Monday, November 14, 2022

Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2023 launches two exhibitions at Hong Kong Arts Centre in celebration of one-year countdown


In celebration of its one-year countdown to November 2023, Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2023 (GGHK) is opening two art exhibitions at the Hong Kong Arts Centre: Gay Games 40th Anniversary Historical Exhibition “Beyond Strength”, and LOVE+: Awakening, both starting at 6 pm on November 16th, 2022.

The exhibition takes place at the Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio of Goethe-Institut Hong Hong, both located on the 14/F of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. “Beyond Strength” conceptualizes the past four decades of the Gay Games as a procession towards a more inclusive world that, as founder Tom Waddell envisioned, would transcend historical divisions based on age, sexuality, race, and nationality.

This photographic exhibition creates a comprehensive view of the Games' history and its impact on the global LGBTQ+ community and introduces The Gay Games to their 2023 host city, Hong Kong. The opening will also include a live artist’s performance and speeches from the curators of the Historical Exhibition and Love+: Awakenings.

“Gay Games has an amazing and powerful history of celebrating the human body and spirit. The Goethe-Institut is proud to present this story in our gallery, in wonderful synergy with the Love+:Awakening exhibition that is taking place at the same time, showcasing queer perspectives from Hong Kong's art scene,” said Dr. Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, Director of the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong. “We are happy to support this bold statement in the run-up to Gay Games 2023 and look forward together to an exciting festival of arts, sports and culture!”

The LOVE+ Awakening exhibition, hosted at the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s Pao Galleries, showcases twenty-three Hong Kong-born or based artists and includes their works, many unseen by the public, based on the curatorial keyword ‘awakenings’ to celebrate Gay Games Hong Kong 2023. LOVE+ is a moment to define their identities, their artistic careers, of love and desire, or an expression to activate, incite and revive.

This exhibition will delineate a timeline of Queer Art in Hong Kong as a subtext from the 1990s to date with collaborators such as the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, the Centre for Innovative Service-Learning, and Hong Kong Baptist University.

Ultimately, these exhibitions are about connection. Connecting the co-host locations, peoples, communities, and cultures: Hong Kong with Guadalajara Mexico; Asia to the Americas, and also the world. It is about connecting past, present, and future histories; and it is about connecting all of our hopes and dreams. Together, GGHK believes we can work toward an even better world in which to find courage and bravery; a better world for the LGBTQ+ community; and a better world for everyone.

The Gay Games will take place from 3-11 November 2023, for the first time in Asia. With events expected to welcome 2,000 participants per month on average in the months leading up to Nov 2023 as well as 7,000 participants and 25,000 visitors during November 2023, the Hong Kong-hosted Games are expected to bring 70,000 individuals together to celebrate this global experience.