WYNG Masters Award 2014/15 – What A WASTE
The WYNG Masters Award will be featuring works of finalists highlighting the issue of WASTE in Hong Kong, from 19 to 29 April and will be exhibited at the Exhibition Hall of the Hong Kong City Hall. The artists exhibiting will include, Abby Au, Mandy Barker, Albert Bonsfills, Remmus Ha, Lam Hoi Sin, Ringo Tang and anothermountainman (Stanley Wong). The winning works will be announced at the opening of the exhibition.
The WYNG Masters Award aims to nurture the growth of photography as an art form in Hong Kong, as well as stimulate dialogue and foster community awareness on socially relevant issues of critical importance to Hong Kong. Each year a focused theme is chosen for the award. In the award’s inaugural 2012/13 cycle, the theme was POVERTY, followed by AIR, currently the focus is on WASTE. The theme announced for the 2015/16 cycle is IDENTITY.
Commenting on the WYNG Masters Award, Abby Chen, one of the judges said, “As a young award dedicated to valuing photography as a form of intervention on current issues, WMA is experiencing significant growth since its inception. The quality of submissions are improving each year while the award is gaining momentum. As a juror member on the panel, I fully enjoyed the discussion, including passionate debates at times on where the art and advocacy intersects or contradicted. Institutional support of art plays a vital role in re-imagining Hong Kong in a critical time.” She added that “the finalists on the subject WASTE represent a variety of perspectives, some playful, some raw, some nostalgic, and some demanding awareness and knowledge of issues. Works of Albert Bonsfills depicts a remote yet immediate, routine but harsh reality on e-waste recycling and hazard depository in regions neighboring Hong Kong.”
A series of seminars and workshops will be held on site throughout the exhibition period to raise community awareness and discussion on the issue. Created by 2012/13 WYNG Masters Award finalist Wei Leng Tay, What We Are Left With began as a web project that explore ideas of waste in our personal lives. Starting last month, participants have been submitting photographs and text of various waste in their homes to a website. Wei Leng will be sharing the results of the project at the seminar. Meanwhile, Siu Wai Hang, WYNG Masters Award 2013/14 winner will be hosting “Waste Consumption” Image Transfer Lab. Siu will be taking a closer look at the whole consumption process, each step produces unnecessary things like wrap, manual and flyers – and cash slips are the first things generated. The Image Transfer Lab is getting back to the starting point in consumption by turning cash slips into photographic works. Bring your cash slip (Thermal paper slip, e.g. from Octopus and Supermarket, width 58mm or 80mm) and take part in the workshop.
Organized with Plastic Free Seas and WWF Hong Kong, “Rubbish Bay” will explore the problem of marine litter created by junk bays around Hong Kong waters. Mandy Barker, one of this year’s WYNG Masters Award finalists, will present the experiences she has gathered as a photographer who have highlighted the problem of plastic debris all over the world. The impact of oceanic waste is an area Barker is committed to pursuing through innovative visual interpretation, hoping it will ultimately lead to tackling this increasing global environmental problem.
The International New York Times is the exclusive international media partner; Ming Pao Weekly is the exclusive local media partner; Widerhall Fine-Art Photographic is the official exhibition partner; and Panorama is the virtual tour partner. Supporting Organisations include Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong) and Plastic Free Seas.
For the most updated information about the exhibition and the talks program please visit: http://wyngmastersaward.hk/index.php/en/master-exhibition-en
WYNG Master Award Finalist Exhibition – What A Waste
Dates: 19 – 29 April 2015
Venue: Exhibition Hall, Low Block, Hong Kong City Hall
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 20:00
ABOUT THE THEME: WASTE
Waste relates contextually to the way we behave in this materialistic, consumptive society, as well as to the material generated in the process. Effective and efficient waste management has become an important environmental justice issue. There is a growing market in the trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste from developed to developing countries, a result of the ‘not-in-my-backyard’ attitude. Given that waste is a problem of global magnitude, awareness building and education are essential goals.
A study released by the United Nations in 2013 predicted that by 2017 the number of electronic equipment and appliances being disposed of will triple. Meanwhile, our modern ‘Throw Away’ society has contributed to the creation of the world’s most well-known marine landfill – the Pacific Trash Vortex. In Hong Kong over six million tonnes of municipal waste is disposed of each year – a 20% increase over the past 10 years. This increase has occurred much faster than anyone expected, placing Hong Kong’s landfills under enormous pressure. The territory’s three landfills are expected to be full by the end of this decade, making it clear that Hong Kong needs a more sustainable waste management policy. There are many options available, from prevention, re-using, recycling, energy recovery, to disposal. It is time for Hong Kong to take ownership of its waste, for its people to alter their waste-generation habits and adopt effective solutions for waste disposal.