economist Group in Hong Kong and in London. Covering current topics such as Art Fairs, Non-Fungible Tokens and the West Kowloon Cultural District development, Enid is not afraid to investigate deeper into the underlying socio-economic factors that are driving Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene and the ensuing debates around the city’s rapidly-changing cultural landscape. During the interview, Enid’s personal accounts on her creative process and growth as a writer were particularly informative and inspiring. As a journalist, who has worked with and for different news media and publications for more than two decades, Enid has had many gripping exchanges with artists and arts professionals in multidisciplinary fields. Curious to find out more about the life of an arts and culture writer? And what goes on behind the scenes in Hong Kong’s art press or media? Then be sure to listen-in to First Edition’s interview with Enid!

In conversation with Contemporary art talents, Leelee Chan and Eunice Tsang, the first episode offers a diaristic view on the meaning and impact of homecoming, which entails rekindling friendships and finding one’s connection to Hong Kong’s art community. After spending thirteen years in the United States, BMW art journey’s ninth recipient and sculptor Leelee is currently embracing her artistic roots in Hong Kong and is not shy to confront her struggles as an artist during her many formative years abroad, and to share with us her life-changing revelations as a material researcher traveling across Europe in times of Covid-19. Similarly, Eunice’s current curatorial and managerial tasks in artist-run space, Present Projects, consist of numerous practical and emotional challenges, especially under pandemic uncertainties. Whilst sharing her art school years in London and past professional experiences in different arts and cultural institutions in Hong Kong, such as RTHK, TimeoutHK, and Tai Kwun, Eunice offers us invaluable insights into the optimistic development of experimental exhibition spaces in Hong Kong and the growing art gallery and local artisan culture in Sham Shui Po. Whether your homecoming experience was fun, complicated, uncomfortable, or fulfilling, join us this session to discover Hong Kong’s current art destinations and what lies ahead for the city’s art practitioners and emerging visual art spaces.Follow @doubleleechan and visit BMW Art Journey’s website https://www.bmw-art-journey.com/stories for the latest updates on her journey Tokens From Time. Visit @presentprojects now to check out You’re Not Really Here, Are You? which runs until 2nd May 2021! To learn more, visit https://www.present-projects.com/. Special thank you to Chris and Jerry from @fmbelowground!