Hong Kong 2023 Gay Games marks year-to-go with art exhibitions – Insidethegames.biz
In celebration of its one-year countdown to November 2023, the organisers of the 2023 Gay Games opened two art exhibitions at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.
The themes of the exhibition taking place at the Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio of Goethe-Institut Hong Kong are the Gay Games 40th Anniversary Historical Exhibition “Beyond Strength”, and LOVE+: Awakening.
The 11th Gay Games are scheduled to take place from November 3 to 11, for the first time in Asia.
They are expected to attract 7,000 participants and 25,000 visitors.
“Beyond Strength” conceptualises the past four decades of the Gay Games and the work done for inclusion across age, sexuality, race, and nationality.
This photographic exhibition creates a comprehensive view of the Games’ history and its impact on the global LGBTQ+ community and introduces the Games to their 2023 co-host city.
The opening will also include a live artist’s performance and speeches from the curators of the Historical Exhibition and Love+: Awakening.
“Gay Games has an amazing and powerful history of celebrating the human body and spirit,” said Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, director of the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong.
“The Goethe-Institut is proud to present this story in our gallery, in wonderful synergy with the Love+:Awakening exhibition that is taking place at the same time, showcasing queer perspectives from Hong Kong’s art scene.
“We are happy to support this bold statement in the run-up to Gay Games 2023 and look forward together to an exciting festival of arts, sports and culture.”
The LOVE+ Awakening exhibition, hosted at the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s Pao Galleries, showcases 23 Hong Kong-born or based artists and includes their works, many unseen by the public, based on the curatorial keyword ‘awakenings’ to celebrate the Games.
“This exhibition will delineate a timeline of Queer Art in Hong Kong as a subtext from the 1990s to date with collaborators such as the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, the Centre for Innovative Service-Learning, and Hong Kong Baptist University,” a 2023 Gay Games release said.
“Together, Gay Games Hong Kong believes we can work toward an even better world in which to find courage and bravery; a better world for the LGBTQ+ community; and a better world for everyone.”