City As Studio: A Graffiti and Street Art Exhibition by K11 MUSEA and K11 Art Foundation

From 20 March to 14 May 2023, China’s first major exhibition of graffiti and street art will be on at K11 MUSEA. Curated by Jeffrey Deitch and presented by K11 Art Foundation, City As Studio coincides with Art Basel Hong Kong, and the monumental exhibition will feature over 100 works by more than 30 artists. This exhibition will showcase the breadth and depth of the graffiti and street art scene across generations, styles, and geographies.

City As Studio traces the global history of graffiti and street art from its emergence in the subway yards and parking lots of 1970s New York to its rise as a worldwide phenomenon. It begins with the movement’s pivotal innovators such as Fab 5 Freddy, FUTURA and Jean-Michel Basquiat who were part of the dialogue and the Downtown art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and goes on to highlight artists such as Barry McGee, Mister Cartoon, and OSGEMEOS, and the groundbreaking styles they created in San Francisco, East Los Angeles and São Paulo. The exhibition also documents the emergence and evolution of artists such as KAWS and AIKO who represent a younger generation of New York street artists.

Highlights include Basquiat’s Valentine (1984), on loan from the personal collection of Paige Powell, alongside works by other seminal artists such as The Bomb (1983) by CRASH and Untitled (1983), a spray painting by Keith Haring spanning three metres. Portraits such as Keith Haring (Red) (2010) and Basquiat (Red) (2010) by Shepard Fairey demonstrate how early practitioners of the genre continue to inspire younger artists, while FUTURA’s work El Diablo (1985) - part of KAWS personal collection - exemplifies the intergenerational dialogue and influence between street artists working today.

JR’s Eye Contact #13 (2018) evokes old-school rail yards as model trains on tiny tracks move back and forth, creating an optical illusion on each run. Examining how the movement shaped other genres, the exhibition will also display works such as Charlie Ahearn’s film Juanito, which captures the story of his twin, sculptor John Ahearn making casts of people in the Bronx and immortalising them in plaster. Elsewhere, works by AIKO and Lady Pink will explore how female artists responded to and contributed to a genre that is traditionally dominated by men.

City As Studio will also present a series of compelling photographs by leading figures such as Gusmano Cesaretti, Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper that document the artistry and urban impact of street artists in the 1970s and 80s. 

Jeffrey Deitch has been involved with modern and contemporary art for nearly five decades as an artist, writer, curator, dealer, and advisor. During his tenure as Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), Deitch presented some 50 exhibitions and projects and published extensively about graffiti and street art. An advocate of graffiti art since the 1980s, Deitch brings curatorial expertise and a wealth of knowledge to City As Studio, which is a culmination of years of research. The exhibition looks back on half a century of development, traversing generations to uncover the past as a way to discover what the future has in store for the movement.

To accompany the exhibition, K11 Art Foundation will present a diverse range of events and activities, including talks, screenings, audio guides, docent-led tours, and an education corner featuring online learning resources and an interactive graffiti tagging activity, and more for visitors across all ages and seek to enrich the exhibition viewing experience and deepen understanding of street art online and offline. To further enrich the visiting experience, a special edition of TÖÖF cards with fun art facts printed on the back will be introduced to inspire visitors as they navigate the exhibition.

About K11 MUSEA

Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley of Culture, K11 MUSEA, is the latest cultural-retail destination in Victoria Dockside located on the harbourfront of Tsim Sha Tsui. Inspired by ‘A Muse by the Sea’, K11 MUSEA is designed to enrich new consumers’ daily lives through the power of creativity, culture and innovation. A destination 10 years in the making, K11 MUSEA opened its doors in August 2019 to usher in a new era of cultural retail which speaks to the growing consumer demand for immersive experiences in art, culture, nature, and commerce.  

About K11 Art Foundation

Founded by Adrian Cheng in 2010, K11 Art Foundation is a non-profit organisation in Hong Kong dedicated to fostering the development of Chinese contemporary art. In pursuing our mission, we are committed to supporting artists through K11 Art Foundation’s exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational programmes. We also actively establish partnerships with leading art and cultural institutions around the world, collaborating with curators and other industry specialists to create impactful cross-cultural exchange and contribute to the expanding global contemporary art discourse.

Exhibition Dates: 20 March - 14 May 2023
Address: 6F, Kunsthalle, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 12 - 8 pm
*The exhibition will be closed on the following days:
21 March (6 – 8 pm), 25 March (3:30 – 6 pm), 27 April (2 – 6 pm), 29 April (5 – 8 pm)

All images are courtesy of K11 Art Foundation.