Theme: Art: Who Cares?

Hong Kong’s dominance as an international art capital is undeniable. With the March madness of the Art Month which brings the likes of the biggest and most well-known art fairs, exhibitions and players to our town, the city becomes entrenched in a busy calendar of social events and in mingling with the whos-who of these affairs. But art exists in many different shapes and forms, from visual arts to performing arts, from education and learning to activism and self-expression. It affects and changes our lives every day, often in unlikely ways.

On May 20th, 2017, we will explore the various shapes and forms in which art exists all around us, why it matters, and why we should all care. This session will be a mix of live speakers and pre-recorded TED talks to offer a well-rounded, cross-industry understanding of art in today's world, and will also include performances and poetry from Peel Street Poetry. It will be a smaller, more intimate gathering of like-minded individuals. We hope you can join us!

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive
WanChai, Hong Kong, 000000
Hong Kong

Danielle Leeann Chin

Creative Events & Marketing Consultant, Creativity Catalyst

Danielle Leeann Chin is an independent Creative Events & Marketing Consultant and a Catalyst of Creativity at Mettā, who specialize in connecting the creative world with corporate business sectors to create events that consistently attract international acclaim. Beginning her career by overseeing exhibitions, events, and other fine art initiatives for internationally renowned artist and TEDxWanChai speaker Simon Birch, Danielle soon realized her love for creating unique experiences. Since then, she has worked with renown brands to curate, ideate, and deliver impactful small and large scale events, just in the last few years. She has worked with both startups and established organizations, most recently overseeing the VIP Events for Art Basel Hong Kong, one of the world's leading art fairs.

Janaia Joy

Janaia is a multifaceted singer and an incredible talent. She sings in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. Her disarming comfort on stage displays a presence that defies her age all while simultaneously revealing sensuality and wide eyed innocence. She performs all genres of music and has over 21 years in this industry. From Hollywood to Hong Kong she has toured across the globe performing in musicals (HairSpray, Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, The Wiz etc), with orchestras, major label recording studios (Sony, Warner, EMI) and 5 star hotels as a house regular. With experience in Soul, Jazz, RnB, Funk, Musical Theatre, Top 40/Dance, Opera, Reggae Tone and recently 70's Hard Rock, Janaia credits her experience in Musical Theatre and acting which have helped her create a unique style of performing. Janaia becomes the character of the genre of music she performs and is not afraid to dance on stage. She doesn't just sing the songs as most artists do, she makes you feel the songs.

Rainbow Ho

Arts Therapist and Researcher

Prof. Rainbow Tin Hung Ho is the Director of the Centre on Behavioral Health, Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, and Director of the Master of Social Sciences (Behavioral Health) and Master in Expressive Arts Therapy programs in the University of Hong Kong. She has more than 200 publications in refereed journals, scholarly books and encyclopedia. In the past, she has been awarded the title of “Fun Fearless Female” by Cosmopolitan H.K. and “Brave new Girl’ by Cosmo Girl H.K. in 2006.

Sampson Wong

Arts Activist & Urbanist

Sampson Wong Yu-hin is an artist, independent curator and academic in Hong Kong. He founded the Hong Kong Urban Laboratory in 2012, and co-founded the Emptyscape Art Festival (a triennial) in 2013. Collaborating with the Add Oil Team, he has created the artworks Add Oil Machine, Countdown Machine and Broadcast Machine, all responding to Hong Kong's socio-political conditions. He is currently a lecturer at the Liberal Arts Department of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and holds a Ph.D in Urban Studies & Geography from the University of Manchester.

Vishal Nanda

Vishal Nanda is a writer and spoken word performer in-between being a game designer, teacher, and editor. He spends his time writing poetry, scripts, screen plays, plays, short stories, lists, novels, song lyrics, bios and the like, as he cannot quite help himself. He has performed at a variety of events, including comedy shows, fundraisers and on RTHK Radio Three. He can usually be found performing In Lan Kwai Fong most Wednesdays with the other Peel Street Poets.