AFIELD Events are in-person gatherings organized in collaboration with members of the network in different parts of the world. They are aimed at making new connections and facilitating mutual support across the globe.
AFIELD at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 © Jayson Wu
Saturday, March 29, 12:30-3:00pm
Meeting point: Thy Lab, 135 Yu Chau St, Sham Shui Po.
Small bites from Sham Shui Po eateries were served at Thy Lab.
Anchored in the belief that artists are essential to the fabric of society—as thinkers, visionaries, and changemakers—on the occasion of Art Basel HK 2025, AFIELD organized a conversation that examined tactics in artists’ ongoing resistance against gentrification. The panel was followed by visits to artist-run, socially engaged initiatives in the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood.
This event was organized on the occasion of Thy Lab’s exhibition, “HOUNDBALL.” Houndball repurposed football tactics of attack and defence for Hong Kong’s artists, applying sport philosophy to local artistic practices of opposition. Sometimes the small team from the lower league outsmarts the champions.
Sham Shui Po was described as one of the city’s densest and most diverse neighbourhoods. It existed at a tension between informal urbanism, gentrification, and urban redevelopment.
Speakers: Eunice Tsang (Founder & Curator, Current Plans), Tobias Zuser (Cultural Researcher, Baptist University dealing with issues of sports and cultural policies), Alberto Gerosa (Founder, Thy Lab), and Chantal Wong (Convenor, AFIELD).
Artist Initiatives: Thy Lab, Parallel Space, Hunter Bookstore and Wontonmeen.
This event was part of an ongoing series connecting with artist initiatives in different cities.
Photos by Jayson Wu.
