Hong Kong witchcraft-themed art exhibition looks at magic in modern world to overcome contemporary problems
- ‘Witches Own Without (W.O.W.)’ at Current Plans focuses on magic surrounding us in the modern world, from technology to female empowerment and beyond
- The exhibition is part of a wider ‘witch renaissance’ in Hong Kong, that is giving young people a way to cope with recent political upheavals and the pandemic
The title of the latest exhibition at Current Plans, an art space in the Kowloon neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po, might cause some confusion. “Witches Own Without (W.O.W.)” was chosen on purpose for its ambiguity and is intended as an incomplete sentence for participants to fill in on their own.
But what does it mean to hold an exhibition about witches?
Curated by Wong Kit-yi, Eunice Tsang and Lok Wong, “Witches Own Without” does not, in fact, feature any stereotypical witch imagery – there are no broomsticks or pointed black hats to be found.
Rather, the artworks allude to the presence of, and need for, magic in different aspects of contemporary life – technology, productivity and labour, for example.
The exhibition looks to witchcraft for ideas on how we can cope with 21st-century problems, rather than actual representations of witches and their traditions, Tsang, who is Current Plans’ founder, explains.
