Despite its hectic daily pace, every May Hong Kong slows down to take in some art. And while Art HK has ended, K11 Art Mall is extending that celebration with Public Art Fair No 1.
The exhibition, displaying works by an array of international artists until July 8, includes a 4.9-metre-tall inflatable figure, miniature figurines, life-size dioramas, a 24-metre mural, videos and sculpture. The works are all accessible to the public and blend into the very fabric of the mall.
The goal of Public Art Fair No1 is using modern urban culture and digital mediums to take the art off the canvas and encourage interaction. A mural becomes part of a daily route; a video posted online allows commentary and discourse.
The medium's accessibility also begs amateurs to create, so K11 is offering interactive workshops such as Suitman's Art x Commerce; Lost and Found, with Chicago-based multimedia artist Cody Hudson working with local photography students; and Graphic Airlines' Paint Your Own Bag.
Korean-American artist Young Kim - aka Suitman - curated the exhibition. His own photography, videos, installation and product design have taken him to 150 cities since 2002. He chose works that had elements of public participation.
'Art should be for the public to appreciate and accessible without buying a ticket,' he says. 'We wanted to create an art fair which is free, in a public environment, encouraging participation. Nowadays, people have a broader perception of what art is. You can say that art is simply to express oneself, and that means there really is no limit. It can take any form.'