Closer Together
Pao Galleries
Hong Kong Arts Centre
2 January – 28 January, 2024

Closer Together reflects on the 25-year cross-cultural relationship between the Hong Kong Art School and RMIT’s School of Art. It is proudly one of the university’s longest running transnational educational partnerships. The exhibition which first showed at RMIT Gallery, recently travelled to Hong Kong in January 2024.

The Chinese classic text the ‘Tao Te Ching’ suggests that the world is made up of what we know and what we don’t know, which are ultimately the same. Closer Together proposes that togetherness, creative dialogue and art-making can help us understand this — that through these processes we can come to better know the mysteries of the unknown. This exhibition shines a light on 15 artists from the Hong Kong Art School and RMIT community whose works celebrate connectivity and kinship and uncover new knowledge through exchange.

Artists included Kay Mei Ling Beadman, Movana Chen, Ryan Christopher Cheng, Kris Coad, Carolyn Eskdale, Daphne Alexis Ho, Jaffa Lam, Ivy MA King Chu, Sally Mannall, Drew Pettifer, Kate Siu Man Kit, Scotty So, Kwong San Tang, Fiona Wong Lai Ching and June Wong

Curated by Shirky Chan, Rachel Cheung and Tammy Wong Hulbert.

Closer Together, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Closer Together, RMIT Gallery

Images from the 5 January launch, including, Mr Patrick Orchard, the Australian Consul and Mr Brett Stevens, the Victorian Commissioner for Greater China and Hong Kong.

Images:
Opening of Closer Together, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Art Centre, special guests including Mr Peter Lau (Member, Board of Governors, Hong Kong Arts Centre), Mrs Dominica Yang (Chairman, Board of Governors, Hong Kong Arts Centre), Mr Patrick Orchard (Consul, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, Hong Kong SAR), Mr David Wong (Member, Board of Governors, Hong Kong Arts Centre; Acting Chairman, Hong Kong Art School Council), Ms. Rebecca Yip (HKAC Director) and Mr Brett Stevens (Victorian Government Commissioner for Greater China and Hong Kong). Speeches by Ms. Jaffa Lam (HKAS Academic Head), Associate Professor Drew Pettifer (RMIT HK BFA Program Lead) and Dr Tammy Wong Hulbert (RMIT Academic, International Co-ordinator and co-curator of Closer Together).
Photos by: Hong Kong Art School