The British Council Collection - 'White Horse' by Mark Wallinger at Harbour Arts Sculpture Park

The British Council is delighted to bring White Horse by Turner Prize winning artist Mark Wallinger to East Asia for the first time as part of Harbour Arts Sculpture Park 2018, the first public art project of this scale and calibre in Hong Kong between 22 February and 11 April 2018.

Commissioned by the British Council Collection, White Horse is a life-size sculpture of a thoroughbred racehorse created using state-of-the-art technology in which a live horse was digitally scanned to produce a faithfully accurate representation of the animal. Horses and thoroughbred horseracing are recurring themes within Wallinger’s artworks, which explore the social construction of identity and Britain’s enduring preoccupation with hierarchy and social class. The siting of White Horse on Hong Kong’s harbourfront is particularly resonant, given the complex historic associations between Hong Kong, Britain and equestrian traditions.

Curated by Tim Marlow, Artistic Director at the Royal Academy of Arts (London), and Fumio Nanjo, Director of Mori Art Museum (Tokyo) and Director of International Programme at Hong Kong Art School, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park offers the public opportunities to experience and engage with a line-up that includes renowned international names alongside the best of home-grown talent, all set against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s iconic skyline in the Central and Wan Chai districts.

Participating artists of Harbour Arts Sculpture Park include Rasheed Araeen (U.K.), Michael Craig-Martin (U.K.), Tracey Emin (U.K.), Ho Kwun Ting (HKSAR), Jenny Holzer (U.S.A.), Gimhongsok (South Korea), Antony Gormley (U.K.), Zheng Guogu (China), Yayoi Kusama (Japan), Tony Oursler (U.S.A.), Conrad Shawcross (U.K.), Bosco Sodi (Mexico), Hank Willis Thomas (U.S.A.), Matthew Tsang (HKSAR), Mark Wallinger (U.K.), Zhan Wang (China), Wong Chi-yung (HKSAR), Kacey Wong (HKSAR), and Morgan Wong (HKSAR). Over a quarter of the artists are from Hong Kong, allowing them to share a platform with some of the biggest international names in art.

Exhibition Details

22 February – 11 April 2018
Central and Western District Promenade and Wanchai
Free entry

A dedicated mobile app with detailed information on each of the sculptures and a multilingual audio guide in Cantonese, English and Mandarin will be available for the public.

The exhibition is accompanied by the Harbour Arts Sculpture Park Jockey Club Arts Education Programme supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The engaging and extensive programme of free workshops and educational activities will further promote the appreciation of arts and culture in Hong Kong.

Harbour Arts Sculpture Park Jockey Club Arts Education Programme

Public Art Symposium - Public Art Power: The role of art in society today

11.00 – 18.00 | Saturday, 24 February 2018
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Free admission. Click here for registration

Speakers:
Timothy Calnin (Director, Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts (The Jockey Club CPS Limited)
Michael Craig-Martin (Participating Artist, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park)
Charlotte Cohen (Executive Director, Brooklyn Arts Council, NYC, USA)
Connie Lam (Executive Director, Hong Kong Arts Centre)
Lesley Lau (Head of Art Promotion Office, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong)
Tim Marlow (Co-curator, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park and Artistic Director, The Royal Academy of Arts, UK)
Fumio Nanjo (Co-curator, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park and Director of Mori Art Museum, Japan, International Director of Art Education at Hong Kong Art School)
Elaine W.Ng (Editor and Publisher of ArtAsiaPacific)
Alyssa Nitchun (Acting Executive Director, Creative Time, NYC, USA)
Alex Schady (Director of Art, Central Saint Martins, London, UK)
Hank Willis Thomas (Participating artist, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park)
Kacey Wong (Participating artist, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park)
Wong Tin Yan (Participating artist, Harbour Arts Sculpture Park)

Click here to learn more about the exhibition and full details of the educational programmes.

#HarbourArtsHK #WhiteHorse #BritishCouncilCollection #MarkWallinger

White Horse by Mark Wallinger — ©
*White Horse* (2013). © Mark Wallinger. Courtesy of British Council Collection.

About White Horse

Made of marble and resin, White Horse is a life-size sculpture of a thoroughbred racehorse created using state-of-the-art technology in which a live horse was digitally scanned to produce a faithfully accurate representation of the animal. Horses and thoroughbred horseracing are recurring themes within Wallinger’s artworks, which explore the social construction of identity and Britain’s enduring preoccupation with hierarchy and social class. Other of his notable works in this genre include Race, Class, Sex, four life-sized portraits of thoroughbred stallions from the same breeding line; Royal Ascot, a four-screen video installation of the eponymous and exclusive race course in England; and A Real Work of Art, an actual race horse purchased by the artist. The siting of White Horse on Hong Kong’s harbour front is particularly resonant, given the complex historic associations between Hong Kong, Britain and equestrian traditions. Hong Kong currently boasts two of the world’s most regarded race courses, the first of which was built in 1845 to provide horse racing for British people in Hong Kong. At this time, membership of horse racing clubs was strictly drawn from the upper classes, with women and people from unsuitable backgrounds being excluded. Commissioned by the British Council Collection, White Horse illustrates Wallinger’s continuing fascination with the horse and its emblematic status in Britain and Hong Kong’s national histories.

About Mark Wallinger (UK)

Born in 1959, Mark Wallinger is one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists. He was twice nominated for the Turner Prize, winning the award in 2007. In 2001, the British Council selected Mark Wallinger to represent Britain at the 49th Venice Biennale. The British Council Collection commissioned White Horse in 2013 and the work has since been presented in London and New Dehli. This is the first time the work has been shown in East Asia.

About Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC)

HKAC is a multi-arts centre that fosters artistic exchanges locally and internationally, bringing the most forward creations to Hong Kong and showcasing Hong Kong talents abroad. HKAC stimulates innovation and promotes creativity. Being Hong Kong’s only independent non-profit multi-arts institution, HKAC offers exhibitions, screenings and performances, connecting the arts of Hong Kong to the rest of the world through programmes and collaborations. HKAC’s education arm, the Hong Kong Art School (HKAS), was born in 2000 as an accredited institute staffed by a group of dedicated artists for the fostering of new talents for the local art scene. Its award-bearing curriculum focuses on four core academic areas: Fine Art, Applied Art, Media Art, and Applied Theatre and Drama Education. HKAC also diligently builds platforms at home and overseas to showcase potential local talents through measures such as curating exhibitions and commissioning projects.

www.hkac.org.hk

About art-partners

art-partners is an independent art consultancy established by Levina Li-Cadman, Sarah Pringle and Vita Wong-Kwok to conceptualise develop and realise place-making art projects from Hong Kong across Asia. With over two decades of expertise in delivering engaging and memorable projects for world renowned artists, art-partners combines creativity with an understanding of business to add value through art and culture.

www.art-partners.co

Partners and sponsors
Harbour Arts Sculpture Park is presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre with Lead Education Partner The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, Lead Partner H Queen’s by Henderson Development Limited and supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Sponsors are Phillips auctioneers, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited and Howse Williams Bowers, art-partners as Project Directors, Sinclair as Integrated PR Partner, Financial Times, Mr & Mrs Darrin and Bonnie Woo, ALTO, UAL: Central Saint Martins, Kai-yin Lo & Hans Michael Jebsen, G4S and Prime Consulting Engineers Ltd.

Harbour Arts Sculpture Park institutional partners include Royal Academy of Arts, British Council, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Public Art Hong Kong, Ms Cissy Pao and U.S. Consulate General of Hong Kong and Macau.

Supporting organisations are Ben Brown Fine Arts, Edouard Malingue Gallery, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Kukje Gallery, Le comptoir, Lehmann Maupin, Long March Space, Mestre Projects, Perrier Jouet, Pearl Lam Galleries, Rossi Rossi, Tang Contemporary Art, Victoria Maro, White Cube and Yageo Foundation.

British Council Hong Kong