Interview
THREE QUESTIONS
Hang Li
Curatorial Writing Fellow
Chisenhale Gallery
Courtesy of Hang Li
Hang Li, our current Curatorial Writing Fellow at Chisenhale Gallery introduces us to her practice, discussing her key areas of interest and how the curatorial has shaped her research.
1
ASYMMETRY: Why did you decide to work in this field?
HANG LI: I was trained as an architect for six years before starting my curatorial study in 2017. For me, curating means permission – it allows me spaces for exploring critical theories and creative practices as part of my career. It also provides me with chances to work closely and open-endedly with artists and scholars in areas such as digital technology, social justice and creative communal practice.
“Here’s me introducing “Restaging For the Time Being” to the participants in the “Video Vortex 12” conference and exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv” – Hang Li. Photo by Caroline Rosello Longuet.
2
A: How do you conduct your research?
HL: The pandemic has pushed me to adjust my research method. I’m integrating diagrams, mappings and some methods used in digital ethnography into my PhD study. Making desktop screenshots becomes how I experiment with visual materials in improvised, unexpected and fun ways.
"This is an image I made along with my short writing in Chinese titled "痛感共振中" ("The Resonating Suffering") published online by LEAP earlier this year" – Hang Li. Image Courtesy of Hang Li.
3
A: How will the asymmetry curatorial fellowship shape your practice?
HL: I'm excited to situate my practice-led PhD research in Chisenhale and Asymmetry's specific conditions - their values, visions, communities, and the staff's knowledge, backgrounds and practical experiences. The project outcome and the professional development support I receive from Chisenhale will become a significant basis for my future research and practice.
"This is a diagram of the areas I'm looking at in my PhD research" – Hang Li. Image Courtesy of Hang Li.
BIOGRAPHY
Hang Li is a researcher and curator based in London and Beijing. Her focus is on the curatorial at the intersection of art and technology drawing upon ideas including collective working, feminist epistemologies, and organisational approaches to social justice. Her practice-based PhD explores the epistemological and practical tools that lie outside the conventional frameworks and institutional norms. It seeks to enable curating-in-formation to tell better stories and act for shared concerns about technologies at translocal scales.
Hang will deliver her project outcome for her fellowship research project ‘Remote Affinity: Working together from a distance' in March 2022. For more information on her project development visit her Remote Affinity archival website.