Featured: “Fermata, Hong Kong in Venice” by Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui

“Fermata: Hong Kong to Venice,” one of the collateral show of the 61st Venice Biennalecreates a bridge between the two cities formed by water and marked by strong maritime histories. The artists Kingsley Ng AND Angel Hui have transformed Campo della Tana, near the Arsenale, into a delicate choreography of light, sound and movement, building a sequence of sensory and poetic evocations of the daily rhythms of Hong Kong. Visitors are immersed in a synesthetic experience that traces the city’s gradual transition from night to day. “The entire installation unfolds as a time-space sequence in a loop; every second and every session offers a surprise,” Hui tells the Observer, explaining how, rather than presenting isolated objects, the artists conceived the exhibition as a shared sensory journey that connects multiple practices. Although this marks their first collaboration, Hui previously studied installation under Ng, creating an intergenerational dialogue between their approaches.

Sound plays a central role in the collective construction of their world. Field recordings from Hong Kong at night – including transport noises, birdsong and distant urban atmospheres – were integrated into a collaborative soundscape that evolves over the installation’s 10-minute loop. “I told Ng Kingsley what I envisioned and he helped compose it, because we see the whole exhibition as a journey, not individual works,” explains Hui, describing the entirety of the show as a temporary choreographic experience.

“Fermata: Hong Kong to Venice“ Artists: Kingsley Ng, Angel Hui Country: Castello 2126 Address: Campo della Tana, Venice Via: November 22, 2026

A red window floats suspended in space, surrounded by small plastic bags containing goldfish—these shapes are actually delicately embroidered, introducing a sensuous tactile quality and local craftsmanship to the installation. Through Suzhou’s intricate embroideries, Hui has transformed fragile, disposable materials into objects of care and contemplation. Plastic bags move gently through the space as luminous goldfish flicker overhead, slowly emerging from the darkness at measured intervals before coalescing into a floating constellation above the viewer. The entire installation transforms ordinary and overlooked objects into a sacred place where time is suspended and the subtle rhythms of everyday life begin to surface.

Hui emphasizes openness—both spatial and psychological—as he transforms ordinary materials into poetic forms. Plastic bags, umbrellas, textiles and other discarded objects are recycled through artisanal touch and theatrical lighting effects that challenge conventional notions of value and craft. “For this project, I am asking how we can see ordinary objects differently, how we can give them value or transform them into works of art,” she explains.

The embroidery applied to industrial plastic surfaces creates a tension between softness and artificiality, while references to the play of shadows introduce theatrical and dreamlike dimensions. Hui describes the project as a progression in her practice, moving beyond wall-based screens to a more immersive cinematic language. “I wanted to create imagination and a connection between the two cities. Venice and Hong Kong share a similar spirit,” she adds.

waterwindows and floating forms emerge as central motifs through which Hui explores the imagination, permeability and emotional connections between Hong Kong and Venice. She collaborated with traditional local metalworkers in Hong Kong for the wrought iron window frame, which combines decorative motifs typical of both cities. Traces of handwork are intentionally left visible, allowing for craft and the passage of time to shape the pieces, while also acknowledging the pressures emerging technologies place on traditional craftsmanship and its slower pace of care.

Entering the conversation, Ng draws attention to a central installation inspired by the “sky well”, a vertical architectural feature common in Hong Kong buildings: “In Venice, we are familiar with wells that go down to the ground. In Hong Kong, we have instead what we call ‘sky wells’, vertical spaces that rise up through dense Venetian buildings. There is a dialogue between the well and Hong Kong.” Inside, water it circulates continuously, creating bubbles that pulsate under a small floating light. “Bubbles and clothespins celebrate everyday work and physical labor, but they also allow us to imagine something bigger—stars, celestial shapes, intelligence. They’re always in flux, somewhere between control and lack of control.”

While Hui’s work focuses more directly on the material textures of everyday urban life, Ng’s practice engages with the intangible, shedding light on what already exists and foregrounding the atmospheres created by the city itself. In an adjacent room, a meditative installation of light, shadow, projections and sound evokes the image of clothes hanging from windows. “Projection also creates uncertainty; viewers are not always sure whether the light is real or artificial,” he explains. entitled Nocturne Laundry (早曬夜曲), the work emerged from Ng’s experience in Venice, where hanging clothes stretched between buildings recalled scenes once ubiquitous throughout Hong Kong.

The soundscape accompanies the transition from early night to early morning in Hong Kong. (One recording comes from the city’s highest mountain, where a teahouse prepares the pale pre-dawn breakfast.) The exhibition manifests a suspended moment—at once mnemonic and imagined—in a temporal and spatial glitch that momentarily transports Hong Kong to Venice.

Technology is deeply embedded in Ng’s practice, as it is for many Hong Kong artists, yet he deliberately prevents it from dominating the work. Technological systems remain subtle, almost invisible. Outside in the courtyard, he further extends the laundry metaphor. “I wanted to connect the sky, sunlight and water– drying of waterFive pools of different sizes, resembling ponds left after the rain, are scattered throughout the space. Above them, iridescent ribbons extend from the surrounding walls, set gently in motion by hidden motors, twisting and turning to catch and reflect the sunlight lying opposite the Venetian palace.

Throughout our conversation, both artists repeatedly returned to the idea of ​​interconnectedness: between generations, between cities, between material and immaterial forms, and between audience and environment. The installation uses everyday elements (laundry, windows, shadows, watermaintenance and ambient sound) as the basis for a contemplative sensory experience that recalibrates attention towards the city’s quieter frequencies and the often overlooked rhythms of daily urban life.

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