Art Basel and the ICC premier a new large-scale video installation by Cao Fei in Hong Kong

This March, renowned international Chinese artist Cao Fei will present a major new work during the 2015 edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong. Each night from March 13 to 17, 2015, ‘Same Old, Brand New’ will be shown across the entire façade of Hong Kong’s iconic 490 meter high International Commerce Centre (ICC) on the Kowloon harbor front.

‘Same Old, Brand New’ is a new work by the artist – created especially for Hong Kong's iconic ICC building – that references video games, primarily from the 1980s, which have become an integral part of popular and youth culture, especially in Hong Kong but also across the world. By combining symbols and logos with moving images derived from well- known computer games including Pac-Man and Tetris on the full length of the skyscraper, the visual display will create a heightened visibility, thereby revealing further meanings. With this video installation, Cao Fei attempts to turn collective memories into a current reality. The work follows previous multi-media projects by the artist that explore the dreams and aspirations of a younger Chinese generation and their strategies for overcoming and escaping reality. Known for her multimedia installations and videos, Cao Fei mixes social commentary, popular aesthetics, references to Surrealism, and a documentary approach, reflecting on the rapid and chaotic changes that are occurring in Chinese society today.

Visible from numerous locations across Hong Kong, including the HKCEC, ‘Same Old, Brand New’ can be witnessed by people all over the city. Recommended public viewing places are the terrace on Podium 3 and 4 of the IFC Mall where an accompanying audio piece by Hong Kong sound artist Dickson Dee will be broadcast. Also influenced by the music of 1980s computer games, the sound work will be synchronized with Cao Fei's visual installation. Further recommended viewing places include Tamar Park and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.

People can also download the ICC Light and Music Show smartphone app from Apple App Store and Google Play Store to hear the music on their mobile phones while watching from the shores of Victoria Harbour starting from March 13, 2015.

Cao Fei (b.1978) lives and works in Beijing. She is known for her multimedia installations and videos, and is acknowledged as one of the key artists of a new generation emerging from Mainland China. Her recent movie ‘Haze and Fog’ (2013) was screened at the Tate Modern, London, and her previous online project ‘RMB CITY’ (2008-2011) has been exhibited in Deutsche Guggenheim, Germany (2010); Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; Serpentine Gallery, London; and Yokohama Triennale (2008). She has been presented in 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), Istanbul Biennale (2007), Tate Liverpool (2007), Lyon Biennale (2007), 17th & 15th Biennale of Sydney (2006/2010), Moscow Biennale (2005), Shanghai Biennale (2004), 50th Venice Biennale (2003). She has also exhibited video works in Guggenheim Museum, the International Center of Photography; MoMA, P.S.1, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Musee d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. She was a finalist of the Guggenheim Museum Hugo Boss Prize 2010, and won the 2006 Best Young Artist Award by CCAA (Chinese Contemporary Art Award). Cao Fei was on the jury of the selection committee for the curatorship of the 8th Berlin Biennale 2014. As part of the Encounters sector at this year's edition of Art Basel's show in Hog Kong, Vitamin Creative Space (Beijing, Guangzhou) will present 'Nu Project' by the artist. Initially invited to make a feature film about the subject of Yunnan, the project reached an impasse. What remains are filmed sequences reconstructed as part of the video installation Nu River Project.

This year's Conversations program in Hong Kong will open on Sunday, March 15 at 10am with the Premiere Artist Talk featuring Cao Fei in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Serpentine Gallery, London.