Silver Jubilee Auction - Parasite - Hong Kong
2021 has presented continuous challenges as the world navigates a safe path to reopen under the threat of the global health crisis. In this difficult year, we cannot help but be reminded of Para Site's beginning as a self-organised space for artists in a period of uncertainty 25 years ago as Hong Kong prepared for its handover. It is more pertinent than ever that we see art's unique power to bring communities together, to foster dialogue, and to imagine a better tomorrow. For this, we are extremely grateful and humbled by the support we have received from artists, galleries, and individuals in Hong Kong and beyond, who all believe passionately in art's future and in the need for the places that nurture it to continue thriving.
While many activities in the arts remain online and remote, Para Site has strived to bring access to a variety of programmes and support for emerging talents, especially artists who have been left vulnerable by derailed plans. We continued the 2020 initiative PS Paid Studio Visits, which has supported over 60 local artists to date with a studio visit fee and one month of health insurance coverage for every virtual visit conducted with Para Site team members, and the list continues to grow. The No Exit Grant for Unpaid Artistic Labour, generously supported by an anonymous donor, is also in its second year with a special focus on the Philippines, with additional funding coming from three Filipino supporters. Besides providing some substantial subsidy for visual artists, curators, writers, filmmakers, and choreographers to pursue their creative practices at a crucial time when support is wanting overall, it is
also a way to show regional solidarity. To nurture artists who are at the beginning of their careers and thinking into the future of Hong Kong's art scene, for our 25™ anniversary year Para Site launched a new initiative entitled 2046 Fermentation+ Fellowships, providing both opportunities for collective learning and guidance as well as financial support. We look forward to seeing the participants present their ongoing work and projects in the coming months.
As with every year, this year's auction will contribute to a large percentage of our budget in the forthcoming year to ensure the continuation and development of our exhibitions as well as our public and educational programmes. Para Site is proud to have presented the solo exhibitions of Hong Kong artists Luke Ching 'Glitch in the Matrix' and Vvzela Kook 'Confidential Records: Overwrite'. We also presented the ambitious collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai 'Curtain', which saw the first opening reception gathering after government regulations have loosened, and the Emerging Curators exhibition 'Liquid Ground' to wide acclaim and robust public programming. In December, to draw Para Site's first 25 years to a close as we look ahead to the next, we are delighted to present an exhibition of the 18 artists participating in the inaugural edition of the 2046 Fermentation+ Fellowships programme, in a format that revisits Para Site's founding ethos of deep play and experimentation. None of these could have carried on without the generous donations through the successful 2020 auction and the support of individual donors.
Where the international residency programme has left a void, we have filled it with a Rooftop Studio Residency for local artists. They are invited to look into Para Site Archive, propose projects, and share their findings through social media take-overs and in-person public programmes. To celebrate our 25™ anniversary, artists with whom we have collaborated in the last 25 years have shared their artistic journey with both in-person and on line audiences in the ongoing '25+25' sessions.