Monique Yim (b. 1984, Hong Kong)

Born in 1984, Hong Kong, Monique Yim is an interdisciplinary artist, art educator and independent curator/organizer, mainly engages in performance, installation, conceptual art, site-specific art, public art, socially engaged art and community art. She is also a film and advertising art director and theatre art designer. She received Master of Arts in Arts and Cultural Enterprise at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her artistic research fields including performance art, performance art education, public art and community art, queer art, art and cultural initiative, art mindfulness and life education.

Since 2006, after studying Bachelor of Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she has started working as an independent artist. In 2008, she was invited by Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) to present her first solo exhibition “In the Name of Art” at Shanghai Street Artspace, Hong Kong. Recently, she had solo exhibitions “Strangers” at Boom Art Gallery Bar, Hong Kong in 2016, and "Nice to Meet You” at Onomato Artist Association, Dusseldorf, Germany in 2018.

More than a decade, she has organized or participated in over 200 local and overseas exhibitions, projects or artist-in-residence programmes, in the form of performance art, visual arts, or cross media arts. Her works and exhibitions have been shown in Hong Kong, 11 countries with 18 cities in Europe (including in United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Cyprus), 1 city in Asia (i.e. Singapore), 11 cities in China (i.e. Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian, Xiamen, Nanning, Kunming, Qujing, Guiyang, Laiwu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen), and 2 cities in Taiwan (i.e. Taipei and Douliu).

She won the Second Prize of "Visual Art Performance Made in Public Space" International Prize that was awarded by Kassak Centre, Hungary and Slovakia in 2018.

Yim is a core active performance artist, performance art educator and organizer of Hong Kong. Her works are collected by “Asia Art Archive (AAA)” and “Hong Kong Visual Arts Yearbook”. In 2009, she has been selected for the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) “Community Cultural Ambassador” Project. In 2013, she curated “Performance Art Marathon” in Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District. In 2015-16, some works in her “Queer Series” were sponsored by the international company LUSH that concerns about equality, human right, lgbtq right, animal right and environment. She has been successfully selected by Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) and Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) in the artist grant funding support for her local or overseas exhibitions and projects in the years.

As a prolific interdisciplinary artist, she has collaborated with different museums, galleries and art organizations, such as AMP Studio (London), Luisa Catucci Gallery (Berlin), Onomato Artist Association (Dusseldorf), P/////AKT (Amsterdam), Divus Perla (Prague), The Brno House of Arts (Brno), Taipei Contemporary Art Center (Taipei), Taipei Treasure Hill Artist Village (Taipei), Art Museum of Sichuan University (Chengdu), Xian Concert Hall (Xian), Banpo International Art Zone (Xian), 108 Think Tank Creative Zone, (Kunming), ASEAN International Cultural Centre (Nanning), New Who Art Museum (Shenzhen), iD Town International Art Zone (Shenzhen), West Kowloon Cultural District Museum M+, Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Oil Street Art Space, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Cattle Depot Artist Village, Make A Difference Asia (MaD Asia), DETOUR, Hong Kong Gallery Association, Hong Kong Osage, Para Site Art Space, 1a Space, Videotage, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC), Centre for Community Cultural Development (CCCD), Shanghai Street Artspace, Green Wave Art, Hong Kong Literature House, CULTaMAP, Art Together, Hong Kong Conservation Film Festival, Hong Kong People's Fringe Festival, Boom Art Gallery Bar, Sense 99, etc.

During the years, she has been actively giving performance art education under invitation by numerous universities, schools, institutions and organizations in local and abroad, such as Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic), Xiamen University (China), The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong School of Creativity, Diocesan Boys' School, Diocesan Girls' School, St. Mary's Canossian College, South Island International School, Canossa College, Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School, Choi Hung Estate Catholic Secondary School, Sai Kung Sung Tsun Catholic School, Caritas Lok Jun School (Special Education), Precious Blood Children's Village, Hong Kong Renaissance Foundation, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (YAF), etc. Her students included local and overseas young artists, arts graduates, arts master and undergraduate degree students, HKDSE visual arts students and people without art background, ranging from kids, teenagers, adults to people of different races, people come from different communities, disabled and people with special needs. She is also well-known in social engagement art themed on teenager development, family and intergenerational relationship, life and death education, nature and conservation.

In 2017 she presented a breakthrough cross-disciplinary arts production of performance art, music, film, installation and theatre, named “Searching for Stillness” in KUC Space, themed on life and death. As an important performance art educator, she also does many pioneering works on local performance art education, such as performance crossover interdisciplinary arts education programmes she provided to “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Performing Arts Biennale 2016”, named “We Are Unique”, and “Renaissance Foundation Summer Camp 2017”, named “Wasteland”, both themed on life education.

She has always been commissioned by NGOs and social communities too, like International Social Service Hong Kong Branch, Association of World Citizens Hong Kong China, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association Hong Kong, Hong Kong Association of the Deaf, Amnesty International Hong Kong, Hong Kong Pride Parade, IDAHOT Hong Kong, Pink Alliance, Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral, Justice & Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, Hong Kong Catholic Commission For Labour Affairs, etc.

Yim was mainly doing cultural and social political issue related art in public spaces and social movements. More than public issues, she also worked on philosophical issues like self-contemplation and existentialism, to present her thinking and reflection on life, death, presence, freedom, sadness, happiness, pain, love, etc.

Across various kinds of art media and theme she presented, the public is more familiar with her performance art that concerned about social public issue, human right, gender issue and lgbtq right. For example, her public artwork “Queer Series No. 9: Strangers” showcased in the “Hong Kong Art Week 2016” illustrating the issue of marriage equality and raised public awareness. She and the work were featured in some local and overseas press and art critiques. She was invited to exhibit the work documentation in her solo exhibition “Strangers” in Boom Art Gallery Bar and in “Hong Kong Pride Parade 2016” in Edinburgh Square. Since 2017, this artwork has become a landmark of the “Walk in Hong Kong - LGBT Tour” in Central.

Throughout Yim’s career, she and her works has been featured in numerous media coverages, such as Associated Press (United States), Vice (Czech Republic), Fountain of Creativity (Taiwan), Apple Daily (Taiwan), Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), Cable TV and i-Cable, Ming Pao, Ming Pao Weekly, Apply Daily, Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong 01, BC Magazine, Time Out Hong Kong, Milk Magazine, U Magazine, Metropop, Kung Kao Po, etc.

Defining performance art, she stated that, “It is an art form that uses body as a medium. The subject content, media, and material involved in the creation are very diversified yet finest. It can be social and public. It can be about oneself and self-contemplation. It can be thoughts about life, living, and existence. It is inward and outward at the same time, microscopically and macroscopically. It is sometimes a process, sometimes a result. It is the softest yet toughest. It is honest, real and virtual. It can be easy, unlike painting, sculpture, architecture and so on, performance art does not necessarily require certain skills and training, it requires perception and instinct, concept and transformation; it can be difficult, it should be driven from mind and spirit, and is the synthesis of present time, space, people (artist and audience), and objects (material and environment). In the art history, it is probably the most marginal and avant-garde, the most floating and controversial, however, for humans, it is possibly the most ordinary, natural, and secluded.” – Published in the book “Performance Art Laboratory Project 2014: International Performance Art Festival”, Centre for Community Cultural Development (CCCD), supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Moreover, Yim is also co-editor of China “Pearl River Project - Pearl River Basin Performance Art Yearbook” in 2018, co-founder and board member of Hong Kong contemporary Catholic artist association “Guild of St Luke” in 2016, and co-founder and editor of Hong Kong “DINGLEI - Magazine of Art and Society” in 2012 in collaboration with Polytechnic University of Hong Kong.

Worked as an art director on various advertising projects since 2016, she working on accounts from public to private sectors such as Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Tai Kwun, Guerlain Hong Kong, etc. She also engaged as art director on several films and shorts since 2012 that were prized by international film awards from Poland, Japan, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.

嚴穎嘉 (香港，生於1984年)

嚴穎嘉是香港跨媒介藝術家、藝術教育家、獨立策展/劃人，倫敦藝術大學中央聖馬丁學院藝術與文化企業文學碩士。嚴氏主要從事行為、裝置、概念藝術、場域特定藝術、公共藝術、社會參與式藝術、社區及社群藝術。她亦是電影及廣告的藝術總監、美術指導及服裝造型指導、劇場藝術家、舞台設計師。

嚴氏1984年生於香港，曾於香港中文大學主修文化及宗教研究，雙副修藝術、新聞與傳播，2006年開始從事藝術，2008年獲香港藝術展發局邀約於上海街視藝空間舉辦首個個人展覽「因藝術之名」，2009年獲選康文署社區文化大使，2013年於西九文化區策展「行為藝術馬拉松」，2015年獲Lush支持作品系列。創作至今十五年，嚴氏已策劃或獲邀參與，逾二百項本地或國際的行為藝術、視覺藝術、跨媒介藝術展覧、駐村、項目計劃等，當中包括於香港、歐洲十一個國家 (英國，德國，瑞士，荷蘭，瑞典，波蘭，捷克，匈牙利，斯洛伐克，塞爾維亞，塞浦路斯) 共十九個城市、北美洲 (加拿大)、南美洲 (智利)、亞洲 (新加坡)、中國十一個城市 (上海，成都，西安，廈門，南寧，昆明，曲靖，貴陽，萊蕪，廣州，深圳)、台灣兩個城市 (台北、斗六)。個人展覽包括：「因藝術之名」(香港上海街視藝空間，2008)、「陌生人」(香港Boom藝術畫廊酒吧，2016)、「高興認識你」(德國杜塞道夫Onomato藝術家協會，2018)。於2018年，她獲得匈牙利與斯洛伐克 Kassak Centre「國際徴集公共行為藝術獎」。

歷年她亦常於不同大學、學校及公私營機構教學及辦講座。對象由成人、大學生、青少年、小童、到不同國籍的及特殊需要的社群，並經常與不同藝術家、藝術團體、機構、院校、政府或非政府組織、民間團體等合作、策劃或接受委約項目。她曾作藝術教育或講座的院校與機構如：捷克布爾諾技術大學、香港大學、中文大學、理工大學、城市大學、兆基創意書院、歌德學院、文藝復興基金會、香港青年藝術協會、K11、國際社會服務社等；曾合作或受邀約藝術項目的機構與組織如：創不同亞洲、西九文化區自由野、香港畫廊協會、文化地圖、香港文學生活館、社區文化發展中心、錄影太奇、藝術到家、國際特赦組織、天主教香港教區等。

她常於公共空間中，發表有關社會和文化議題的作品，另一創作主題類別，就是有關個人自身或內在的觀照，例如生命、死亡、存在、生存狀態、自由、痛苦、性別、愛，等等。其社會關懐及酷兒主題作品，最為人熟悉。 嚴氏被視為香港當代活躍的國際行為藝術家、香港主要的行為藝術教育家，及多產的跨媒介青年藝術家。其作品屢被撰入藝評與專題，及被選為學術研究與教學材料，如亞洲藝術文獻庫、英國牛津大學、嶺南大學等。 近年積極發展並推行融合身心靈元素的藝術靜觀工作坊，又與表達藝術治療師合作主持融合五感元素的表達藝術工作坊。

嚴氏自2015年起投入與自身相關的性別酷兒和同志平權作品系列。 她的《酷兒系列》已於香港，及中國、英國、徳國、瑞士、瑞典、波蘭、捷克、匈牙利、斯洛伐克、塞浦路斯、塞爾維亞等多個展覽及知名藝術節中展出。 她亦曾多次於歐洲、中國及本地主講此課題的講座。她曾和IDAHOT HK、香港同志遊行、香港同讀文化節、基督教性/別文化節等合作。 

她2017年於德國創作，關於婚姻平權的《酷兒系列十：離地探戈》，獲歐洲Kassak Centre頒發「公共空間行為藝術國際獎」。 2016年於香港創作，同樣關於婚權的《酷兒系列九：陌生人》，展於同年的「香港藝術周」、香港同志遊行，並展於香港Boom的「陌生人」個人展覽，亦是「活現香港：香港性小眾之旅」的中環介紹點。 此《酷兒系列》獲得藝發局及民政處資助。 有關藝評收錄於亞洲藝術文獻庫及台灣《新活水》等，有關博士論文包括英國牛津大學Dr Emma Kwan的研究。2012年她曾在台灣「田心 12 號國際藝術村」同志空間為駐村藝術家。 2016年於香港知專設計學院受邀拍攝的一輯酷兒主題人像，入選「LensCulture」國際當代攝影比賽。 2017年她受邀為《女人就是女人》跨性別主題獲獎電影的美術指導。 她亦是同志社群藝術工作坊導師。

關於行為藝術的論述，嚴氏認為：「行為藝術作為方法，以身體作為媒介，創作涉獵(的題材和呈現與媒材方式)是最全面廣博的，也是最極致細緻的。它可以是社會性與公共性的，它亦可以是個人自身及內在的觀照，它更是對生命、生活、存在、生存狀態的思考。它是向內同時又向外的，是微觀同時又宏觀的。它有時是過程，有時是結果。它最虛也最實，最柔也最剛。它可以是最容易駕駑的，因為它不像繪畫、雕塑、建築等需要固有或特定技巧的訓練與規範，是直觀與本能，它亦是最難以捉控的， 因為它是從心智和精神出發，是當下的時、空、人、物的總和。它的表現形式和承載內容，可能在藝術史是最邊緣與前衛、浮動與爭議的，亦可能在作為人是最日常與平凡、自然與無爭的。」－ 載於《行為藝術實驗室計劃 2014：國際行為藝術節》。