First CITYA 2021: City as a Medium
CITYA is an alternative type of international art exchange programme and exhibition between six global cities including Beijing, Hong Kong, Macao, Rome, San Francisco and Tallinn.
FIRST CITYA 2021 City as a Medium ARTISTS FROM 6 CITIES ORGANISER PRESENTERS CURATORS Hong Kong PHY-XHIBITION Parallel Exhibition : ‘Youth Current’ Website VISITOR REGISTRATION
CITYA is an alternative type of large-scale international art exchange programme and exhibition between six global cities including Beijing, Hong Kong, Macao, Rome, San Francisco and Tallinn. It is a long-term project that will occur every three years to build collaborations between international art institutions and organizations. The project is based upon the theme of ‘City as a medium’, and revolves around the complex relationships between cities themselves, artists living and working within city contexts and the educational and city based institutional frameworks and structures for art production and display.

Four years ago, a group of curators began a discussion on the topic “City as a Medium”. The idea was inspired by social theorist Henri Lefebvre as he stated, “the art of living in the city as a work of art” in his collection of essays Right to the City.1 The exploration led to a new notion in the curators’ minds; the purpose of art is not simply to beautify the city or serve as a memento, the city in itself is a “work” of art or an oeuvre which involves citizen’s right of participation as play. Under the influence of the pandemic, people have carried on living as “global citizens” relying much more on the means of the internet. Meanwhile, they still continue to live within real physical spaces of their own cities. So how do artists reinterpret the art of living in both their own actual cities and the expanding virtual cities? What could the future of art entail when the very meaning of “city” has been transformed after the change? The exhibition invites artists to express their thoughts through their practices within the theme “City as a medium”. Artists are encouraged to interpret the same theme in post-pandemic, and whilst confronting social injustice. CITYA explores the interrelationship of spatiality between the actual space and digital space by considering the display methodologies and their effects on artistic responses.

Beijing, Hong Kong, Macao, Tallinn, Rome, San Francisco

Implementing the idea of working together via humanity as a connection between the cities, CITYA features works from 8 art organizations of 6 different cities, Works of digitally friendly mediums such as new media arts, paintings, photography and video arts will be exhibited alongside traditionally onsite displayed forms such as sculptures and installations. 
The exhibition is to create an alternative horizon of digital curation as a way of broadening awareness of the cultural landscape of these cities through contemporary art and exhibition making in the virtual art scene.
Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Virtual Lab for Art Museum, School of Arts Administration and Education, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
1a Space, Hong Kong
Videotage, Hong Kong
Centre for Arts and Design, University of Macau, Macao
Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn
Fine Arts Academy of Rome, Rome
Art and Design Department, University of California, Berkeley Extension, San Francisco
Jenny BALISLE (San Francisco) | Cecilia CASORATI, Miriam MIROLLA, Laura SCARINGELLA (Rome) | Juliana CHAN (Macao) | Kyle CHUNG (Online Residency) | Janet FONG (Hong Kong) | KANG Li (Beijing) | Kati OTS (Tallinn) | Reds CHEUNG (Assistant curator, Tallinn)
Major Exhibition:  ‘City as a Medium’ (17 SEP - 8 OCT 2021)
 
Artists:
Nadim ABBAS, Ekkehard ALTENBURGER, LEE Wing Ki Kalen, LEUNG Mee Ping, MAK Hoi Shan Anson, Cédric MARIDET, Peter NELSON, NG Siu King Kingsley, Louis NIXON, Tom O'DEA, Daniel SHANKEN, WAN Lai Kuen Annie, Michael WHITTLE
 
Curator: Janet FONG
 
Venues for PHY-xhibition:
 
Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery, Lee Shau Kee Communication & Visual Arts (CVA) Building, HKBU
AVA Gallery, Kai Tak Campus, HKBU
1a space (No. 14) | Videotage (No.13) | No. 8 Cattle Depot, Cattle Depot Art Village
Shop no.122 To Kwa Wan Road (Nearby Cattle Depot Art Village)
Lai Chi Wo, New Territories, Hong Kong (Live Streaming)
Online platforms: Facebook, Websites, and Instagram
Global Screenings in the public area in different cities and in Hong Kong: screenings in collaboration with other Universities.
 
Online Residency: Videotage
Parallel Exhibition : ‘Youth Current’ (17 SEP - 8 OCT 2021)

CITYA Youth Current is a parallel exhibition first initiated in the new international exhibition project First CITYA 2021. The project features outstanding works from emerging young artists studying or graduated from AVA with the aim of presenting their brimming talent and supporting their development.
 
This year, artworks from CITYA Youth Current will be showcasing in two venues: a high ceiling room in AVA Kai Tak Campus and on the exclusive shuttle buses of the event travelling in the city. Alongside the marvelous works from their teachers, the young artist works creates an educational and artistic exchange between the different generations while giving a freshly delivered surprise to the international and local audience with their virtual or physical experience. The intention of the programme is to initiate the exploration of the blooming future of the art world and to produce new inspirations by introducing them to more people both locally and globally.
Artists:  HUI Gi Wai Echo, MAN Cheuk Nok Charlotte, TANG Pak Hin Shawn, XIAO Wenyan, YEUNG Yin Ting Tina
 
Curators: Janet FONG , LEE Wan Tak Dionne, MAN Cheuk Nok Charlotte, YEUNG Yin Ting Tina, LUK Kam Man Katie, WANG Caiyang Kara
Venues for PHY-xhibition:
Room 208 HKBU Kai Tak Campus
Shuttle buses across all venues
Online platforms: Facebook, websites, and Instagram
 
Screenings in Hong Kong
https://www.citya.space/#/
Due to the epidemic, the physical exhibition will be open to a limited extent. If you are interested in visiting the exhibition on-site, please fill in the form of TWO-day in advance. Due to the limited number of daily visits, the school will notify successful enrollees by email no later than 10 a.m. on the day of the visit with a QR code to enter the campus. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

**HKBU Students and staffs may enter the exhibition after registration without QR code email.