[News from Institutions] Grand Opening of HKDI Gallery’s 2024-2025 Flagship Exhibitions: Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 –An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality and The Warm-beings: Guangzhou Design Triennial – Hong Kong Exhibition

The Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) is committed to its mission of fostering the development of design education in Hong Kong as the city’s pre-eminent cultural bridge between East and West. Through its vibrant exhibition space, the HKDI Gallery, HKDI has conducted collaborative exhibitions and events with leading cultural institutions, design schools and designers from around the world, to promote fruitful exchanges between students, design lovers and industry professionals. Beginning in 2025, HKDI will collaborate with distinguished cultural bodies from France and the Mainland to stage its two annual flagship exhibitions: Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 – An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality and The Warm-beings: Guangzhou Design Triennial – Hong Kong Exhibition, which will both open to the public starting today. 

To commemorate this occasion, the organizing committee held a grand opening ceremony and media preview today on HKDI campus grounds, with officiating guests Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Christile Drulhe, the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau; Tony Tai Chark-tong, Chairman of the Vocational Training Council (VTC); Agnès Garaudel, General Manager and Producer of GEDEON Experiences, a French production company that produces multi-format immersive experiences and documentaries; Julien Badon, Head of Operations Development of Excurio, and Liao Shani, Deputy Head of Exhibition and Design Department of the Guangdong Museum of Art, jointly unveiling the openings for the two exhibitions. 

In her opening remarks, Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism stated: “The partnership between Hong Kong Design Institute and cultural institutions from all over the world is essential in underpinning Hong Kong's status as a global hub for design and creative [industries]. My bureau, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, will continue to support and collaborate with key strategic partners and industry stakeholders, including the Vocational Training Council, to drive the development of arts, culture and creative industries.” 

Christile Drulhe, the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, remarked: “After having been presented with great acclaim at the Musée d’Orsay last year, alongside the other French entities of Excurio and GEDEON Experiences, this remarkable VR experience has found its way to Hong Kong with thanks to the Hong Kong Design Institute, which is also a remarkable institution for creation and innovation. I hope that the Hong Kong people will appreciate this opportunity to unite themselves with one of the most important and fascinating art movements.” 

Tony Tai Chark-tong, Chairman of the VTC, said: “Today, we are delighted to unveil two exceptional exhibitions presented by HKDI Gallery, which exemplify how the HKDI serves as a bridge for cultural exchange, blending history, technology, and humanistic value to inspire new perspectives and foster creative dialogue.”

Prior to the opening ceremony, the committee also organized two Master Lectures, with speakers Agnès Garaudel, General Manager and Producer of GEDEON Experiences, Alizé Lecuivre, Editorial & Creative Development of GEDEON Experiences, Julien Badon, Head of Operations Development of Excurio; and Liao Shani, Deputy Head of Exhibition and Design Department of the Guangdong Museum of Art, alongside a few of the participating designers from The Warm-beings: Guangzhou Design Triennial - Hong Kong Exhibition, Ma Ke, Meng Fanhao, Han Jiaying and Kan Tai-keung. The guest speakers shared valuable insights and kicked off the openings of the two exhibitions. 

Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 – An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality is organised by HKDI and co-produced by Excurio, GEDEON Experiences and Musée d'Orsay in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition. The exhibition integrates unpublished research materials, 3D reconstruction and immersive VR technologies, providing a 42-minute long VR experience that will bring visitors on a journey to explore the origins and influences of the Impressionist art movement. Upon donning the VR headset, audiences will be transported back in time to 15 April, 1874, to the Parisian studio of the famous photographer Nadar, which was the venue of the first-ever Impressionist exhibition, and experience this pivotal moment in art history. Apart from this, visitors can also “travel” to other moments and sites of great historical value to the Impressionist movement, such as the studio of the painter Frédéric Bazille, a popular meeting spot for the artists and where the idea of the first Impressionist exhibit was born; and view Oscar-Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” up-close at Le Havre, witnessing first-hand the talents of the movement’s leading painters. The VR experience is offered in Cantonese, Putonghua, English and French to cater to the different needs of audiences. 

Agnès Garaudel, General Manager and Producer of GEDEON Experiences, said: “This is the first step of this VR experience in Asia. Our mission was not only to showcase Impressionism, but to step into the painters' life and understand their revolutionary vision in the context of their time. The choice of virtual reality then came subsequently to allow visitors to truly immerse into the painters' world. Thank you again to the Hong Kong Design Institute for helping us to continue this adventure and sharing it with the Hong Kong public.” 

Julien Badon, Head of Operations Development at Excurio, said: “Our ambition is to constantly push the limits of VR technologies. We have created a unique way to tell stories with a narrative style that facilitates engaging storytelling. Our goal is to make culture accessible to everybody and to every culture.”

Sylvie Patry, Co-curator of the Paris 1874. The Impressionist Moment at Musée d'Orsay, the sister exhibition of Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 – An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality, shared welcome remarks in a video, stating that: “This VR exhibition experience is a way for us to share the fantastic collection we have at the Musée d'Orsay. As paintings are fragile and delicate, they can’t travel all around the world. We hope that at some point you will want to visit our physical collection in Paris and discover these Impressionist masterpieces in real life.”   

The Warm-beings: Guangzhou Design Triennial – Hong Kong Exhibition, co-organised by HKDI and the Guangdong Museum of Art, is a curated edition of the Guangzhou Design Triennial 2024. The show will exhibit 22 important works from contemporary Chinese designers across various disciplines, aiming to explore the social value of design, reflecting creativity and humanistic care, while promoting the development of contemporary design in support of social progress and a sustainable environment.

Pieces from 17 Mainland and Hong Kong designers and studios are on display, including China’s internationally renowned designer Ma Ke, the first Chinese designer invited to show at the Paris Haute Couture Week. She created the piece “WU YONG The Earth – Mother of Earth” using recycled industrial textile wastes, handwoven cotton and linen fabrics, plastics, metals and other composite materials, and will be exhibiting its parent collection “WU YONG / The Earth” for the first time in Hong Kong. Another globally acclaimed designer, the esteemed Hong Kong artist Kan Tai-keung, will be showcasing a series of posters created in different years, the “Eco Series – Green & Life / Green / Rethink Nature”, expressing his evolving philosophical mediations on environment conservation and nature. Other top designers from Mainland and Hong Kong such as Han Jiaying, Meng Fanhao, Xu Gang, Zhang Zhekai and Zhu Jingxiang will also be exhibiting works that span diverse mediums such as photography, models, illustrations, silkscreen prints, film recordings, posters, furniture, installations and more.

Mr. Wang Shaoqiang, Director of the Guangdong Museum of Art, delivered welcome remarks through a video: “The Warm-beings: Guangzhou Design Triennial – Hong Kong Exhibition is not merely a design event, as it also serves as an important platform that deeply fosters the cultural bonds in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao-Greater Bay Area. By showcasing nuanced interpretations of humanistic designs, local and international designers and audiences are endowed with the opportunity to engage and dialogue with one another. I hope that the youth in particular can become inspired from this exhibition to investigate into the social value of design, and thereafter inject new impetus into the cultural exchanges in the Greater Bay Area.” 

About Hong Kong Design Institute 
Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) is a member of VTC Group. HKDI was established in 2007 with the mission to be a leading provider of design education and lifelong learning, including architecture, interior and product design, communication design, digital media, and fashion and image design. With a view to providing professional designers for the creative industries, it promotes the “think and do” approach and encourages interdisciplinary synergy in its broad range of design programmes that cultivates students’ cultural sensitivities and sense of sustainability. HKDI maintains a strong network with industry and provides its students with essential practical experience. Overseas exchanges are actively arranged for students to broaden their international perspective.  

Website: https://hkdi.edu.hk/EN

About HKDI Gallery 
HKDI Gallery is a dynamic exhibition arm of HKDI, which is dedicated to present the exposition of cutting edge, top-notch international exhibitions and contemporary issues on design. In addition, HKDI Gallery also aims to support HKDI as one of the centres of design education in the region and promote design culture in Hong Kong. 
HKDI Gallery engages with parties at home and abroad, including internationally acclaimed museums, designers and curators. With contemporary design as the cornerstone, it presents a series of top-notch exhibitions every year ranging from; graphic design, architecture, fashion, product design, multimedia and so on. This has included the following; exhibitions for Zaha Hadid Architects, Ma Yansong and MAD Architects, Japanese designer Dai Fujiwara, Oscar-winning artist Tim Yip, Pritzker Prize-winning Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, Hong Kong design legacy Kan Tai-Keung, and German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic etc. 
Through international exhibitions, HKDI Gallery turns itself into an education venue where design students, design community and general public can learn from the masters’ works. It also actively engages with institute’s students and external students with tailor-made tours, talk and panel discussions. 

Website: https://hkdi.edu.hk/en/hkdi_gallery/

About Excurio 
With Immersive Expeditions, Excurio offers a unique experience format: thrilling virtual reality adventures to be enjoyed by large crowds of people in free-roaming, in large spaces, combining knowledge and exciting intrigue.

Horizon of Khufu, Eternal Notre-Dame, Life Chronicles, Tonight with the Impressionists Paris 1874… Excurio productions have already attracted over a million visitors, from Shanghai to Montreal and Paris, in prestigious cultural institutions and a network of dedicated venues.

Developed in collaboration with renowned scientists and historians, Immersive Expeditions physically and emotionally involve visitors in the discovery of our historical, artistic and scientific heritage. Excurio's mission: making culture accessible through wonder.

Set to become a standard in cultural entertainment, Immersive Expeditions are based on a proprietary technological platform, also developed by Excurio, to manage record visitor flows.

Excurio, originally a brand of Emissive, founded by Emmanuel Guerriero and Fabien Barati in 2005, became the company's new name in 2024 to support these ambitions. Emissive is known for the award-winning virtual reality experiences The Enemy (2015) and Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass (2019).

Website: https://www.excurio.com/

About GEDEON Experiences 
GEDEON Experiences is the innovation department of GEDEON Media Group, a major player in the production and distribution of documentary films for 25 years. GEDEON Experiences develops, creates and produces multi-format immersive experiences by leveraging the strengths that have driven its success in documentary production: mastery of storytelling techniques, access to exclusive subjects and the ability to execute large-scale international projects. Since the "Pompeii" exhibition at the Grand Palais (2020), co-produced with the RMN and the Pompeii Archaeological Park, we have been developing our expertise in the original creation of immersive and interactive environments through the production of innovative XR experiences and large-scale exhibitions, in collaboration with major cultural institutions. Specializing in reconstructing lost heritage as close to historical accuracy as possible, we are particularly committed to raising public awareness of archaeology, culture, the arts, science and history. We are constantly seeking new ways to create and share knowledge, enabling all audiences to discover, understand, and dream. 

Website: https://www.gedeonmediagroup.com/

About Musée d’Orsay 
Housed in a former railway station in the heart of Paris, the Musée d'Orsay has the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art in the world. Reflecting Western artistic creation from 1848 to 1914, its collections bear witness to all forms of expression, from painting to architecture, including sculpture, the decorative arts and photography. Some of the most famous artists rub shoulders here: Millet, Courbet, Degas, Monet, Manet, Gauguin and Van Gogh, not to mention Carpeaux, Rodin, Nadar, Vallotton and Vuillard.

Composed of 12,000 tonnes of metal structures and 35,000 m2 of glass roofing and walls, the edifice was built on the occasion of the 1900 World’s Fair, before being turned into a museum in 1977 upon the decision of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, and inaugurated by President François the following year. The interior layout was created by a team of scenographers and architects overseen by the Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti. 

In 2023, the Musée d’Orsay received almost 3,900,000 visitors from all over the world.

Website: https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr

About Guangdong Museum of Art 
Built in 1997, the Guangdong Museum of Art is among the first batch of national key art museums, and a modern multi-functional art museum integrating collection, research, display, education, exchange, and service. As an important showcase to display the cultural image of Guangdong and promote the culture of South of the Five Ridges (Lingnan), it unswervingly implements the cultural mission of “inheriting Lingnan art tradition, exploring art ecology, promoting international art exchange, and enhancing the artistic literacy of the people”. Based on local conditions, it influences the Greater Bay Area, bears in mind the general picture of the whole nation, and keeps the orientation to the international community. The Museum continuously seeks breakthroughs in high-quality collection, high-level utilization, and high-quality services, and strives to build a national and even world-class art palace. The Baietan Greater Bay Area Art Center was completed and opened to bring new development space and opportunity to the Guangdong Museum of Art. From then on, the new pattern of “one museum and two sections for staggered development” in Baietan and Ersha Island has come into shape.

Website: https://www.gdmoa.org/