Hong Kong Artist Dialogue Series: Olivier Cong Diary 23: A Music Imagery Project

Diary 23: Olivier Cong x Kung Chi-shing Live Music Performance (Concluded)
Hong Kong musician Olivier Cong creates music imagery project Diary 23, which draws inspiration from the period when the collector-photographer Dr Leo Wong Kwai-kuen took a 10-year hiatus from photography and turned towards Chinese arts for aesthetic nourishment. Through a series of music and moving images, Diary 23 engages in a dialogue with Dr Wong’s transitional and introspective artistic journey, reflecting on the status of artists during their “stagnation” period. 

Apart from composing music for the exhibition, Cong will present live music performances at the Museum. Following the well-received first solo performance by Cong, the upcoming performance, a collaboration with the special guest, Hong Kong veteran musician Kung Chi-shing, will incorporate structured improvisations of music, coupled with sketch-like moving image projection, hoping to illuminate the unsung sceneries in ordinary daily life with the audience. 

Date: 2024.11.08 (Friday)
Time: 4:30pm – 5:00pm
Venue: Jingguanlou Gallery, 4/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Performers: Olivier Cong, Kung Chi-shing
Format: Live music performance
Video Installation: Kitty Yeung
Language: Cantonese
Open to all, free admission. 

About Olivier Cong
Olivier Cong is a co-founder of independent label Raven & The Sea Music Production and a music director with Freespace Ensemble. In 2018, Cong released his debut album, “A Ghost & His Paintings”, and made history as the first Hong Kong musician to be featured on Apple Music’s “New Artist Spotlight”. Cong works with various genres of music and sound art, and has composed music for film, dance and theatre. He had been commissioned by the Hong Kong Ballet and the Shanghai Grand Theatre to create music. Other artist and unit collaborators include Tian Zhuangzhuang, Ann Hui and O Theatre Workshop, etc. 

About Kung Chi-shing
Studied classical music and composition in the United States with Chinary Ung and George Crumb, Kung Chi-shing is a Hong Kong composer, performer and music curator. In 1987, he formed the seminal Hong Kong-based music and performance group The Box, with Peter Suart, creating an entirely new style of avant-garde music-theatre that became a major influence on the Hong Kong experimental arts scene. Kung’s own productions include film scores and six full-length multi-media music theatre productions, which he conceived and co-directed with the writer Valerie C. Doran. His productions combine original music concerts with performance art, contemporary dance and new multi-media works including film, kinetic sculpture and installation art. Kung’s solo recordings on CD include “Destiny Travels Limited” and “Bluesilence/Fishdreams”, while his recordings with The Box include the compilations ”BOX: GO HOME”, “The Box: Full Fathom Five” and the special 20th anniversary set “The Box Book”.