“Art Hotpot” is an art exhibit about HEAT, showing art pieces that can generate heat help burn calories, or present ideas about heat. Amongst are artworks concerning nuclear power, video works about the local community, conceptual pieces criticizing the contemporary art scene etc… Involving artists from both Poland and Hong Kong, it is an art exchange program curated and presented by C&G Artpartment and Zatoka Sztuki. “Art Hotpot,” does not only initiate a platform for exchanges between Polish and Hong Kong artists, but also start up a bridge for the two alternative art spaces in Sopot and Hong Kong for further collaborative development in the future. The first part of it was launched at the art space: Zatoka Sztuki (The Bay of Art) in Sopot, Poland in January 2012, while the second part of it will take place in Hong Kong in March 2012.
I. Background
Both Sopot, Poland and Hong Kong seem to be the third-world regions when it comes to contemporary art. These two cities are not lack of money. In fact, they both are pretty well off in their tourism sectors. Hong Kong even has an “international” well-known art fair. Nevertheless, local contemporary artists in both places are not well supported. Sopot does not have a contemporary art gallery. Hong Kong has many art galleries, but only a few trade artworks by local artists. The percentage of expenditure into the development of contemporary art in these two places is not much either.
Despite of this unpleasant background, both Sopot and Hong Kong are not lack of enthusiastic artists and art teams. Under its revitalization scheme in 2009, the city council of Sopot called for proposals to run a cultural art center at a long-abandoned building on the beach in Sopot. Several Polish artists then teamed with several art lovers from the business sector to submit a proposal to start MCKA (Multi-disciplinary Center of Arts and Culture Foundation). Besides launching different creative art programs, MCKA also has a café and restaurants to help financially fund its programs. In Hong Kong, C&G Artpartment is another example of an alternative art space. It was started up by two local artists in 2007. It does not rely on any long-term funding from the government, but supports its own gallery and exhibition activities by running different art education workshops.
The current exchange program, “Art Hotpot,” does not only initiate a platform for exchanges between Polish and Hong Kong artists, but also start up a bridge for the two alternative art spaces in Sopot and Hong Kong for further collaborative development in the future.
II. Concept
-As a platform for exchanges-
“Hotpot” is a dinning style embraced by a great number of Chinese everywhere in China. In hotpot, we all sit together in a round table as a union, cook together, eat together and chat together. The cultural and symbolic meaning of hotpot for the intimate exchanges amongst a group of friends is essential in this program. “Art Hotpot” will be a platform for the Hong Kong and Polish artists in this exchange program to experience art together, make art together, and chat about art together.
-"Hot" artworks-
Another important element in “Art Hotpot” is the “heat”: all artists are encouraged to make artworks that can generate heat or help burn calories. The winter in Sopot is definitely freezing cold. In such weather, heat generator should be a big hit for the public, and very useful for the artists, especially the Hong Kong artists who do not often experience such cold weather.
Beside this practical aspect, the symbolic meaning of this gesture is to stir up the passion for contemporary art amongst the public in the two places. As mentioned above, the general public in Poland and Hong Kong simply is engaged into contemporary art very much. The heat from “Art Hotpot” will take this attempt to melt down the “cold” wall between the public and contemporary art in both Sopot and Hong Kong. Even though Hong Kong people in March may not physically need too much heat, the heat energy will bring along an artistic sense for the public to care more about contemporary art.
-Interactivity-
Other than the “heat”, the artworks in “Art Hotpot” in both Sopot and Hong Kong will have an emphasis of interactivity. In Sopot, artists will make site-specific art piece. In Hong Kong, Hong Kong and Polish artists will try to respond to each other’s works and to the local community. Either the art-making process or the final installation art pieces will involve interactivity with the community or the audience in this program. Although the public in Sopot may not be very fluent in English, the site-specificity of the artworks certainly can provide a common ground for communication and exchanges between the audience and the artists.
-Chinese New Year-
Invited by MCKA, the first part of this exchange program will take place in Sopot during the Chinese New Year. Although the Chinese population in Sopot is not a very big number, it certainly forms a community. Since Chinese New Year is a time for Chinese to have a re-union with families and friends, MCKA would like to take this opportunity to celebrate this special date with the Chinese community in Sopot and to introduce artworks from China to its public. In the Chinese New Year in 2012, Hong Kong artists from China will be invited to have “Art Hotpot” with Polish artists together.
Participated Artists:
Poland:
Elvin Flamingo, Katarzyna Podpora, Kamila Chomicz, Maciek Salamon, Natalia Turczynska-Schmidt, Karolina Matea
Hong Kong:
Cally Yu, Law Man-Lok, Lock Lo Chi-Kit, Clara Cheung, Gum Cheng
