Annie Wan: Stories from Hong Kong

Conversation with Daniel Kurjaković (Curator, Kunstmuseum Basel) and Angelika Li (Director, PF25 cultural projects)

Artist conversation with Daniel Kurjaković (Curator, Kunstmuseum Basel) and

Angelika Li (Director, PF25 cultural projects)

Saturday, 31 August, 14:00–15:00
Talk in English. Free admission.

Architecture Tour organised by Kunsttage Basel

Sunday, 1 September, 11:00-12:30

Tour in German. Registration essential on Kunsttage website.

Location

DOMUSHAUS EG, Pfluggässlein 3, 4001 Basel

As part of her PF25 residency in Basel, 'Lost in Translation', an intervention of book sculptures and objects by Hong Kong artist Annie Wan will take place at Domushaus, previously an architectural bookshop that has recently been revived as a space for architecture, books and community. Her work explores the transformative power of books, connects the reality and ephemerality of colours and text in relation to architecture and the city, and interrogates the dislocation of artworks and commodities, especially in the shopping culture of Hong Kong, where there is seamless transparency between the street, storefront, and shop interior.

Echoing the multilingual characteristic of Basel, one work consists of ceramics whose form originates from discarded dictionaries, exploring the evolution of language and its cultural significance. Her work reflects the complex linguistic dynamics of Hong Kong, where Cantonese, English, and Putonghua intersect, mirroring the city's complex history, identity, and transformation.

Used dictionaries, gathered from the artist and her friends, which once served as tools for learning English and Chinese (both traditional and simplified), have been transformed into fragile ceramic moulds. These moulds, unable to be opened and stripped of their text, symbolise the shifting linguistic landscape and the delicate nature of language preservation in Hong Kong.

As Wan aptly expresses, 'Reality cannot reappear; people can do nothing but describe or mimic it through various means.' Her work challenges us to confront the ever-shifting landscape of language and meaning, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the ephemeral. Unlike photographic images, ceramic reproductions lack a sense of nostalgia but instead serve as tangible manifestations of the present moment.

Come join the artist, our guest speaker Daniel Kurjaković, and Angelika Li of PF25 in the 'Stories from Hong Kong' conversation on Saturday 31 August from 14:00 - 15:00. There will also be an architecture tour organised by Kunsttage Basel on Sunday 1 September. Registration is essential.

As part of

Lost in Translation: an intervention by Annie Wan

Exhibition curated by Angelika Li, PF25 cultural projects

Friday–Sunday, 30 August –1 September, 11:00–18:00, Kunsttage Basel