Asia Art Archive once again welcomes Zhuang Wubin as our Researcher-in-Residence.
During his previous residency at AAA in 2015, Zhuang identified periodicals as a site of research on Hong Kong’s position in South East Asia, specifically in the circulation of periodicals and the popularisation of photo pictorialism. His 2018 residency at AAA is centred on this inquiry. Zhuang’s current project builds on research that maps the photography community in Hong Kong by former AAA Research Grantee Lee Wing Ki. Zhuang will also explore the vast collection of periodicals and photographs in the Ha Bik Chuen Archive.
As a writer and curator, Zhuang studies the extensive photographic practices in South East Asia. His artistic practice employs photography and text to visualise the experiences of Chinese communities in South East Asia. Zhuang has also given presentations and lectured at many institutions across the region.
Zhuang Wubin is a recipient of a research grant from Prince Claus Fund, The Netherlands (2010), and the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship, Singapore (2017). He has been invited to research residency programmes at The Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia; Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong; and Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan. Zhuang is an editorial board member of Trans-Asia Photography Review. He was also a contributing curator of Chiang Mai Photo Festival in 2015 and 2017. For 2017 to 2019, Zhuang collaborates with Lumenvisum, a photography space in Hong Kong, on a curatorial project about photography in South East Asia. His publications include Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey (2016), and Shifting Currents: Glimpses of a Changing Nation (2018), commissioned by the National Library Board, Singapore.
Zhuang Wubin’s residency is part of The Ha Bik Chuen Archive Project (2016–19), generously supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.