Kongkee's video installation "River" (2020) is featured in the group exhibition "City Rhythms: Chinese Traditional Culture Reinterpreted", presented by the Hong Kong Palace Museum as part of WestK Shanghai Week 2025.
Dates: 20 June - 31 July 2025
Location: W1, Zhang Yuan, 280 North Maoming Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai
“City Rhythms” is themed around garden landscapes, exploring how the diverse developments in Hong Kong and Shanghai influence the presentation and interpretation of traditional culture. Curated in the evocative setting of the ZHANGYUAN shikumen compound, historically known as the “Best Garden in Shanghai”, the exhibition features 16 Hong Kong artists who draw inspiration from the rich history of ZHANGYUAN and the urban landscapes of both cities. Through innovative expressions, these artists showcase their reflections and imaginations on garden aesthetics and modern society.
Kongkee’s “River,” an immersive video installation featuring a large, moving projection of items drifting in blood-orange water. Kongkee imbues the haunting, dystopian scene with nostalgic objects he grew up seeing in his native Hong Kong: road signs, ferries and a book titled "Borrowed Place, Borrowed Time" wade through still waters amidst an apocalyptic backdrop.
Kongkee hopes that his bright yet bleak vision of the future provokes hope, urgency and reflection from attendees. There is a universality, he says, that comes from “being a human — being put in the river of time, of the universe.”
Learn more --
https://www.hkpm.org.hk/en/event/city-rhythms-chinese-traditional-culture-reinterpreted
