Tai Kwun Conversations: Bruce Nauman—A Dialogue with the Curators

Date & Time

15 May 2024 3pm - 4:30pm

Location

JC Cube

Price

Exclusive to Tai Kwun Fan, Free of charge

General

[Update] Due to unforeseen flight disruptions, Carlo Basualdo's trip to Hong Kong has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.

Tai Kwun Conversations: Bruce Nauman—A Dialogue with Curators

From wax casts to neon signs, from the body to wordplay, from immersive audio and video environments to reimagining the studio as a space for exploration, the pioneering artist Bruce Nauman has been exploring the full spectrum of creative possibilities over his artistic career of six decades. Nauman’s work challenges and redefines the very essence of artistic practice.

Join this dialogue with three curators who will be offering their distinctive curatorial perspectives. Carlos Basualdo (the Philadelphia Museum of Art), with his close long-term working relationship with the artist, will be delving into Nauman’s connections with peers in the American art scene over the latter half of the 20th century. Caroline Bourgeois (Pinault Collection) will look into the breadth of the artist's works and their impact on art now. Pi Li (Head of Art at Tai Kwun) will further analyse the significance of Nauman's inaugural survey exhibition in Hong Kong and its implications within the regional context of Asia.

This event will be conducted in English, with English to Cantonese simultaneous interpretation. Afterwards, the audience will have the chance to ask the curators questions in a live Q&A session.

On the day of the event, JC Contemporary will be open from 11am to 7pm. Participants are welcome to visit the exhibition before attending the conversation.

Speakers:

Carlos Basualdo (Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art); Caroline Bourgeois (Chief Curator at the Pinault Collection)

Moderator:

Pi Li, Head of Art at Tai Kwun


Artist Bio

Carlos Basualdo
Caroline Bourgeois
Pi Li

Carlos Basualdo is the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From 2005 to 2022, he served as the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He was the lead organizer of “Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens” that represented the USA at the 2009 Venice Biennale and was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. In 2010 he organized a survey exhibition of the work of Michelangelo Pistoletto. In 2012 he organized (with Erica Battle) “Dancing Around the Bride: John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Marcel Duchamp”. He was responsible for “Barbara Chase-Riboud: The Malcolm X Steles” in 2014, “Embracing the Contemporary: The Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Collection” in 2016, and “Bruce Nauman, Contrapposto Studies I-VII” in 2017, all of them at the PMA. In 2021 he co-curated “Bruce Nauman: Contrapposto Studies” with Caroline Bourgeois at Punta della Dogana in Venice, and “Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror,” a retrospective exhibition of the work of Jasper Johns, with Scott Rothkopf, that took place simultaneously at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His most recent project, “River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone’s Drawings,” on view at the PMA through February 2023.

He was part of the curatorial teams for Documenta11 and the 50th Venice Biennale and conceived and curated “Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture,” which traveled from the MCA Chicago to the Barbican Gallery in London as well as the Bronx Museum in New York and the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro. From 2010 until 2013 he worked as Curator at Large at MAXXI Arte, in Rome, Italy.

Caroline Bourgeois is the Chief Curator of the Pinault Collection. Since 2007, she has curated numerous exhibitions for the Pinault Collection: “Passage du temps” (2007) at the Tripostal in Lille, “Un certain état du monde” (2009) at the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, “Qui a peur des artistes” (2009) in Dinard, “À triple tour” (2013) at the Conciergerie in Paris, “Debout” (2018) in Rennes and “Jusque-là” (2022) at Le Fresnoy, Tourcoing. In Venice, she curated the exhibitions “Éloge du doute” (2011-2013), “Prima Materia” (2013-2014), in collaboration with Michael Govan, “Slip of the Tongue” (2015), in collaboration with Danh Vo, “Accrochage” (2016), “Untitled” (2020) with Muna El Fituri and Thomas Houseagoand “Bruce Nauman: Contrapposto Studies” (2021-2022) in collaboration with Carlos Basualdo at Punta Della Dogana as well as “Le Monde vous appartient” (2011), “Madame Fisscher” (2012), “Paroles des images” (2012-2013), “L'Illusion des lumières” (2014), “Martial Raysse” (2015), “Albert Oehlen. Cows by the Water” (2018) and “La Pelle. Luc Tuymans” (2019), in 2022, with Marlene Dumas, “open-end”, and in 2023 “Julie Mehretu. Ensemble” at Palazzo Grassi. In 2022 at Bourse de Commerce, she presented an exhibition of Roni Horn and Felix Gonzalez-Torres and curated the exhibition of Charles Ray. In 2023, she curated Danh Vo's carte blanche in the Rotonde and an exhibition of Ser Serpas.

Pi Li is the Head of Art of Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong. He was a former Sigg senior curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs of M+ Hong Kong. He previously served as the deputy executive director of the art administration department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA, 2001–12); the co-founder and director of Universal Studios-Beijing (2005–12), later Boers-Li Gallery in Beijing.

Exhibitions Pi Li curated include Right Is Wrong: Four Decades of Chinese Art in M+ Sigg Collection at Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and Bildmuseet in Umea 2015 and 2014; Moist: Asia-Pacific Media Art at the Beijing Millennium Monument Art Museum in 2002; Fantasy Zone at Art Museum of DongA Daily in 2001 and Beijing Modern Art Center in 2002; Image Is Power at He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen in 2002.

He was the curator of Under Construction at Tokyo Opera Museum in 2002; and Media City Seoul in 2006. He has also served as curator for the Shanghai Biennial in 2002; and Allôrs la Chine at Centre Georges Pompidou in 2003.

Publications include From Action to Concept (2015), Farewell to Moralism (2018), M+ Sigg Collection: Four Decades of Chinese Art (2021) and Madame Song: A Life in Art and Fashion (2023). Pi Li earned his Ph.D. degree in art history from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.