Between the Pen and the Eye: Art Criticism Workshop'

(3 sessions)

Focusing on writing practices in Hong Kong visual arts criticism, social contexts, and local reflections, this workshop analyses the role of criticism in its historical context, as well as the challenges and possibilities in the face of media transformations and shrinking cultural resources, while simulating real-world editorial and review processes through practical exercises.

Workshops

1. Art Criticism & Society

— Roles and Historical Contexts

Examine the function and significance of art criticism across different historical periods and social contexts

Is criticism merely a supplement to art?

Or can it be a creative and critical act in itself?

How do we write art criticism today? What tools, forms, and voices are available to us?

2. The Death of Criticism? — A Local Reflection from Hong Kong

In the face of media transformation and shrinking cultural resources, does art criticism still have a place in society?

Explore how new media and self-publishing platforms are reshaping the ecology of art criticism

Consider the local challenges and possibilities for critics in Hong Kong’s evolving art landscape

3. Writing Together

— Practice, Peer Review & Live Critique

Engage in hands-on writing exercises in response to selected artworks or exhibitions

Share, discuss, and critique each other's drafts in a collaborative and open setting

Simulate real-world editorial and review processes, and reflect on the role of the critic as both writer and reader

Samwai Lam

Samwai Lam earned her M.A. and bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from The University of Hong Kong. Her art writing has been shortlisted for the International Awards for Art Criticism (IAAC). Her novels include White Dirt (白漬, 2017) and Moon Phase (月相, 2020). A recipient of the Literature Award from The House of Hong Kong Literature, Lam’s short stories have appeared in Fleurs des Lettres (字花), SAMPLE and Esquire. In 2023, she served as the Writer-in-Residence at Hong Kong Baptist University’s “Chinese Writers’ Workshop.” Her short story Graceless was published in The Massachusetts Review and included in the 2024 Best Literary Translations Anthology, published by Deep Vellum.

'Critics as… and ​vice versa'

(12 sessions)

Exposing the myth of art criticism, this workshop will investigate the multiple roles of art criticism in today’s contexts. Whereas criticism can refer to a specific social role, a critical lens can be adopted by everyone. How do we understand art criticism? How can we practise criticism ?

We will study related works in each session, such as articles, artwork, film/video, and so on. Sessions 4 and 8 will delve into the practice of criticism through ongoing exhibitions, art events, and special topics.

Workshops

1. Welcome to the multiverse of art criticism?

How do we see the multiple roles of art criticism? How can the critic adapt these various roles?

2. Critic as a Promoter?

To what extent do critics help the public navigate and understand art in an accessible manner?​

3. Critic as an Artist?

Artful criticism and/or critical artistry? How much of art-making is criticism and/or criticism is art-making?

4. Critic as an Archivist/Documenter?

How does criticism function as a historical footnote by documenting and preserving contemporary art?

5. Practice I: Exhibition Visit, Discussion, and Analysis

6. Critic as a Journalist?

While neutrality and objectivity seem the myth of the press, how do the journalists make criticism? Is criticism part of journalism indeed?​

7. Critic as an Influencer?

How can we effectively discuss art through social media platforms, and how efficacious is art criticism on these platforms?

8. Critic as an Activist?

How can criticism serve as a catalyst for change, transcending mere words into action?

9. Practice II:

Exhibition Visit, Discussion, and Analysis

10. Critic as a Researcher?

While neutrality and objectivity seem the myth of the press, how do the journalists make criticism? Is criticism part of journalism indeed?​

11. Critic as a Curator?

In the dual role of critic/curator, how do they navigate the intricate relationships within the art world?

12. Critic as a Critic?

Let’s rethink the essence of art criticism and its multiple roles in today’s complex art ecology.

wen yau

As a cross-media artist, researcher, curator and writer, wen yau has been concentrating on performance/live art and social practices in recent years. Her works have been exhibited internationally. She currently teaches contemporary art theory and practice at various universities. She worked as a Researcher at Asia Art Archive from 2005 to 2010 and has published extensively in local and international newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. She was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University's Performance Studies Department from 2015 to 2016, and she received her PhD in Visual Arts from the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, with an auto-ethnographic thesis on performative practices in post-Handover Hong Kong art and activism.