Free workshops and guided tours that complement the Exhibition are now available. For details and ticket reservation, please scroll down to the Public Engagement Activities section or visit the Eventbrite.
About Exhibition
Design is ubiquitous in our lives. It not only is a composed and rational technical practice, but also a pursuit of creative art rich in emotions and humanity. Drawing inspirations and ideas from human sentiments and cultures, designers put forward designs that equally reflect their concerns and care for human life. Through their observation and understanding of the needs, social environments, cultural backgrounds and other aspects of the users, designers create products and services that are both practical and artistic. The selection and usage of elements such as colours, materials, forms and space also communicate the designs' concepts and values. Further to satisfying the functionality, design also aims to bring users a better, more comfortable and meaningful life, thus transcending the materialistic level and becoming the embodiment of emotion and liveliness.
Since the era of modernism, design in the West has, under the influence of Bauhaus, embraced simplicity and geometric shapes. The design concepts and methods of modernism also have a far-reaching impact on the field of design in China, sparking a school of excellent designers and design theorists in their creations and research.
In contemporary context, 'warmth' in design has become increasingly important. As our usage and reliance on digital technologies such as social media, virtual reality and artificial intelligence grow, our craving for authenticity, warmth and humanness has become more pronounced. 'Design with Warmth' hopes to inject deeper cultural significance and humanistic values into the design, providing more comfort to our spirituality and resonance to our emotions while earning approachability and relatability from users.
As the first large-scale, inter-regional, sectoral and disciplinary design triennial in China, the inaugural Guangzhou Design Triennial, organised by the Guangdong Museum of Art, not only sets up a platform to bring together design synergies and practices but also offers an opportunity for designers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and their international counterparts to delve into the development and research of design, as well as the contemporary beliefs and social values. ‘The Warm-beings’ exhibition is the first Guangzhou Design Triennial that actualised a cross-border exchange in Hong Kong, in which works from indicative designers are showcased. Our exploration of design in this exhibition leads to a much more sublime exchange which goes beyond a mere artistic expression or the expansive meanings it embodies in humanistic sensation, cultural heritage, eco-responsibility and social values. Through this exhibition, we look forward to demonstrating the various degrees of warmth conveyed by designers from assorted cultural backgrounds via their excellent works, whether they be past, present or future. We also aim to yield more possibilities about design from this field filled with humanistic touch and exuberance and promote the research on design history, the growth of the discipline, innovation to the industry and long-term prospect of designers, injecting new impetus to the sustainable development of culture and economy of our time.
Wang Shaoqiang
Director of the Guangdong Museum of Art Association
Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Artists Association
Director of Guangdong Museum of Art
Bai’e Tan, Guangzhou, November 2024
Exhibition Photos
About Guangdong Museum of Art
Built in 1997, the Guangdong Museum of Art is among the first batch of national key art museums. It embodies a modern multifunctional art museum that integrates six primary functions: collection, research, exhibition display, education, exchange, and service. As an important showcase to display the cultural image of Guangdong and promote the culture of South of the Five Ridges (Lingnan), it unswervingly implements the cultural mission of ‘inheriting Lingnan art tradition, exploring art ecology, promoting international art exchange, and enhancing the artistic appreciation of the public’. Rooted in its local conditions, the Museum extends its influence across the Greater Bay Area, bears in mind the general picture of the whole nation, and orientates itself towards the global stage. The Museum continuously seeks breakthroughs in high-quality collection, high-level utilisation, and high-quality services, striving to build a national and even world-class art palace. In 2024, the Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center was launched, forming anew pattern of ‘one museum and two sections for staggered development’ in Bai’etan and Ersha Island.
About Curator
Professor Wang Shaoqiang is the director of the Guangdong Museum of Art. He serves as a second-class researcher of relics and museology, an expert who proudly receives special allowances from the State Council, a professor and doctoral advisor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, a member of the China Artists Association, the President of the Guangdong Art Museums Association and the Vice-Chairman of the Guangdong Artists Association. He has been selected as one of the leading talents in publicity, ideology and culture for the Guangdong Special Support Plan and was chosen for cultivation programmes such as the ‘Ten-Hundred-Thousand’ Project in Guangdong. He was named twice in a row in the ‘Art Power 100’ and dubbed as one of the Influential Figures by National Arts Magazine. He won the 22nd Italy Naples Cultural Classics (INCC) Award, the 14th Golden Star Award for Chinese Artists: Face in Focus in 2023 and the 4th Premio Artis Suavitas 2023. He served as the Chief Curator of the Chengdu Biennale in 2023 and was rated as the International Promoter of Lingnan Culture in the same year. In 2024,he entered into the ‘Guangdong Artists' Workshop’ by the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Public Engagement Activities
For ticket reservation, please visit Eventbrite.
Morphing Material in Craft Workshop: Warm Concrete
8 February 2025 (Sat) | 3pm | HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
Inspired by the exhibition's theme, HKDI Gallery will present ‘Morphing Material in Craft Workshop: Warm Concrete’ by Moldflip Studio. Participants will use their hands and various tools to coat concrete of unique texture, exploring the nuances of temperature and shade and meditating on the relationship with other materials and the use of blank space. The resulting work can be a coaster or an ornament.
Moldflip Studio
Founded in 2017 by a duo with a background in architecture, Moldflip explores the temperature of concrete, a material usually conceived as ‘cold’, and turns it into objects in everyday life. Besides architectural design, the studio focuses on experiments of art and spatial texture. Moldflip shifts people's perception and experience through creations that play with the touch and temperature of concrete.
www.moldflipstudio.com
Remarks:
- This event will be conducted in Cantonese.
- This event is free of charge.
- The event has limited capacity and will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.
- A deposit of HK$80 per person will be collected through Eventbrite platform, which will be fully refunded to participants upon completion of the event. Deposit will not be returned if you are failed to attend the reserved session.
- This event is suitable for individuals aged 6 and above, participants aged under 12 should be accompanied by a guardian, or an adult to jointly create one set of material. Please reserve 1 ticket only for this case.
- The organiser holds the final decision on execution details of the event.
Warm Encounters: Exhibition Guided Tour — Simon Chan
22 February 2025 (Sat) | 3pm | HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
Led by architect Simon Chan, who is currently Lecturer at Hong Kong Design Institute, the tour guides attendees through the key projects on display, reflecting and offering unique insights into the designs, exploring how ‘warmth’ and humanness in design is critical to our spirituality, emotions, and ‘being’.
Simon Chan (Ar.)
B.Arch (University of Toronto)
M.Des (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
HKIA, ARB, Class 1 PRC Architect, OAA, MRAIC, BEAM Pro
Registered Architect (Hong Kong, Canada, China)
Council Member, The Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Simon is a Registered Architect in Hong Kong, Canada, and China. He received his B.Arch from the University of Toronto and his M.Design from HK Polytechnic University. Simon has extensive work experience in Hong Kong, Toronto, and New York on projects that span a wide range of scales, from installations and interiors to architecture and urban design. Simon has worked on notable cultural and mixed-use projects, including the M+ Museum, West Kowloon Cultural District, Shenzhen Natural History Museum, Shenyang Kerry Center, Hangzhou Winland Center, and Shangri-La Center in Mongolia. He has also been involved with institutional, transportation, and master planning projects across North America, Europe, and Asia. Simon currently serves as a Council Member and Chair of the Board of Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. He has been invited as a speaker in conferences and seminars, and represented Hong Kong in ARCASIA and UIA events. Simon is frequently invited as a guest critic to universities and serves as advisor and juror in design competitions. His insights have been featured in media outlets such as CNN Style and was presented the Toronto Society of Architects Award. He has taught at The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Chu Hai College, and is currently a lecturer at the at the Hong Kong Design Institute.
Remarks:
- This event will be conducted in Cantonese.
- This event is free of charge. The event has limited capacity and will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.
- The organiser holds the final decision on execution details of the event.
Morphing Material in Craft Workshop: Pendulum Bonsai
8 March 2025 (Sat) | 3pm | HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
12 April 2025 (Sat) | 3pm | HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
Inspired by the exhibition's theme, HKDI Gallery will present ‘Morphing Material in Craft Workshop: Pendulum Bonsai’ by Future Soil x Laurence Lee King-man. The workshop will combine the art of bonsai with gravitational motion, showcasing the fusion of natural aesthetics and science. A water ball represents the pendulum's gravity, and the moisture within the water ball flows through a copper pipe to the roots of the plant, providing the necessary water and nutrients for its growth. This not only meets the plant's growth needs but also allows the plant to sway left and right with the movement of the water ball, adding a dynamic beauty to the static beauty of bonsai.
Future Soil
Future Soil is a collective of architect, architectural designer and floral designer that explores the relationship between traditional plant cultivation and emerging technologies. Formed in 2023 by Arthur Cheung, Carolyn Tam and Yvonne Wong, the team harnesses material exploration and digital fabrication to design bio-receptive structures integrated with plant species. Their project, exhibited at the deTour Design Festival 2023 and 2024, demonstrates how lifeforms can influence computational design. The project offers a new perspective on the interplay between nature and the built environment, prompting us to reimagine how we shape our surroundings.
Laurence Lee King-Man
Laurence Lee King-Man has been passionate about planting since childhood. He studied bonsai under several masters in Hong Kong in 2000. Currently the Chairman of the Hong Kong Bonsai Association, he promotes bonsai culture by organising exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. Alongside his work as a bonsai artist, Lee is also a Chinese ink painter and curates art exhibitions.
Remarks:
- This event will be conducted in Cantonese.
- This event is free of charge.
- The event has limited capacity and will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.
- A deposit of HK$80 per person will be collected through Eventbrite platform, which will be fully refunded to participants upon completion of the event. Deposit will not be returned if you are failed to attend the reserved session.
- This event is suitable for individuals aged 6 and above, participants aged under 12 should be accompanied by a guardian, or an adult to jointly create one set of material. Please reserve 1 ticket only for this case.
- The organiser holds the final decision on execution details of the event.
Layers of Warm-beings: Exhibition Guided Tour — Leah Hsiao
29 March 2025 (Sat) | 3pm | HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
Led by historian Leah Hsiao to perceive the exhibition in the history of Chinese design, this tour will trace the historical and modern threads of the interchange between the Bauhaus and China, to understand the multi-layered “warm” responses to modern design by Chinese designers contemplating upon regional culture and contemporary environment, then explore with the audience the multifaceted topics concerning social and natural ecology, neighbourhood and community, history and culture, as well as the innovation of design vocabulary presented in the “Warm-beings” of the design projects.
Leah Hsiao
Leah Hsiao is an architectural and art historian whose research explores the relationship between the Bauhaus and China, and the dissemination of the Bauhaus legacy through the work of architects such as Walter Gropius and I. M. Pei. She is a 2023 M+/Design Trust Research Fellow. Previously she was a Bauhaus Lab research fellow at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation in 2016 and Humanities Research Centre postdoctoral research fellow in the University of York, United Kingdom, in 2019. Hsiao received her PhD in History of Art from the University of York and is a lecturer at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China. Hsiao’s research has been published in The Architectural Review and West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. Her most recent article, published in Photography and Culture in 2024, examines the modern representation of the Katsura Imperial Villa through the lens of Yasuhiro Ishimoto’s photography.
Remarks:
- This event will be conducted in English.
- This event is free of charge.
- The event has limited capacity and will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.
- The organiser holds the final decision on execution details of the event.
Press Release
Press Release (Download PDF)
Master Lecture
Main Speakers: |
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Date: |
23 January 2025 (Thursday) |
Time: |
4:45–5:45pm |
Review: |
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Language: |
Putonghua |
Venue: |
VTC Auditorium, Hong Kong Design Institute |
Public Service
Guided Tours
Guided Tours can be arranged for schools and community groups by advanced booking. Registration and enquiries: hkdi-gallery@vtc.edu.hk
Visit Us
Exhibition Period
24.01 - 13.04.2025
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Opening Hours
10:00 - 20:00
Venue
HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute
3 King Ling Road, Tseung Kwan O, NT
(MTR Tiu Keng Leng Station Exit A2)
Enquiries
hkdi-gallery@vtc.edu.hk / +852 3928 2566