Heimat im Wandel
HEIMAT IM WANDEL / HOMELAND IN FLUX
5 – 26 May 2022, Villa Meier-Severini, Zollikon, Switzerland
Tibet and Hong Kong share common lines in their unknown destinies and possibilities. They seem to be threaded into dialogues as shown in the works brought together in this exhibition linking cultural landscapes, memories and human conditions.
The word ‘homeland’ has complex meanings: a clearly defined place/space, a tradition/ culture that you share with others, a common history, belonging to a certain community in which you feel at home - and thus also feelings such as security and trust. It evokes a permanent form on the surface, yet when we dive a little deeper into our memories and emotions, the word urges us to reflect on its shifting nature. The definition of ‘homeland’ fluctuates under socio-political pressures which can lead to alienation and discontent, and potential fragmentations in our societies.
Postponed since March 2020 due to the pandemic, the exhibition has transformed from the second chapter into the seventh in the Homeland in Transit series with the German title HEIMAT im WANDEL in which Martin Brauen, cultural anthropologist specialising in Tibet and the Himalayas and curator, and Hong Kong curator Angelika Li attempt to interweave respective perspectives and experiences of Swiss-Tibetan artist Sonam Dolma Brauen, and six Hong Kong artists Hung Fai, Lee Ka Sing, Leung Chi Wo, MAP Office, Lulu Ngie and Wai Pong Yu. Despite many differences, the two places share something in common: the sense of homeland of its inhabitants is constantly being questioned and reinterpreted. How do the artists perceive these transformations and how do they represent it in their art?