Press Release

HKBU presents Parallel Exhibition of Art Basel Hong Kong - "Between Image and Index"

Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 

The Academy of Visual Arts of the School of Creative Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will present “Between Image and Index”, a parallel exhibition of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 from 19 March to 12 April at HKBU campuses. The event will showcase works by 33 groups of artists and collectives from Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, and overseas, exploring the redefined state of images and examining how the meaning and form of images are generated in parallel.

Artists and collectives participating in the parallel exhibition are based in different cities, including Frankfurt and Berlin in Germany, Krakow and Katowice in Poland, and Lisbon in Portugal, spanning both emerging and established creators. Among them, 10 are HKBU faculty and alumni, presenting diverse artistic perspectives and practices. The exhibition will be held concurrently at the Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery at HKBU’s Kowloon Tong campus and the AVA Gallery at the Kai Tak campus. Professor Janet Fong Man-yee, Assistant Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU, is the Chief Curator, while Ms Yang Tong serves as the Curator. Ms Yang, an alumna of the Academy of Visual Arts, now works as an independent curator based between Frankfurt and Hong Kong.

“Between Image and Index" explores the evolving state of contemporary images within material and technological environments. It asks: When the visible is no longer just a stable form of representation but a medium that mediates experience, power and meaning, how is our relationship with images being redefined? Imagery has always been intertwined with material conditions and cultural contexts; now, amid accelerating circulation and technological interventions, these visual languages are continuously reconfigured.

Held during Hong Kong Art Month, an annual celebration of visual arts that takes place every March, this exhibition presents a cross-regional dialogue led by the academic community, bringing together works by artists from various countries and regions around the world. It not only highlights Hong Kong's diverse landscape as an international art and cultural hub, but also offers an art event that balances academic research with a forward-looking vision of predictive Art history through the exploratory practices of creators of different nationalities during Hong Kong Art Month.

The artworks cover a wide range of subjects, from personal dreams and memories of home to the integration of artificial intelligence with the virtual and the real. Some pieces explore themes such as tradition and contemporaneity, and nature and technology. The mediums on display are richly diverse, including AI-generated moving images, digital prints, interactive sound installations, multimedia installations, animation, video, photography, oil painting, glass, ceramics, and AI-generated ink wash paintings and sculptures. Together, they present the complex state of images flowing between the virtual and the real, prompting deep reflection on visual culture and the structure of perception.

This is the fourth consecutive year that HKBU’s Academy of Visual Arts has been a cultural partner of Art Basel Hong Kong. The Academy will set up a dedicated exhibition booth outside the main venue of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, which will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 25 to 29 March.

Additionally, during Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, the Academy will organise two panel discussions at the Exchange Circle at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where participating artists and HKBU representatives will share their insights on “Between Images and Spatiality” and “Pictoriality as Mediators”. For more details, please visit the Academy’s website.

Opening Ceremony of the exhibition:

Event: Opening ceremony of HKBU Parallel Exhibition of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026: “Between Image and Index”

Date: 18 March 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 6:00 pm

Venue: Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery, Lee Shau Kee Communication and Visual Arts Building, Baptist University Road Campus, HKBU, 5 Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong

Exhibition Details:

Event: HKBU Parallel Exhibition of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026: “Between Image and Index”

Exhibition Period: 19 March to 12 April 2026 (including public holidays; closed on Mondays)

Time: 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Venues:

1.  Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery, Lee Shau Kee Communication and Visual Arts Building, Baptist University Road Campus, HKBU, 5 Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong

2.  AVA Gallery, HKBU Kai Tak Campus, 51 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon

Participating Artists: Please refer to the Academy's website

Media representatives who wish to attend the opening ceremony or arrange interviews regarding the exhibition, please contact the Communication and Public Relations Office at HKBU.

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