Programme Introduction

Respond to the Current Era via Multidisciplinary Artworks

Living in such a tumultuous place with countless issues, lots of thoughts entangled in our head, emotions keep piling up and there is nowhere to dispel them, eventually it builds a heavy sense of powerlessness. At this point, art becomes the outlet of expressing all the unutterable emotions. Within arts creation, it hides the real portrait of society.

“Self Institute” provides a platform for youngsters to fulfill their artistic initiatives, merges the current local social issues with arts, extracts art elements from different fields, thus creating multidisciplinary artworks that reflect local social conditions. The programme will invite a group of artists and professionals from different disciplines as mentors to give guidance and envision participants in arts creation and reflections on social issues. The mentors will also share their own experiences, insights and expertise from respective disciplines. Once the participants are selected to be the apprentices, they will have the chance to receive Seed Funding to develop their creative cultural plans and realize their artistic initiatives.

If you have any creative ideas, or you are interested in interacting with artists and professionals, Cultural Masseur “Self Institute” is willing to provide a platform for expressing your ideas about different social issues via art.

Respond, communicate and interact to the current era via art instead of words. Infuse all our ideas and emotions into artworks, and let art become a mirror to reflect our reality.

EP.1 Tang Kwok Hin X Charles Lai:《舊物不須記》
EP.1 Tang Kwok Hin X Charles Lai:《舊物不須記》
【Mentor Recommendation】Mixed Media Artist Tang Kwok Hin X Historical Architecture Scholar Charles Lai

How do you see the relationship between the past and present?

Tang Kwok Hin, mixed media artist, often applies “old objects” into his creation. To him, “past” and “present” are similar with “self” and “others”, there is tension between them.

Charles Lai, a scholar of historical architecture, believes that old objects inspire us and helping us to deal with ourselves in current era. Just like creation, absorbing and digesting the past experience, developing new knowledge on the basis of the predecessors.

Click the video to watch the full conversation!
EP.2 Clement Chan X Serrini X Uncle Salt :《何謂真功夫大師傅?》
EP.2 Clement Chan X Serrini X Uncle Salt :《何謂真功夫大師傅?》
【Mentor Recommendation】Local Artist Clement Chan X Music Producer Serrini X Founder of “Corrupt the Youth” Uncle Salt

What makes a person become master?

“Master is someone who asks crucial questions that may change the world.”, the founder of “Corrupt the Youth” Uncle Salt said. This means they are avant-grade, pushing the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm, primarily in the cultural realm. “Some may think they are “Freak”, but it is a kind of faith, your belief on yourself.”, according to music producer Serrini and local artist Clement Chan.

Click the video to watch the full conversation!
EP.3 Mo Lai X Jan Curious X Adolfo Arranz : "Creating and Daily Life"
EP.3 Mo Lai X Jan Curious X Adolfo Arranz : "Creating and Daily Life"
【Mentor Recommendation】Hong Kong Theatre & movie playwright, director and actress Mo Lai X Front-man of indie bands Chocchukmo & R.O.O.T Jan Curious X Creative Director at South China Morning Post Adolfo Arranz

People always say that art is far removed from the masses and reality, too hard to comprehend. However, is this claim true? And how artists have brought elements of art and life closer together and explores the gap created between the two?

Click the video to watch the full conversation!
Cultural Masseur 《Self Institute》Final Call
Cultural Masseur 《Self Institute》Final Call

Mentors and Guest Mentor


 

Clement Chan
Clement Chan
Clement Chan (Tony Chan), who used the pseudonym Qi Lang (author of Hong Kong Economic Journal), was borned in Hong Kong in 1961. He began to learn painting at the age of 14. He studied drawing and oil painting under Lu Junchuan (Linghai Art College), famous Western painters Chen Xueshu and Lu Ruiqi etc. He went to Indiana University to pursue an art degree from 1982-1986. In 1987, he received a scholarship for studying western classical art in Italy and he achieved the first honorary MA degree in the following year.

“Turn of a Decade”, held at Hong Kong Arts Centre, was the first exhibition of Clement when he returned to Hong Kong in 1990. He was the second-level curator of the Museum (Visual Arts Centre), the principal of Hong Kong Chingying Institute of Visual Arts, senior lecturer of Hong Kong Art School/RMIT. And he is now the head of the art department in Wa Ying College.

He was invited by Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMOA) to be the guest speakers of the Picasso Exhibition, Andy Warhol Exhibition and Money Exhibiont. His works are collected by HKMOA, showcased in the “Hong Kong Experience · Hong Kong Experimental” exhibition from 2020-2021.

Recently, he has devoted himself to the creation of new poetry, art criticism and abstract painting, theories and aesthetics, philosophy and culture. He also participated in Hong Kong Arts Center's Docent training programme and Cultural Masseur: Self-Institute.

The detailed biographies can be found in "The Painter's House" and "The Story of Hong Kong Artists".
Tang Kwok Hin
Tang Kwok Hin
A mixed media artist, independent curator, and writer, was born in 1983 and raised in Hong Kong. He received his Bachelor of Arts (major in Fine Arts) in 2006 and his Master of Fine Arts in 2008 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Tang starts the artistic path from continuous queries towards his native background; soon, he has developed exploration towards origins of existence and intimate aesthetics, inseparably connecting to the course and experiences of his life. These concerns are reflected in his works. He blurs boundaries between art and living by integrating creation with conflicts of human kinds, which reveals intrinsic values, tension of duality, and rhythm of senses, often demonstrating long gazes of fleeting moments. He usually appropriates and reconstructs daily and personal contexts to narrate hidden stories in life, dealing with growth, inheritance, freedom, capitalism, consumerism, nature, politics, norms, etc., to express concerns towards humans and surroundings.
Charles Lai
Charles Lai
Charles Lai is a British Architect and researcher in the history and conservation of Hong Kong
and Asia modern architecture. He received his PhD degree in architectural history and theory
from the University of Hong Kong Department of Architecture, and diploma degree from the AA
School of Architecture in London. Charles is currently Partner of the architectural studio a o n a.
He is also a member of the DOCOMOMO HK and his researches explore the history of modern
architecture in East and Southeast Asia, the material culture and history of Shanghai plaster, as
well as the conservation of historical built heritages.
Yeung Chun Yin
Yeung Chun Yin
Yeung Chun Yin, who has been nicknamed “Uncle Salt” in Cantonese, graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong and the Department of Philosophy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He went on to study a PhD Programme in Humboldt University of Berlin and King’s College London to further his study. In 2016, Uncle Salt and his comrades established a group “Corrupt the Youth'' and started to host “Philosophy Night” in RTHK31, aiming to introduce philosophy to the general public. He is now teaching philosophy and critical thinking courses in various tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.
Lai Yan-Chi
Lai Yan-Chi
Mo, Wandering in the wonderland of theatres and cinemas as a creator, drifting in university as a lecturer.

Awardee of Ten Outstanding Young Person in Hong Kong (HK), HK Arts Development Council’s Award for Young Artist (Film), Chang Kuo-sin Award for Aspiring Young Communicators, the Hong Kong Spirit Ambassador and Hong Kong City Lady Award.

Dream of being a nomad.
Adolfo Arranz
Adolfo Arranz
Adolfo Arranz began his career as an infographic designer for the local newspaper in his hometown, El Mundo, in Valladolid, Spain. Then, for more than 15 years he developed Infographics and illustrations for the multiple regional and national editions of that newspaper.

In 2011 he joined the South China Morning Post’s infographic team in Hong Kong. In this newspaper, he begins his infographic contributions for the printed back pages that have international recognition in various awards organised by press design associations, such as the Society of News Design or the Malofiej awards. During the last few years, his work has been recognised with more than 150 awards. Since 2016 he is helping direct the department of infographics and illustrations for print and online projects at SCMP as Deputy creative director.

Adolfo Arranz is a member of the Urban Sketchers movement and loves to draw in all places, he does it regularly, as a fun way to practice, learn and improve himself. This daily practice has helped him work better and be more confident in difficult design projects.
Jan Curious
Jan Curious
In 2005, he graduated from Graphic Design and Illustration in the UK and returned to Hong Kong. He started his career as an illustrator and the front-man of indie bands, Chochukmo and R.O.O.T. His artworks have been exhibited in Madame Tussauds in London and H.K. In 2015, he was invited by Hong Kong Open Printshop to try his first hand at printmaking, “Chinese Zodiac” which was exhibited and currently collected at Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Serrini
Guest Mentor
Serrini
Guest Mentor
Serrini is an active artist and music producer in Hong Kong. She has received the 2019 Golden Indie Music Award for “Best Overseas Album” and the silver award for the 2021 Chill Club Best Female Singer. Serrini’s creative journey began with poetry-writing. Since her university years, she has published more than five albums in diverse styles, recording different stages of her life.

Important Dates

May to June 2021 Apprentices’ Recruitment
6 – 25 July 2021 Mentor’s Sharing & Chill Chat Salon
1 Aug 2021 Creative Pitching Session
6 Aug 2021, 5:00pm Submission of refined proposal
On or before 13 Aug 2021 Announcement of Result
16 Aug – 30 Sep 2021 Apprenticeship
10 Oct 2021 Final Presentation

Acknowledgement

Youth Square