Professor Ho Siu-Kee
Could you briefly introduce your art for anyone not be familiar with it?
I trained as a sculptor. Over the past 20 years my works have been focusing on how bodily perception can be a means of expression, particularly in the form of wearable sculpture and performative installations, while photos and videos can be used for documentation and presentation.
Why do you think activist art is important?
Not every artist or piece of artwork needs to be engaged in social issues directly but as a member of society, an artist, like any other person, should be concerned with issues that affect the living environment. It's an important objective for me, sometimes exemplified in my art in a more direct way, and sometimes in a more subtle way.
Could you tell us more about your piece for this exhibition, Confessional?
It includes a shark fin/cage-like metal sculpture, a performative installation on the sea, and a photo documentation. For the exhibition, I’ll show the sculpture and the photo and do a performance (standing inside the sculpture quietly) during the opening ceremony. The performative component connotes the confession of what human beings have done to other species — 100 million sharks killed every year.
If you were to recommend one other piece at the exhibition, what would it be?
I would recommend Wang Lu-yan’s Downward Force on Upward Moving Objects, which is a more conceptual piece.
Are there other social issues that you would like to base future works on?
I'm currently looking into organic farming in a metropolitan city like Hong Kong. I might develop some works along this line.
