RedBall Hong Kong

EVENT DESCRIPTION

RedBall Project by American artist Kurt Perschke is considered the world’s longest-running street artwork, and Hong Kong is thrilled to welcome the internationally renowned public artwork from 6 to 15 December as it introduces newfound wonder into 10 culturally significant locations across the city.

Hong Kong will be the 48th stop on the artwork’s world tour, which began in 2001 and has bounced from Paris to Chicago, London to Tokyo, and earlier this year in Tainan. The highly acclaimed and much-loved public work moves through the city to a new site each day for the public to interact with, creating a short series of art and architectural interventions. The pre-released schedule, set to be announced in mid-November, allows everyone to engage with the project and encourages locals and tourists to plan their visit in advance and interact with RedBall Project.

Hosted as part of BODW in the city, RedBall Hong Kong is set to be a city-wide celebration with local artist crossovers, brand collaborations and event activations inviting people to engage with the project, sparking creativity and imagination across the city. From Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, RedBall wedges itself into local architecture, encouraging participants to think about the cultural and historical significance of these interventions while giving people an opportunity to view locations one might walk past every day with a fresh perspective.

Visiting a new location each day over 10 days, popping up from 11am to 6pm, the city itself becomes the scene for the artwork with pedestrians invited to join in on the performance. The artist visited Hong Kong in advance to scout and select the locations; he sees the selection process as part of the creation of the artwork.

Launching on 6 December (Friday), RedBall Hong Kong debuts at Central Pier 10, wedging itself into the pier’s structure against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s iconic harbour, inviting locals and tourists to consider the historically shifting Hong Kong coastline.

On 7 December (Saturday), RedBall will bounce across the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, integrating itself into Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA).

West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) is the destination on 8 December (Sunday) where art and culture thrives on the harbourfront. Here the artwork extends into public spaces, reiterating RedBall Project’s value in making art accessible – making this stop in the city a destination for cultural immersion.

On 9 December (Monday), prepare to rediscover Central’s Chater Garden where RedBall will make its intervention at the original site of the Hong Kong Cricket Club’s (HKCC) pitch on Chater Road which served the HKCC for 124 years, surrounded by buildings of the past, present, and future.

10 December (Tuesday) will see RedBall bounce across the harbour again to be wedged into the structure of Kowloon Public Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui where the magnificent view of the skyline changes almost every decade, leaving participants to ponder on the development of the city.

On 11 December (Wednesday) it arrives at Asia Society in Admiralty, a horizontal oasis in the midst of a vertical city while highlighting the revitalisation of heritage buildings in this culturally significant site of art, culture, and public art projects.

Back in Central on 12 December (Thursday), RedBall visits Jardine House where the artwork will be squeezed into the architecture surrounding Hong Kong’s first skyscraper, best known for its circular windows.

On 13 December (Friday) the project heads over to Stanley whose name originated from the Traditional Chinese “Red Pillar”, where fishermen, boat passengers and al fresco diners will come across RedBall at Blake Pier.

On 14 December (Saturday), the RedBall inserts itself into the pagoda beside the Model Boat Pool at Victoria Park, Hong Kong’s most popular “urban green lung”.

The final day sees RedBall up at The Peak in a takeover of the Lion’s Point View Pavilion where a unique and seemingly gravity-defying view of the city.

Local designers and artists participate in East-meets-West crossovers

RedBall Hong Kong is set to be a city-wide celebration, inviting collective imagination. Local artists have been invited to participate creating unique crossovers. Humchuk, represented by Young Soy Gallery, and in collaboration with Ovolo Central will paint a mural responding to RedBall Hong Kong in his unique artistic style from 4 to 6 December. In the spirit of public art engagement, artist Humchuk will also be stationed at WestK’s Art Park on 8 December to interact with pedestrians and patrons through live drawing sessions from 12noon to 3pm, which audience members can take home.

INNSVX, the much-loved local digital artists, are set to bring RedBall to life in the digital realm through AR technology, allowing participants to be imaginative with a specially created AR filter which can be accessed through RedBall Project’s Instagram account, @redballproject from this week – allowing users to create their own performance with a virtual RedBall at any location worldwide.

In collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC), the Hong Kong Art School (HKAS) and HKAS alumni, the local contemporary artist Kiesly Tsang will create a site-specific installation at HKAC in response to RedBall Hong Kong, bringing holiday cheer and creativity to this iconic Wan Chai landmark.

Local galleries exhibit RedBall Hong Kong illustrations and prints

At The Uncommon, a multi-purpose space that blurs the lines between art, music, and food in Tai Hang, visitors can see Perschke’s 10 original artworks created for RedBall Hong Kong in a solo exhibition from 5 to 31 December. The artist’s original artworks are available to purchase.

Visit Young Soy Gallery from 5 to 31 December to view two of Kurt Perschke’s RedBall Hong Kong illustrations as limited edition prints alongside 12 local artists in the gallery’s December group exhibition. Prints are available to purchase exclusively at Young Soy Gallery.

Some of Hong Kong’s best loved brands are joining in on the RedBall fun

Sparking creativity and imagination throughout the city, RedBall Hong Kong is thrilled to have the support of much-loved brands who have curated themed activations.

For those interested in learning more about RedBall Project and its journey to its 48th stop, head to HKMoA on 7 December where Kurt Perschke will conduct an Artist Talk moderated by art curator Grace Cheng, from 3pm to 4pm – available to the public for walk-ins.

On 11 December, engage with artist behind RedBall Project and Hong Kong architect Roger Wu at Asia Society from 6pm to 7pm where those interested can sign up for an Artist Talk divulging on the intersection between public art, architecture, and community. Be sure to pre-register for this highly anticipated free of charge event to secure a seat.

At Ovolo Central, join local artist Humchuk on 12 December where his RedBall-inspired mural will be unveiled at Veda Café & Bar along with the chance to meet the artist and creator behind RedBall Project, Kurt Perschke from 6pm to 8pm.