VENICE.- The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is collaborating with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) for the first time to participate as Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, from May to November in 2026. The HKMoA and the HKADC will jointly present selected works of Hong Kong artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui to showcase Hong Kong’s artistic diversity on the international stage.

Curated by the HKMoA, the Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice explores the poetic rhythms of everyday life, engaging in a dialogue with the theme “In Minor Keys” of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia by Koyo Kouoh. Drawing on familiar yet fleeting moments from the daily life in Hong Kong, the exhibition guides visitors on a journey of self-discovery within the flow of life.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, the two participating artists excel in drawing inspiration from Hong Kong’s cultural context and quotidian experiences, reinterpreting daily-life rhythms and aesthetics through varied mediums such as light, sound and installation. Ng, an established media artist, is known for his poetic, site-specific installations that extend the viewer’s perceptions of life. His works have been presented extensively in notable exhibitions locally and internationally. Hui, a promising emerging artist, is skilled at integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements with contemporary artistic language, recreating everyday objects to evoke cross-cultural artistic possibilities. Together, the two Hong Kong artists, as keen observers of the nuances of urban daily life, are transforming their reflections into creative inspirations for connecting Hong Kong and Venice — two international metropolises from various perspectives, thereby demonstrating the vitality and accomplishment of Hong Kong art to the international audience.

Established in 1895, the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is the world’s oldest international exhibition of contemporary visual arts. In each edition, some 100 countries and regions join the National Pavilions and Collateral Events. Since 2001, the HKADC has been participating in the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia through a Collateral Event, aiming to promote Hong Kong’s art development as well as cultural exchanges at international art platforms.

To foster broader participation from fellow art practitioners and create opportunities for Hong Kong artists to advance their careers on the international stage, the selection of artists to participate in the exhibition was guided by a nomination and assessment process. The HKMoA had invited nominations from local tertiary institutions as well as professional art organisations. Artists or artist collectives directly commissioned by the museums and offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in recent years were also included. The nomination list covered over 200 artists. A professional selection panel then shortlisted artists for the HKMoA’s final consideration. The HKMoA has selected Ng and Hui from the shortlist.

The curatorial team of the HKMoA is deeply honoured to be curating the Collateral Event Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice. Established in 1962, the HKMoA is the city’s first public art museum. For over six decades, it has been committed to collecting and promoting Hong Kong art, as well as fostering strong collaborative relationships within the sector. It has built up a wide network and extensive experience, nurturing the growth of local artists and actively fulfilling its role as “the art museum of Hong Kong”. The HKMoA expressed hope that, by joining hands with the two artists, representative Hong Kong art will be impressively brought onto the global stage.

The members of the selection panel are: Guest Professor of School of Intermedia Art of the China Academy of Art Professor Johnson Chang; Museum Expert Adviser of the LCSD Dr William Lim; Senior Advisor of the Mori Art Museum, Japan, Mr Fumio Nanjo; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee of the LCSD, Professor Douglas So; Professor Wang Huangsheng from the Central Academy of Fine Arts; the Museum Director of the HKMoA, Dr Maria Mok; and the Curator (Modern and Hong Kong Art) of the HKMoA, Ms Prudence Ma.

The Collateral Event Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice is presented by the LCSD and the HKADC and organised by the HKMoA and the HKADC. It will be held in Venice, Italy (Campo della Tana, Castello 2126, 30122) from May 9 to November 22, 2026.

Kingsley Ng completed his postgraduate training and graduated with the highest honours at Le Fresnoy–National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France. He is currently an Associate Professor in The Academy of Visual Arts, The School of Creative Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University. Ng is a media artist, focusing on conceptual and site-specific projects. By creating contemplative and meditative experiences through immersive installations, he reveals the invisible and brings social issues to life for broader public engagement.

He has received numerous art awards, including the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards – Best Artist in Media Arts (2013) and the Asia Cultural Council Grant (2013). His works have been extensively showcased both locally and internationally. Selected solo and group exhibitions include “Listening to the Sound of the Earth Spinning” at CHAT (the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile), Hong Kong (2024), Centre Pompidou, Paris (2023), the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Japan (2018, 2009), OzAsia Festival, Australia (2016) and “Digital Life 2014 – PLAY” at the MACRO, Rome (2014).

Angel Hui received a BA in Visual Arts from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2014 and an MA in Experimental Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing in 2017. Skilled in gongbi ink painting, Hui’s works are often imbued with both traditional Chinese culture and contemporary artistic expression. She is fascinated by daily objects and often discovers new meaning in them by twisting traditional art forms and appropriating common materials to integrate them into her artworks.

Since her graduation, Hui has received numerous art awards, including the Société Générale “Call for Artists” Award (2022), and the Excellence Award, Art Next Expo International Artist Award (2019); and she was a finalist for The 2025 Sovereign Asian Art Prize. Her works have been widely exhibited in Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. She was commissioned by Lane Crawford to tour her installation project in 2016 and was invited by the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing to exhibit at the Rosewood in 2019.