Tai Kwun Art Week: A look back at Hong Kong’s cultural celebration

Tai Kwun’s annual event, Artists' Night, captivated audiences with performances exploring AI, identity and the human experience

On March 28, 2025, Tai Kwun’s historic Prison Yard came alive with Artists’ Night, the centrepiece of its inaugural Art Week. Supported by Art Basel Hong Kong and curated by Jill Angel Chun and Shuman Wang, the evening offered a mesmerising blend of visual art, experimental music and cutting-edge technology.

Themed Traveling Temporal Odyssey, the programme explored the intersections of artificial intelligence, the body, and ritual. Performances spanned multiple venues, immersing attendees in a journey through time—from ancient prehistory to speculative futures.

A journey through time and technology

The evening began with London-based artist Lawrence Lek’s live performance Nox at the open-air Laundry Steps. Part of his ongoing SimBeijing trilogy, the work fused Sino-futurism with electronic soundscapes to examine identity in an AI-driven world. Lek’s cinematic visuals and haunting compositions transported audiences into a dystopian yet reflective vision of the future.

At F Hall Studio, Amsterdam’s women-led collective affect lab hosted Bleeding into the Metaverse, a digital dance party inviting participants to interact with their own digital avatars. Originating as a response to online debates about body diversity, the performance challenged societal norms while fostering inclusivity through immersive technology.

For VIP guests, Shanghai-based experimental artist 33EMYBW debuted Holes of Sinian, an audiovisual set blending field recordings from global borderlands with AI-generated visuals. The performance delved into themes of cultural memory and mythology, creating a sensory experience that bridged ancient traditions with futuristic aesthetics.

The night concluded with Yiniverse Party, a collaborative DJ set by Hong Kong producers JayMe and Woonjii under their new moniker, Yisekai. Their pulsating beats and layered soundscapes evoked a “Yiniverse” of boundless energy and emotion, leaving attendees energised as they danced into the night.

Rituals of memory and reflection

Beyond music and technology, Artists’ Night also featured performances rooted in human experience and memory. Hong Kong-based artist Sissi Kaplan presented 77 Days: I am still here at Tai Kwun Contemporary’s Artists’ Book Library. This hour-long spoken word and music performance reflected on isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, blending pre-recorded sounds with live readings to evoke feelings of displacement and loss.

Meanwhile, Alicja Kwade’s Waiting Pavilions in the Prison Yard reimagines the waiting experience in a contemporary context. Six prison-like structures built with glass bricks  can be found in the Prison Yard, while numerous white chairs holding sizable stones are scattered nearby. The transparency of the bricks alludes to the unseen confines of modern life, whereas the chairs make viewers consider how the external environment is connected to our inner worlds. The work points to how reality often transcends initial appearances.

A platform for emerging talent

From Lek’s AI-driven narratives to Affect Lab’s digital dancefloor, Artists’ Night offered moments of wonder and reflection for all who attended. The event celebrated artistic innovation and invited audiences to consider their place in an ever-evolving world shaped by technology and tradition.

As Tai Kwun continues to establish itself as a hub for arts and culture in Hong Kong, events like Artists’ Night highlight its potential to inspire creativity across generations while fostering meaningful connections through art.

Also see: Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong: What to keep in mind when buying art for your home