WMA’s New Identity, New Strategy

Since its establishment in 2011, WMA has been dedicated to exploring Hong Kong through lens-based art. The exploration of issues with contemporary Hong Kong relevance lies at the heart of WMA’s array of annual programmes, including the WMA Masters, the WMA Commission, the WMA Open Photo Contest, and the Student Programme. Through the work of local and international photographers, image-based artists, and the public, as well as the research and narratives by scholars and curators, WMA aims to construct diverse perspectives and to initiate both conversations and connections with Hong Kong’s past, present, and future. 

In today’s digital era, images are pervasive while image making has become our everyday medium of expression. As a response to the immediacy of the digital landscape, WMA will also recast its direction to bring together cross-generational and cross-geographical discourses on Hong Kong through lens-based art. The new branding design features the grid as a fundamental element, and references the bottom-up and interconnected joinery techniques of traditional bamboo scaffolding. The grid symbolises WMA’s commitment as a platform that both connects diverse disciplines and works across physical as well as virtual spaces, with the goal of deepening the research, exhibition, preservation, and circulation of images. 

Looking ahead, WMA will remodel its thematic programme to take place from an annual to a biennial basis, with emphasis placed on the WMA Commission. This would provide ample time and space for selected artists to develop their creative ideas, as well as to allow for deeper and more diversified public engagement on the topics through exhibitions and programming. Proposals for WMA Commission will be collected through a nomination process. Artists and photographers will be invited to submit a creative proposal under the biennial theme that is oriented towards Hong Kong studies. The jury appointed by the WMA selected two proposals, and each recipient will be awarded HKD250,000 to develop their research and artistic creation. The commissioned work will be showcased or exhibited at WMA Space or other venues, and will be included in the WMA Collection.