An array of design exhibitions and forums featuring works of some of the best designers from Shenzhen and Hong Kong will set off an upsurge of design from tomorrow until early January at various cultural locations in Shenzhen.
The organizers of the HK-SZ Design Twin-Cities, namely the Shenzhen City of Design Promotion Association (SDPA) and the Hong Kong Federation of Design Association (FHKDA), jointly introduced the event at a press conference yesterday.
“With dozens of exhibitions and shows featuring designs by both Shenzhen and Hong Kong designers, we hope to show an intertwined lifestyle of the people from the two cities and also to construct a platform for these designers to further promote their design ideologies and products,” said Han Wangxi, head of the SDPA.
In fact, it is the third time the SDPA and the HKFDA have organized a design fair featuring works by designers from Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The first biennale was held in 2014 in Shenzhen, and the second was held in 2016 in Hong Kong.
Formally known as the HK-SZ Design Biennale, this year’s fair, themed “Inheriting the Future,” changed its name to HK-SZ Design Twin-Cities, emphasizing the deep influence the two cities have on each other in terms of the people’s lifestyles and cultures, said Han.
The two biennales held in 2014 and 2016 provided a significant bridge to mainland markets for Hong Kong designers, according to Grace Lau, executive secretary of the HKFDA.
“In the past, a lot of Hong Kong designers had only reached out to international design fairs and promoted their designs overseas, but with the HK-SZ Design Biennale over the past several years, these Hong Kong designers have greatly expanded their presence on the mainland,” said Lau.
An opening ceremony will be organized tomorrow afternoon at Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shekou, the city’s new landscape for culture and design inaugurated last year.
Ole Bouman, curator of the culture and arts center, also made a presentation at yesterday’s media conference. Bouman said that many exhibitions featuring Hong Kong and Shenzhen designs will be held at the center in the following two months.
The curator said he expects the exhibitions will help newcomers and young spirits in Shenzhen understand that they are the group of people that are actually shaping the innovative and energetic culture of the city through their everyday work and life.
The main design exhibitions and cultural activities will be held at Sea World Culture and Arts Center, OCT Bay, OCT Creative Park, Shenzhen University and Shenzhen Polytechnic.
The fair has also invited designers from Macao to show their designs in several exhibitions in order to help promote the development of culture and design in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to Han.