PERFORMANCE | Black Box Writers' Series: Displaced Nostalgia

Experience the performances of Sheung-King and JeeMin Kim that highlight the passage of time intertwined with creative writing.

Black Box Writers' Series: Displaced Nostalgia by Sheung-King and JeeMin Kim

Speaker: Sheung-King and JeeMin Kim

Curator: Dr Antony Huen

Date: March 27, Fri

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm (seats reserved for HKILF at 3:30pm-5:00pm)

Venue: HKU Black Box

Address: Room 54, Lower Ground Floor (LG/F), Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam

Price: FREE

Language: English

Format: Performance

Description:

In these durational performances, which can last up to 7 hours, no phones or watches are permitted. The two performers do not speak to each other. What we usually think of as time is a social construct—linear and accelerated. In these performances, however, time is only approximated; only JeeMin's experience of time matters.

With each sensation of an hour passing, JeeMin begins her labour, which then prompts Sheung-King to write. There are two overhead projectors: Sheung-King leaves a prompt on one, and the audience responds using the other. Each performance comes with a booklet that archives the writings from previous performances, which audiences can take home.

The Black Box Writers’ Series celebrates creative voices and craft, with a focus on writers and works with local connections. This special session takes that spirit in a new direction.

*Organized by the School of English and the HKU Guild, University of Hong Kong.

About the Speaker:

Sheung-King

Sheung-King Aaron Tang is a novelist. His novel, Batshit Seven, published by
Penguin Random House, won the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and was named one of the best books of 2025 by the Globe and Mail. His debut novel, You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked (Book*hug Press, 2020), is a finalist for the 2021 Governor General's Award, a finalist for the 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, longlisted for CBC's Canada Reads 2021, and named one of the best book debuts of 2020 by the Globe and Mail. Sheung-King was born in Vancouver and grew up in Hong Kong.

JeeMin Kim

JeeMin Kim is an artist with a BA from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, an MA in Critical Practice from the Royal College of Art, London, and a PhD in Painting from Hong Ik University. Her ongoing research and solo exhibition series, Prototype Temple, unfolds within constructed stage-like spaces where forms of various civilisations and ruins are layered together. The project questions the fictive nostalgia produced by Western archaeology and colonial perspectives. Kim’s works have also been featured at Horse Hospital Gallery, London (2019), Art Council Korea (2021), Culture Station Seoul 284 & Namsan Library, Seoul (2023), and K&L Museum, Seoul (2024).

Don’t miss our special offer: Buy 3, Get 1 Complimentary!

Purchase 3 tickets to any events under HKILF 2026 and claim a complimentary seat at one of these exciting talks at Central Library:

•⁠ 3rd March (Tue): On Muscle: The Stuff that Moves Us and Why It Matters (7:00-8:30pm)

⁠•⁠ 4th March (Wed): I Deliver Parcels in Beijing (7:00-8:30pm)

•⁠ ⁠5th March (Thu): Amitav Ghosh: Ghost-Eye (7:00-8:30pm)

To redeem your complimentary seat, email us at info@festival.org.hk with:

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ABOUT HKILF

The Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF) inspires the joy of reading by bringing the world’s writers and stories to Hong Kong’s diverse communities. A dynamic year-round programme and an annual festival offer dialogue, entertainment and perspective, while the Young Readers Festival (YRF) motivates students to engage with all aspects of the written word, improving communication skills, while nurturing the art of writing and storytelling.

The annual festival features established and emerging writers from around the world, alongside local literary talents, in a programme that includes panel discussions, book talks, readings, workshops, walks, school programmes, performances, and more.

We are a registered charity non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing the best in the literary arts to Hong Kong. To find more, please visit our official website: https://www.festival.org.hk.

Please note that:

*We are unable to process refunds, please consider your ticket purchase a donation to the festival.

*Photos and videos of participants may be taken during the activities,which may be used by the organiser and the major sponsor for educational and promotional purposes in any way deemed appropriate, including disseminationthrough printed and online channels. Participation in the programme will constitute the participants’ consent to the above arrangement.

*The views and opinions expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hong Kong International Literary Festival. HKILF disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information shared by the speakers.

*If the Black Rainstorm Warning or the Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 8 or above is in force 3 hours before the start time of an event, the event will be cancelled and participants will receive a refund. If the Red or Yellow Rainstorm Warning or the Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 3 is in effect, the event will be held as scheduled.