我 me: yipkaichuns (at) gmail (dot) com
葉啟俊是一名藝術家和策展人，於香港出生及工作。葉氏的創作經常深入被忽略或社羣和地區，並以着重體驗的混合媒介作品，引發互動、理解和聯繫的時刻。
文化和語言的更迭與演變，是葉氏創作的主題，並經常置於移民的脈絡中探討，當中包括身處香港的移民、海外的香港人和華人，以及身為移民城市的香港本身。其中的代表，是他一系列以客家話為主題的作品：由他對自己客家人身分的困惑開始，繼而探索香港的客家村和東南亞的客家社羣。
策展為葉氏藝術創作的伸延，以此締造更廣的連結和合作。他為〈船到橋頭生活節〉(2021、2023）的創立人之一，以此細看香港西南部的離島和社羣。
葉氏曾到訪多地作藝術家駐留，當中包括阿美尼亞（2016）、格魯吉亞（2016）、印度（2018、2019）、吉爾吉斯（2016）、葡萄牙（2016）、新加坡（2022）和美國（2024）。他於第二十一屆ifva獨立短片及影像媒體比賽（2016）媒體藝術組獲特別表揚；其策展計劃亦於非常廟藝文空間「非常徵件」比賽（2016年），以及Mur Nomade徵集新晉策展人比賽（2015）中勝出。
YIP Kai Chun is an artist-curator born and based in Hong Kong. Investigating overlooked or peripheral communities and localities, his mixed media works create instances of interaction, understanding and connection. Sound, text, video and found objects are the main components of his works.
The inheritance and transformation of culture and language is an overarching theme of his works. Many of his works examine the theme in the context of migration — migrants in Hong Kong, Hong Kongers and Chinese people as overseas migrants, and Hong Kong as an essentially migrant city. The major example of this is his continuous exploration of the inheritance of the Hakka language, which stemmed from (the question about) himself as a Hakka and has expanded to Hakka communities in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
Curation is an extension of his artistic creation and a chance for him to create broader connection and collaboration. Yip co-founded the Inter-island Festival (2021, 2023), a festival celebrating the outer islands in south-western Hong Kong.
Yip has been to residencies in Armenia (2016), Georgia (2016), India (2018 & 2019), Kyrgyzstan (2016), Portugal (2016), Singapore (2022), and USA (2024). He was awarded Special Mention, Media Art Category, The 21st ifva Media Art Exhibition, Hong Kong (2016). He is the winner of the 3rd VT Open Call, VT Artsalon, Taiwan (2017) and Open Call for Young Curators by Mur Nomade, Hong Kong (2015).
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創作自述
雖然我的作品主題及媒介多變，但它們都以被忽視的本地歷史、文化和語言為主旨。因為我對當下身處的「本地」都有興趣，所以我可以就地取截然不同的題材創作，例如不獲重視的平庸景觀（蘇聯千篇一律的房屋），憑空想像的連繫（在另一個大陸幻想故城的景致），抑或久被忽略的本土語言（上一代的「鄉下話」）。我藉作品剖解習以為常之事，展露久被忽略之物，重修失卻的聯繫，引發觀眾一同想像不同於當下的可能。
我把作品想像成「故事」；故事性是我所有作品中的要素。我以藝術研究和民族誌的方法，用私密和微細的角度探討命題。最終作品的媒介和形式，取決於創作過程；但作品多為混合媒介裝置，常見聲音、物件、言語和文字。有時，我的作品形式借鏡為人熟悉的娛樂，例如棋類和卡拉OK。我的作品平易近人，看起來不拘小節，有時好玩，有時感性。我喜愛非藝術場地和公共空間的開放性，所以偏好於這些地方展出。我寄望作品對觀眾而言，並非是只供觀賞的「藝術品」，而是可以引起共嗚的體驗。
觀眾不時感到我的作品坦率、親密和着重內在。我深信，藝術是我與其他人深層溝通和連結的方式。相比事物之間的分別，我的作品着眼於事物之間的相似性和連繫 — 相似性和連繫，可以激發集體行動和改變。
我視策展為藝術創作的伸延，甚至是我另一種創作媒介。我以策展質疑當代藝術展覽的模式，以及策展的功能和地位。我的策展計劃試圖消磨各種界線，諸如不同媒介的藝術之間、創作與策展之間、現代與傳統之間，以及藝術和其他領域之間等。
(2021年8月10日)
Artist Statement
Although my works address disparate topics and take various forms, they all focus on neglected language, history and culture of the localities wherever I situate. With this adaptability of locality, I have worked with a wide range of topics such as Soviet modernist architecture in the former Soviet states, imagined connection of a town in inland Portugal and my hometown Hong Kong, and the ignored indigenous Hakkanese language that I could have inherited from my father. My works expose and erode rooted perceptions and norms in these issues and invite audience to imagine alternatives.
I think of my works as stories — Narrativity is an essence in my works. I approach the topics from personal and micro perspectives with artistic research informed by ethnography. I then let the process decide the forms and media of the works, which are often mixed-media installations with the elements of sound, language (spoken & written) and found objects. Sometimes, my works draw reference from established entertainments such as chess and karaoke. My works have an approachable and rough demeanour, which can be fun and/or emotional. I always favour non-art venues and public space for their openness. Rather than art objects that demand audience to decipher, my works often encourage audience to interact with them, or with the other audiences.
Audience often describe my works as honest, intimate and spiritual. After all, I believe artistic practice is a way to communicate and connect. Instead of differences, my works highlight the interconnections and similarities among things, people and places, through which collective action and change may arise.
Curation is an extension of my artistic practice. At times, I imagine curation as another medium of my art. In curation, I question contemporary exhibition making, curatorship and alternative models of art happening. I blur the boundaries between different domains in art, art and non-art, the traditional and the contemporary, and artistic creation and curation.
(10 August 2021)