"Hello 你好嘛?" (" Hello Nei Hou Ma?")

What does it mean to continue a cultural lineage whilst embracing the shifts in process and contemporary social-environmental concerns?

“Hello 你好嘛?” actively employs curating and exhibition making as a method of community building, bringing together diasporic Australian artists of Hong Kong heritage to articulate diverse experiences of connection to their ancestral homeland.

Transformed through the artworks and their interactions, the space that the exhibition inhabits is positioned as a place of ideological and identity affirmation. Spatially and materially, the exhibition becomes a temporary antidote to estrangement from Hong Kong and alienation from the host society.

In reflecting affective relations to Hong Kong’s culture and heritage, the exhibition resists representing a collective group identity. It highlights the very layered, personal and varied internal journeys of Hong Kong-Australian artists wedged in an in-between place of host and original cultures. “Hello 你好嘛?” reaches out to the Hong Kong Diaspora community and beyond to begin a conversation on a search and construction of an imaginary future, enmeshed with past and present.

“Hello 你好嘛?” is the first contemporary art exhibition organised by the Australia-Hong Kong Link focusing on Hong Kong-Australian artists. It highlights art and culture as a bridge between the two communities, whilst presenting unique facets of Hong Kong’s culture.

The works of the twelve artists reflect the influence and fusion of two cultures to create a distinctive visual language. At the same time, it documents the changes in Hong Kong in recent years.

We hope that this exhibition will provide a better insight into the creative practice of Hong Kong-Australian artists and simultaneously offer a gateway for cultural exchange. “Hello 你好嘛! is a testament to the strong bond between Australian and Hong Kong communities, as well as their willingness to learn from each other and embrace their differences. It also highlights the importance of cultural understanding and collaboration in building stronger relationships between communities.

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Public Program

1. Sat 17 June
2.30pm - Opening Speeches 2.30pm by Ted Hui
3.00pm - Performance by Natalie Tso

2. Wed 21 June 6pm
Online Artist Roundtable/Panel Discussion
Panellists: Tammy Law (Brisbane), LOK (Adelaide), Cyrus Tang (Melbourne) and John Young (Melbourne)
Moderator: Genevieve Trail (Uni of Melbourne)

3. Sat 24 June 2pm
Gallery Panel Discussion
Panellists: Pamela Leung, Natalie Tso, Frankie Chow
Moderator: Dr Olivier Krischer (UNSW)

4. Sun 25 June 1:30pm
Cantonese Language Tour with Pamela Leung

5. Sun 25 June 2:30-4:30pm
是有糭人 Human Kind(ness) Dump(ling) with Pamela Leung

6. Wed 28 June 6pm
Online In-conversation (Cantonese): Photography in Focus - Tse Ming Chong and Ko Chong Ming with Michael Chan

7. Sat 1 July 2pm
Cantonese Language Tour with Pamela Leung

8. Sun 2 July 2pm
Closing event: Performance by Rainbow Chan