What is contemporary art? Since the ‘contemporary’ is continuously evolving with multiple regional and local histories around the world, AAA invites educators, researchers, and practitioners in the field to approach this question—through a series of Teaching Labs talks—with the aim of encouraging confidence in teaching contemporary art in the classroom.

In this talk, AAA’s educator-in-residence Kurt Chan Yuk Keung provides European and American perspectives on how contemporary art arrives at its present stage, exploring several phases of art history and the social changes that occurred in them. In the same session, Chan explores physicality, cultural significance, and spirituality to illustrate how contemporary art can be understood through these three principles of art making.

Kurt Chan: Contemporary Art: From Past to Present (Part 1)
Kurt Chan: Contemporary Art: From Past to Present (Part 2)


More perspectives and cultural contexts will be explored in the coming few months, with AAA Researcher Chuong-Dai Vo and Anthony Yung, as well as AAA’s 2015 educator-in-residence Ricky Yeung also shedding light on the complexity of contemporary art.

The talk includes a summary outline and reading list to take away. A guided tour for educators around AAA Library to follow.

Target: Teachers of all curricula and disciplines are welcome. Visual art teachers and non-art teachers are encouraged to sign up in pairs. The talk is also open to students and the public. No prior knowledge of art is required.
Quota: 60
Fee: Free

Registration deadline: Fri, 10 Mar 2017

To request written proof of the programme for approval from your school, please contact us via learn@aaa.org.hk or 2844 1121. A certificate will also be given upon request pending full attendance of the talk.

Kurt Chan Yuk Keung obtained his BA from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has participated in over 100 exhibitions, including the 51st Venice Biennale and the 2nd Asia Pacific Triennial. Chan was the chief editor for Hong Kong Visual Arts Yearbook for several years, and taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for over 25 years. He is now a board member of Para Site Art Space and the Hong Kong Institute of Aesthetic Education, and an advisor of Asia Art Archive and the Yale-China Association.

Through his residency at AAA, Chan examines the curriculum of the Hong Kong Diploma for Secondary Education, and explores how art studies might encourage personal development and creative thinking for students with various interests, abilities, and life goals.

Learning & Participation Programme Sponsor:

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Kurt Chan.
Educator-in-Residence | Kurt Chan Yuk Keung
Programmes | Residency Programme

Educator-in-Residence | Kurt Chan Yuk Keung

Sep 2016–Jun 2017