HUGO BOSS ASIA ART 2017

HUGO BOSS ASIA ART 2017 shines a spotlight on Greater China and Southeast Asia, with four exciting emerging artists on the shortlist  

Metzingen, June 29, 2017. HUGO BOSS and the Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai) are delighted to announce the finalist artists for the third edition of the HUGO BOSS ASIA ART Award for Emerging Asian Artists today. The jury has selected the following artists as finalists for the HUGO BOSS ASIA ART 2017 award: Li Ming (China); Tao Hui (China); Yu Ji (China); and Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore).

As part of the HUGO BOSS arts program, the biannual Award aims to honor emerging contemporary artists who are in the early stages of their artistic creation and exhibition practices. Since its establishment in 2013, the HUGO BOSS ASIA ART Award has become a well-respected contemporary art award in Asia. It continuously reflects on current topics and explores the future of art in Greater China and Southeast Asia. “The HUGO BOSS ASIA ART Award is a wonderful element in our Arts Sponsorship program. We are very happy to offer this platform to young talents for the third time, especially in such an important cultural context as Asia,” says Dr. Hjördis Kettenbach, Head of Cultural Affairs, HUGO BOSS AG.

A group exhibition showcasing works of the four finalist artists will be shown at Rockbund Art Museum from Oct 27, 2017 to Jan 7, 2018, presenting newly commissioned works as well as existing works by the finalists. The winner of the Award will be announced in November; the Award carries a stipend of RMB 300,000.

The award contributes towards artistic and cultural exchanges in the broader historical and social contexts of Greater China and Southeast Asia, giving voice to emerging artists in the field of contemporary art in this region while simultaneously bridging boundaries so as to encourage inter-cultural communication.

In 2017, the Award continues to focus on emerging talents at the forefront of artistic exploration in Greater China and Southeast Asia, instigating long-term dialogue between contemporary art and their rich, diverse and continuously mutating contexts.

About the shortlisted artists

LI MING

Born in 1986 in Yuanjiang, Hunan Province and graduated from China Academy of Art, Li Ming currently lives and works in Hangzhou, China. His recent solo presentations include: “MEIWE”, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2015); and “Mediation”, Antenna Space, Shanghai (2014). His recent group exhibitions include: “No Walk, No Work”, Centre d'Art Contemporain Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland (2016); “Why the Performance?”, Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai (2016); “Turning Point: Contemporary Art in China since 2000”, Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2016); “Hybridizing Earth, Discussing Multitude”, Busan Biennale (2016); “TUTORIALS—Moving Images and a User’s Guide from China”, Museo Pino Pascali, Polignano a Mare, Italy (2016); “WE—A Community of Chinese Contemporary Artists”, Chi K11 Art Space, Shanghai, China (2016); “Essential Matters—Moving Images from China”, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul (2015); Shenzhen Biennial (2014); “Pandanonium”, Momentum, Berlin (2014); “The Popular Tree and Mirror”, International Studio & Curatorial Program, New York (2014); “28 Chinese”, Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2014); and “On | Off” at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2013).

TAO HUI

Born in Yunyang, Chongqing Province in 1983 and graduated in 2010 from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute with a BFA in Oil Painting, Tao Hui currently lives and works in Beijing. He won the special award of Contemporary Art Archive from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2008, and the Grand Prize at Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_VideoBrasil in 2015; he had also been shortlisted twice in two previous editions. Tao Hui is also the winner of Art Sanya & Huayu Youth Grand Award in 2015. His solo exhibitions include: “New Directions: Tao Hui”, UCCA, Beijing (2015); “1 Character & 7 Materials”, AIKE-DELLARCO, Shanghai (2015). Group exhibitions include: “The mulberry forest becoming ocean”, Esther Schipper, Berlin, Germany (2017); “Hack Space”, K11 Foundation Pop-up Space, Hong Kong (2016); “M+ Screening: Forty Years”, Broadway Cinematheque, Hong Kong (2016); “Why Not Ask Again”, 11th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art, Shanghai (2016); “Turning Point: Contemporary Art in China since 2000”, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2016); “TUTORIALS—Moving Images and a User’s Guide from China”, Museo Pino Pascali, Polignano a Mare, Italy (2016); “Bentu: Chinese Artists in a Time of Turbulence and Transformation”, Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France (2016); “Essential Matters—Moving Images from China”, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey (2015); “Southern Panoramas”, Contemporary Art Festival_Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil (2013).

YU JI

Born in Shanghai in 1985, and graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Fine Art College of Shanghai University, Yu Ji also received a master degree; she currently lives and works in Shanghai. She is known for the diversity of her practice, dealing chiefly with sculptures and installations along with performances and videos. Her long-term interest has been an ongoing investigation into specific loci that are charged with geographical and historical narratives. She frequently conducts field research and is keen on creating bodily interventions in different sites. Her recent solo exhibitions include: “Black Mountain”, Beijing Commune (2016); “Dairy of Sulfur Mining—Pataauw”, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, (2016); “Never Left Behind”, Beijing C-Space (2014). Yu Ji's work has been exhibited at various art institutions, including Palais des Tokyo in France, CAFA Museum in Beijing, Yuz Museum in Shanghai, and Times Museum in Guangzhou. She has been invited to the 11th Gwangju Biennale and the 11th Shanghai Biennale in 2016. She has undertaken a seven-month residency in Palais de Tokyo, OBC Pavillon in 2017. As another part of her artistic practice, Yu Ji co-founded the AM Art Space in 2008, which is one of the few non-profit, experimental art spaces active in Shanghai today.

ROBERT ZHAO RENHUI

Born in Singapore in 1983, and graduated from the Camberwell College of Arts at the University of the Arts London in 2005, Robert Zhao Renhui graduated from the London College of Communication at the University of the Arts London with a master degree in 2011. He works mainly with photography but often adopts a multi-disciplinary approach by presenting images together with documents and objects.

His solo exhibitions include: “Christmas Land, Naturally”, ShanghART, Singapore (2017); “The Nature Collector”, ShanghART, Shanghai (2015); “A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World”, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan (2014); “The Last Thing You See”, 2902 Gallery, Singapore (2014); “Fake or Reality”, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna (2014); “Flies Prefer Yellow”, Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco (2014). His recent group exhibitions include: the Sydney Biennale (2016); Moscow International Biennale of Young Art (2014); Singapore Biennale (2013); President’s Young Talents, Singapore (2013); the Photoquai Photography Biennial, France (2013); the International Festival of Photography, Mineiro Museum, Brazil (2013); and “Engaging Perspectives”, CCA, Singapore (2013). He has also exhibited in: Noorderlicht Photofestival, Amsterdam; Format Festival, Derby, UK; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan; Photo Levallois, Paris; and Seoul Arts Center, Korea, among others.

About the HUGO BOSS Arts Program

Art and fashion are intertwined disciplines, in their nature guided by innovation and creativity. Both seek to forge something new, driven by the will to capture the spirit of their time. With the aim of encouraging an exchange between the two fields, 

HUGO BOSS initiated its Arts Sponsorship program in 1995 as an integral part of the Company’s corporate culture. Focusing on contemporary art, HUGO BOSS has supported numerous high-profile exhibitions with the intention to inspire people and to give leading artists a platform for their work. Examples of these were Georg Baselitz (1995 and 1996), Dennis Hopper (2001), Olafur Eliasson (2005), Josephine Meckseper (2007), Jeff Koons (2012) and Konstantin Grcic (2014). Moreover, 

HUGO BOSS has initiated two independent awards to support extraordinary talents and to emphasize their contributions to the arts. Founded in 1996 and in cooperation with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum in New York, the 

HUGO BOSS PRIZE has become one of the world‘s most renowned accolades for visionary contributions to contemporary art. The HUGO BOSS ASIA ART Award, introduced in 2013 and conceived and curated by the Rockbund Art Museum, focuses on promoting young emerging contemporary artists in Asia.

About HUGO BOSS

The HUGO BOSS Group is one of the leading companies in the premium and luxury segment of the apparel market that focuses on the development and marketing of premium fashion and accessories for men and women. The product portfolio offers menswear, womenswear, kidswear, as well as licensed fragrances, eyewear, watches, children‘s fashion and home textiles. 

About RAM

For over seven years Rockbund Art Museum has been at the forefront of the growing contemporary art scene in China, presenting world-class programs in a unique museum setting. A boutique Museum of the utmost quality, RAM holds a unique position within Shanghai’s continually expanding cultural scene. The Museum is located within the Bund district and housed in an exquisite heritage Art Deco building, which was renovated by architect David Chipperfield before opening in 2010.

The museum’s exemplary curatorial, education and research programs showcase acclaimed and emerging Chinese and international artists, responding to and reflecting on present and urgent challenges of society locally and internationally. RAM presents a bold and pioneering program of three exhibitions and a special project “RAM HIGHLIGHT” per year, exploring and realizing artists’ most ambitious projects and working with them to tailor exhibitions to the Museum and to the Shanghai context, often with a large proportion of works being new commissions. RAM devises, produces and curates its program in-house, in conjunction with carefully selected international collaborations of the highest quality. For more information, please refer to rockbundartmuseum.org.

Further information on HUGO BOSS can be found at hugoboss.com.


If you have any questions, please contact:

Dr. Hjördis Kettenbach
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone:+49 7123 94-83377
Fax:+49 7123 94-80237