M+ and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) announced today the public programmes organised to accompany ‘You (you).’,a major solo exhibition by leading Hong Kong artist Lee Kit - Collateral Event of the 55th International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia, opening 1 June 2013.

M+ will host a series of talks in Hong Kong intended to encourage discourse around this important event. Aimed at members of the public including artists, curators and art students, the series will kick off with a talk exploring the history, importance and defining characteristics of the Venice Biennale, to give as much background to the exhibition as possible. With over 200 biennials currently mounted every year across the world, the second talk will extend the discussion to the broader biennial phenomenon, describing the impact of the Venice Biennale on contemporary art worldwide, and highlighting the importance and relevance of Hong Kong’s participation.

A combined talk and sharing session has been planned for the third event; exploring the history of Hong Kong’s participation in the Venice Biennale since 2001, with a group of past curators and artists who have mounted exhibitions to gather thoughts for future participations. The final event will be an analysis and report from the opening of the exhibition.

Talks will be presented by some of the world’s most influential curators, including Dr Federica Martini, an Italian curator and art historian researching the history of contemporary art biennials worldwide, and Dr Paul O’Neill from the UK, who has written extensively on exhibition making and biennial culture. These international speakers will participate alongside artists including MAP Office, Kurt Chan, and Kwok Mang-ho (Frog King), and past curators of Hong Kong’s participation; important members of the art community based in Hong Kong.

As part of its commitment to nurture local talent interested in working in the visual art field, M+ and HKADC also launched an internship programme in March for the 55th Venice Biennale, offering people from Hong Kong the chance to gain unique insight into the workings of the world’s oldest and most renowned international art exhibition. The programme will begin in May, and will be arranged in two divisions, with three technical and eight exhibition interns joining the M+ team to work on the exhibition in Venice.

Lars Nittve, Executive Director of M+, said “I am really happy that we are able to give thirteen individuals from Hong Kong the chance to ‘learn on the job’ in one of the world’s most important international exhibitions. I am convinced they will make a great contribution to the project – but also that they will come back to Hong Kong with a lot of new knowledge and experience. The series of talks here in Hong Kong really aims at making the Venice Biennale more understandable and relatable – and to open up a dialogue about what it means not the least to the participating artists and curators. I am very pleased that the some of the past Hong Kong participants have agreed to take part in our education programme.”

A response exhibition will be held in 2014 in Hong Kong, which will further offer residents an insight into the experience of the Venice Biennale. The character and venue of the show will be decided with the artist, and announced later this year.

Lee Kit’s presentation at the Venice Biennale will feature a series of new commissions, including sound, video and performance works and ready-made objects. The exhibition is co-presented by M+, Hong Kong’s new museum for 20 th and 21 st century visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District and The Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Dr Lars Nittve, world-renowned curator and Executive Director of M+, is the Lead Curator.

‘You (you).’ has been conceived through the recollection of personal and collective moments to reflect on the construction of memory, time and place. The exhibition is a continuation of Lee’s investigation into the ambiguous territory between the private and public. Lee’s employment of repetitive gestures, mundane objects and other intangible materials subtly recall the qualities of the everyday. These commonplace materials seemingly placed at random throughout the exhibition, are in fact meticulously arranged to function as emotive and sensory triggers, evoking both real and imagined memories.

In order to make ‘You(you).’ as accessible to as large a range of audiences as possible, M+ will launch a social media platform, including a new facebook page at: www.facebook.com/mplushongkong, and a dedicated website for the exhibition, which will launch on 20 April 2013, at www.venicebiennale.hk. M+ will use these channels to showcase installation images of the exhibition, news from the Venice Biennale, as well as publish filmed interviews with Lee Kit, and curators Dr Lars Nittve and Yung Ma. Yung Ma and Lee Kit will also record progress during installation, which will give insight into developments and bring the experience of the Venice Biennale to Hong Kong.

Image: I can't help falling in love, 2012, © Lee Kit