The Asia+ Festival, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will stage a participatory theatre production "Post Capitalistic Auction" on November 16 and 17. In this unconventional yet authentic auction created by Mainland artist Jingyi Wang and local curator Kyle Chung, audiences can bid for their favourite artworks in new ways other than money, before taking the art pieces home. The auction comes with a pre-auction showcase and fringe activities, offering audiences multiple perspectives to contemplate the value of art.
This auction is unique in that it gives endless room for imagination: Audiences can place bids not only with money but alternative "currencies" they can think of, such as barter (in either tangible or intangible terms), a career opportunity for the artist, a deep understanding of the artwork, and more. A total of eight artworks (see Annex) will be put up for bidding in two rounds of auction. Audiences will place bids online and the process will be projected onto a big screen in real time. Eight groups of artists from France, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong, China will attend in person to choose the winning bid, guided by professional advice from an expert panel.
In "Post Capitalistic Auction", creator Wang questions if money is the only means to determine something's value. This experiment is an attempt to explore whether changing the rules of the game can change the way people think. Curator Chung, who describes his project as an experimental performance, advises potential bidders to attend the pre-auction showcase and guided tour to learn more about the eight groups of artists and their works in advance, which may raise their chances of winning the auction.
Ever since its 2018 premiere in Bergen, "Post Capitalistic Auction" has toured Toronto and Yokohama. Previous editions have attracted many interesting bids and inspired reflections on the ecology of the art market. The upcoming Hong Kong debut is set to make waves in this city widely known as Asia's art trading hub. Audience members who have no intention of bidding are welcome to buy tickets and join the event nonetheless.
Two rounds of auction will each feature four groups of artists, namely (November 16): Carla Chan (Hong Kong, China), Maurice Benayoun (France), Navin Rawanchaikul and daughter Mari Rawanchaikul (Thailand), and Wu Jiaru (Hong Kong, China); (November 17): Chan Wai-lap (Hong Kong, China), Leung Mee-ping (Hong Kong, China), Maryanto (Indonesia) and William Lim (Hong Kong, China).
The auction will be conducted in Cantonese, Putonghua and English, with Cantonese and English simultaneous interpretation. Each auction will be followed by a discussion session. Bidders, who must be over 18 years of age, will be asked to place bids using a smartphone or a tablet with Internet connection. During the process, bidders' interaction with performers may be photographed, recorded or live-streamed. A vernissage will be held at 6pm on November 13 at the Hong Kong City Hall Exhibition Hall, while guided tours and an auction showcase will be held from November 14 to 18. Other fringe activities include art student roundtables and a panel discussion. For details, please refer to asiaplus.gov.hk/2024/en/post-capitalistic-auction.
Participatory theatre production "Post Capitalistic Auction" will be held at 8pm on November 16 and 3pm on November 17 at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Free seating tickets priced at $420 and guided tour tickets at $60 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). Admission to other activities is free. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288, or use the mobile ticketing app "URBTIX".
The second Asia+ Festival is running from September to November, highlighting the arts and cultures of nearly 30 Asian and Belt and Road countries or regions. Apart from stage programmes, there are also thematic exhibitions, an outdoor carnival, film screenings, outreach activities and more, numbering over 100 in total. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit asiaplus.gov.hk/2024/en/.
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