Shahzia Sikander: Apparatus of Power

This exhibition is the first major solo presentation of Shahzia Sikander’s work in Hong Kong. By taking the history of Asia Society Hong Kong Center, the Former Explosives Magazine Compound, as a point of departure, this selection of works explores several aspects of the British East India Company. The exhibition explores the colonial complexity in the region, both historical and current. Installed within the Former Explosives Magazine Compound of Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Shahzia Sikander: Apparatus of Power includes drawings on paper and large-scale animations. A satellite exhibition is on view at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum from March 16 to June 2, presenting a selection of Sikander’s works that explores the city’s unique position within the global maritime trade. The exhibition is curated by Claire Brandon, PhD candidate in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University with Ashley Wu of Asia Society Hong Kong as assistant curator.

A catalogue edited by Claire Brandon will accompany the exhibition. Additional essayists include Nick Robins, author of The Corporation that Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational (Pluto Press, 2012); art historian John Seyller, a specialist in miniature painting and author of Pahari Paintings in the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art (Hyderabad, 2014); and Ayad Akhtar, winner of the Pulitzer-Prize for his play Disgraced (2012). The catalogue will also include an interview between the artist and Serpentine co-director Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and author of Ways of Curating (Farber & Farber, 2014).

Spring programming
Organized to complement the exhibition, several free educational programs open to the public will feature artists, scholars, and experts who will further investigate the exhibition narrative.

Performance & conversation by Du Yun, Michael McQuilken, and Shahzia Sikander
May 7, 6:30–8pm

A conversation with artist Shahzia Sikander and composer Du Yun followed by a live music performance with Du Yun and musician Michael McQuilken in synchronization with Shahzia Sikander’s animations The Last Post and Parallax.

Public lecture with Shahzia Sikander, Claire Brandon, and Bashir Ahmad
May 9, 6:30–8pm 

Exhibition curator Claire Brandon will moderate a discussion between Sikander and her teacher, Bashir Ahmad, former head of the Miniature Department at the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan.

Miniature painting workshops
May 8, 10, & 11

This 10-hour introductory workshop on miniature painting to be led by Bashir Ahmad, assisted by miniaturist Shabana Nazir, is designed especially for art students.

For more information:
Please visit www.asiasociety.org.hk and www.hkmaritimemuseum.org
Asia Society Hong Kong Center: T +852 2103 9511