Press Release

Celebrating diversity in Hong Kong
Featuring an art tram as a moving tribute to the island city’s citizens

Non-profit organizations, Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (HOCA) and We Are Here, jointly present an Inside Out Project art tram. For the duration of the initiative, a tram running between Whitty Street and North Point will be layered with portraits of Hong Kong’s refugees and asylum seekers inspired by acclaimed French artist JR’s signature large-format street “pastings.” The project advocates for diversity and inclusion in Hong Kong, and serves as a testament to the power of images and the role art can play in transforming communities. The tram will run from 8 December till 7 January 2018, as a timely celebration of Human Rights Day on December 10.

Inside Out is the world’s largest participatory art project which invites individuals to share and paste their portraits around cities all over the globe to make a statement for what they stand for. Over 260,000 people have participated in 129 countries since 2011. The Inside Out Project presented by HOCA Foundation and We Are Here will see portraits of asylum seekers, and refugees made visible on the running tram.

nside Out Tram
Runs daily between Whitty Street and North Point
Date: 8 December 2017 – 7 January 2018

Inside Out Pop-up Exhibition
Bibo, G/F, 163 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Date: 4 December – 12 December 2017

About Hong Kong Contemporary Art (HOCA) Foundation

HOCA Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2014, aimed at promoting public awareness and developing access to contemporary art in Hong Kong. With a curated series of programs across the city, HOCA will focus its attention on the younger generation of established international artists who are conceptually engaged with contemporary life and society. The curatorial strategy draws inspiration from popular culture, reappropriating or reinterpreting a wide range of mediums from animation, illustration, graffiti, and graphic design, and seeks to enhance the dialogue of “high art” within the city.

HOCA Foundation hosted landmark exhibitions of JR, Invader, Vhils and Shepard Fairey to critical acclaim, as well as a parallel education program, all accessible to the public. To further HOCA’s community outreach, the Foundation will oversee the publication of contemporary art books and the subsequent donation of these to schools, libraries and charitable institutions. www.hoca.org

About We Are Here

We Are Here is an independent art project raising awareness for approximately 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong. Founded in 2016 by Polly McGovern and Kate Sparrow, the project encourages everyone to show their support of the refugee community through the arts. The founders have recently been short listed for the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2017. www.weareherehk.org