Tsang Kin-Wah: The Infinite Nothing, Hong Kong in Venice

Hong Kong is represented at the 56th Venice Biennale by artist Tsang Kin-Wah. 

The Infinite Nothing consists of four stand-alone video projections that, altogether, form a narrative of transformative journeys through stages in life, exploring a perpetual cycle of self- inquiry and discovery. The work brings together a host of philosophical concepts expressed through metaphors and allegories, along with religious symbolisms and popular cultural references.

A devout Christian in his teenage years, Tsang Kin-Wah (b. 1976, Shantou) began to question religious values when he came under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche’s existentialist philosophy. Developing from this perspective, Tsang’s oeuvre can be characterised as a constant search for meaning and purpose in life — with a full understanding of its potential futility. The conceptual underpinning of The Infinite Nothing, is suggested by the title’s reference to Nietzsche’s notorious pronouncement of the death of God: ‘Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space?’

The video installation will take the viewer on a journey, starting in the midst of a churning river and progressing through the different sections of the exhibition. In the final section, the visitor is led to a door which returns back to the beginning of the journey. The concept of a cycle of self-exploration is instigated: one in which old value systems are replaced by new ones, questioning the possibility of an actualisation of eternal recurrence.

The exhibition is co-presented by M+, Hong Kong’s future museum for 20th and 21st century visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District and The Hong Kong Arts Development Council.