The void bears witness to absence.
And within every absence lies the story of loss.
What persists within the persistence of emptiness?

When the seats of the cinema hall are once again occupied, Passage examines the loss of their past emptiness, what may endure within a void. Echoing Ten Minutes Older, Herz Frank’s short film, the action aims to reverse the traditional setup between the screen and spectators. Instead of occupying the seats, the audience will take the stage and turn their gaze toward the empty seats.

Abstract patterns, produced by the projection of pixelated lights, evoke clouds drifting among memories of loss and persistent absence, on a metaphorical sky glowing red like at dusk.

Kingsley Ng is an interdisciplinary artist focusing on conceptually driven projects tailored to specific locations. Art serves as a mediator for him within our environment, whether as a spectator or participant. Here, he presents Passage, his new project developed during his artistic residency with the Micromégas program. Notably, he created projects such as Twenty-Five Minutes Older, a commission for Art Basel Hong Kong where a tramcar transformed into a mobile cinematic darkroom, and After the Deluge, which took place in a rainwater reservoir equivalent to 40 Olympic swimming pools.

His works have been exhibited in prominent international exhibitions and venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome (Italy), the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, the Guangzhou Triennial (China), the Land Art Biennial (Mongolia), the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial (Japan), IRCAM – Centre Pompidou (France), the Shanghai Expo Lille Europe Pavilion, InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre (Canada), Hong Kong Art Museum, and Art Basel Hong Kong.

Kingsley pursued postgraduate studies at Le Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France. He furthered his education with an MSc in Sustainable Design from the University of Edinburgh in the UK and a BFA in New Media Art from Ryerson University in Canada. Currently, he is an associate professor at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Micromégas is a cross-residency initiative for the next generation of media art artists in France and Hong Kong. The program invites a French artist to Hong Kong and a Hong Kong artist to France for an eight-week residency, where they create a media art piece inspired by the city and local culture under the theme of Globalization. This residency is part of a new exchange program between France and Hong Kong.

Micromégas was launched in 2021 by Videotage and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau. The residency is co-organized by cneai =, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, the K11 Art Foundation, Videotage, with the support of Cinéma du Réel, Lafayette Anticipations, HKADC, and Hong Kong Baptist University – Institute of Creative Arts.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
{The Passage installation will be featured in the Main Hall of the Centre Pompidou on Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, from 2 PM to 8 PM, every half hour (duration: 20 minutes). Free entry.}

PARTNERS:
{Videotage} {Consulat général de France à Hong Kong et Macao} {K11 Art Foundation} {Cinéma du réel} {Lafayette Anticipations}