Law Yuk Mui's video On Junk Bay, The Plant is included in ‘Assemble: Hong Kong in Helsinki’ at the HIAP Gallery Augusta.
Date: 16 November 2024, 2pm - 5pm
Location: HIAP Gallery Augusta, Suomenlinna, Helsink
‘Assemble: Hong Kong in Helsinki’ is a special programme curated by Angelika Li as part of her curator-in-residency at the Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP) on the historically significant island of Suomenlinna. The programme showcases ten Hong Kong artists, featuring a new ikebana performance by Hedy Leung (London) and an installation by Oscar Chan Yik-Long (Helsinki), alongside video works by Hong Kong-based artists Luke Ching, May Fung, Law Yuk Mui, Leung Chi Wo, Lo Lai Lai Natalie, Ellen Pau, Angela Su, and Yim Sui Fong, presented in Angelika’s ‘Homeland in Transit’ (2019-ongoing) exhibition series, and marking their debut presentation in Finland.
Metaphorically exploring hydrological cycles — water, clouds, and wind — the works reflect on notions of memory, colonial ideology, identity, boundaries, disappearance and displacement. They navigate challenging landscapes while contemplating human conditions, resilience and healing. These artists, representing different generations and practices, offer unique narratives, insights, and re-imaginations of Hong Kong through their individual lenses. These topics interweave with experiences and voices from other parts of the world, assembling ideas and exchanges that build solidarity and shared understanding with the Helsinki community on the historically significant island of Suomenlinna. Notably, Chan, Ching, and Su are HIAP and PF25 alumni, adding a meaningful layer as their works return to Helsinki in this collaborative context.
On Junk Bay, The Plant (1990-present), 2 mins 56 secs.
Moving from Victoria Road to the opposite side of the Victoria harbour of Hong Kong – we find Junk Bay, now known as Tseung Kwan O (TKO). The earliest inhabitants of the area can be traced back to the 13th Century and major settlements dated back to the late 16th Century when small fishing villages were formed. With its geographical advantage, shipping industries emerged in the 1960s until 1982 when the local government kicked off the development of TKO as a new town which saw a chain of humongous reclamation constructions. Notably, the government never addressed the old name ‘Junk Bay’.
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Assemble: Hong Kong in Helsinki | HIAP