On View: “Fermata, Hong Kong in Venice” by Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui

Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice, a sideshow of the 61st Venice Biennale, creates a bridge between two cities shaped by water It has a strong maritime history. Artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui have transformed Campo della Tana, adjacent to the Arsenale, into a delicate choreography of light, sound and movement, constructing a series of sensual and poetic evocations of the daily rhythms of Hong Kong. Visitors are immersed in a sensory experience that traces the city’s gradual transition from night to day. “The entire installation is revealed as a temporal and spatial sequence in a loop; every second and every session offers some surprise,” Hui tells Observer, explaining how, rather than presenting isolated objects, the artists conceived the exhibition as a shared sensory journey linking multiple practices. Although this marks their first collaboration, Hui had previously studied composition under Ng, establishing an intergenerational dialogue between their approaches.

Sound plays a central role in constructing their collective world. Field recordings from Hong Kong at night – including transport noise, birdsong and distant urban ambiance – are combined into a collaborative soundscape that develops throughout the installation’s 10-minute cycle. “I told Inge Kingsley what I imagined, and he helped compose it because we see the whole exhibition as one journey, not separate works,” Hui explains, describing the entirety of the show as a choreographed time experience.

A red window floats suspended in space, surrounded by small plastic bags containing goldfish – these figures are actually finely embroidered, adding a sensual tactile quality and local craftsmanship to the installation. Through intricate Suzhou embroidery, Hui transforms fragile, disposable materials into objects worthy of attention and contemplation. Plastic bags drift gently through space while luminous goldfish flash overhead, slowly emerging from the darkness at measured intervals before gathering in a floating constellation above the viewer. The entire installation transforms ordinary and neglected objects into a drifting haven where time is suspended and the subtle rhythms of daily life begin to emerge.

Hui emphasizes openness – spatial and psychological – while transforming ordinary materials into poetic forms. Plastic bags, umbrellas, textiles and other overlooked objects are reworked with an artisanal touch and theatrical lighting effects that challenge traditional notions of value and craftsmanship. “For this project, I wonder how we can see ordinary objects differently, how we can give them value, or turn them into works of art,” she explains.

Embroidery applied to industrial plastic surfaces creates a tension between softness and artificiality, while references to shadow play introduce dream-like theatrical dimensions. Hui describes the project as a major breakthrough in her practice, moving beyond wall-mounted projection screens toward a more immersive cinematic language. “I wanted to create imagination and connection between two cities. Venice and Hong Kong share a similar spirit,” she adds.

waterWindows and floating shapes appear as central motifs through which Hui explores the imagination, permeability and emotional connections between Hong Kong and Venice. She collaborated with traditional local blacksmiths in Hong Kong on the wrought iron window frame, which combines ornamental motifs typical of both cities. Traces of handwork are intentionally left visible, allowing craftsmanship and the passage of time to shape the pieces while also acknowledging the pressures that evolving technologies place on traditional craftsmanship and the slower rhythms of care.

Initiating the conversation, Ng draws attention to a central installation inspired by the “sky well,” a vertical architectural feature common in Hong Kong buildings: “In Venice, we are familiar with wells that go down to the ground. In Hong Kong, we instead have what we call ‘sky wells,’ which are vertical spaces that rise up through dense buildings. There is a dialogue between the Venetian well and the sky well in Hong Kong.” inside, water It rotates continuously, creating bubbles that pulsate under a small floating light. “Bubbles and washes celebrate everyday labor and manual labour, but they also allow us to imagine something bigger – the stars, celestial figures and intelligence. They are always in a state of flux, somewhere between control and lack of control.”

While Hui’s work focuses more directly on the physical textures of everyday urban life, Ng’s practice deals with the intangible, highlighting what is already there and highlighting the atmosphere generated by the city itself. In an adjacent room, a meditative installation composed of light, shadows, projections and sound evokes the image of laundry hanging from windows. “Even the process of projection creates uncertainty; viewers are not always sure whether the light is real or artificial,” he explains. Titled Night laundry (晾曬夜曲), the work grew out of Ng’s experience in Venice, where hanging laundry stretched between buildings brought to mind scenes that were once ubiquitous throughout Hong Kong.

The soundscape accompanies the transition from the beginning of the night to the first moments of the morning in Hong Kong. (One recording comes from the city’s highest mountain, where a café prepares a pre-dawn dim sum breakfast.) The exhibition shows a suspended moment—at once evocative and imagined—in a spatio-temporal dislocation that momentarily transports Hong Kong to Venice.

Technology is deeply ingrained in Ng’s work, as it is for many Hong Kong artists, yet he deliberately prevents it from dominating the work. Technological systems remain hidden and almost invisible. And outside, in the courtyard, he expands the laundry metaphor further. “I wanted to connect the sky and the sunlight water– Drying waterHe explains. “Five puddles of different sizes, resembling puddles left by rain, are scattered throughout the space. Above them, iridescent ribbons extend from the surrounding walls, gently moved by hidden motors, twisting and turning to catch and reflect daylight like clotheslines stretched across the Venetian palace opposite.

Throughout our conversation, the two artists returned again and again to the idea of ​​interconnectedness: between generations, between cities, between material and immaterial forms, between the public and the environment. The installation uses everyday items (laundry, windows, shades, waterMaintenance and Ambient Sound) as the basis for a meditative sensory experience that resets attention towards the quieter frequencies of the city and the often overlooked rhythms of everyday urban life.

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