Opening Speeches
Dr. Hui Ye
Prof. Huamin Qu
Dr. Hui Ye, a postdoctoral fellow at AMC, served as the MC for the exhibition’s opening. She introduced the exhibition theme and concept, acknowledged the organizing institutions, and highlighted the artists involved. She then invited three professors and the curator to deliver their opening remarks.
Professor Huamin Qu began by recounting the development of the Computational Media and Arts (CMA) thrust in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), established three years ago, and the recent creation of the Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC) division in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology earlier this year. He emphasized the importance of integrating art education into a university focused on science and technology, underlining that this initiative provides a valuable platform for students and faculty to showcase their work. Professor Qu expressed hopes that this exhibition would become an annual event, fostering ongoing collaboration between the Hong Kong and Guangzhou campuses. He also extended his gratitude to the library, the internal and external collaborating institutions, and especially the students, whom he called the “real heroes” of the event.
Prof. Kang Zhang
Prof. Hongbo Fu
Professor Kang Zhang expressed his excitement for this exhibition opening, the first collaboration of its kind between the Hong Kong and Guangzhou campuses. He praised the remarkable work of the PhD students and colleagues who made the event possible. Professor Zhang viewed this exhibition as a significant starting point, envisioning its expansion to an international stage in the future. He also conveyed heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong Red Cross and A Plastic Ocean Foundation for providing professional knowledge and support for the artists in creating ecological artwork. Additionally, he mentioned plans to host the exhibition at the Guangzhou campus as a connecting event between the two campuses, with the vision of eventually showcasing it on a global stage.
As the acting head of the newly established Division of Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC), Professor Hongbo Fu introduced the division’s mission and its alignment with the theme of the exhibition. He explored the potential coexistence of organic and artificial life, particularly through the lens of machine-assisted art practices and critical studies. Professor Fu highlighted that the exhibition addresses significant questions, such as the essence of life and the definition of artificial life, especially in the context of utilizing machine creativity to produce new artworks in the era of artificial intelligence. He expressed gratitude to external collaborators, including Monash University, for their contributions, and emphasized the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration to transform researchers into artists. Finally, he wished everyone to enjoy the exhibition.
Curator You Wang
Words by exhibition curator, You Wang
This exhibition, as HKUST’s first comprehensive showcase of computational art, holds significance from multiple perspectives. Firstly, each work displayed here is a collaborative endeavor, rather than the product of individual effort, embodying the core collaborative nature of this field. Secondly, the pieces reveal artists’ profound reflections on natural species and societal events—insights that lend a practical dimension often absent in contemporary conceptual art, yet resonate with a level of humanistic sensitivity and aesthetic nuance not commonly found in purely academic research. Most importantly, this exhibition underscores the visionary significance behind HKUST (GZ) and HKUST’s establishment of the Computational Media and Arts (CMA) and Arts and Machine Creativity (AMC) division. These creations not only ignite thought and inspire creativity but also hint at the transformative impact this discipline is poised to have on the future.