Join ASHK on an exclusive guided studio visit of Violet Shum, one of the participating artists of Fusion 2, on Wednesday, June 7. Peek into the creative space of the artist and see the behind-the-scenes of her creations.

岑嘉慧 Violet Shum is a Hong Kong-based visual artist. She spent her early years studying painting from a portrait artist, Wong Kum. In 2003, she earned her Bachelor Degree of Arts in Fine Art from the RMIT University, in 2016 earned her Degree of Master of Arts in Philosophy from Hong Kong Chinese University and in 2017 she attended an Art Specialist Course of Sculpture at Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Some of her works were collected by private collectors. Shum is interested in transforming industrial materials, such as stainless-steel mesh and wire. Natural elements also play a part in her works, giving her a multi-faceted platform to show an intertwined world of digital tech and natural beauty.

In collaboration with Arkad Foundation of Seravezza in Italy, Fusion 2 is the latest result of the Fusion project which received enthusiastic support from the Italian Cultural Institute and Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong and the City of Seravezza. The exhibition brings together 10 talented young artists: five artists from Hong Kong and five of different nationalities, who lived and work in Italy.

Emphasizing the concept of "fusion", specifically in integrating marble and wood, sculptors in Italy worked in marble while sculptors in Hong Kong worked in wood. Each artist was able to choose their preferred collaborative partner, working not only on their own sculptures but also on their partners'. The sculptural works are therefore the result of an unprecedented collaboration between artists who, with humility and enthusiasm, have accepted to place their own creations in the hands of another artist they have never met. 

In December 2021, the first phase of Fusion Exhibition took place in two prestigious locations. The Arkad Foundation in Seravezza, Italy, hosted five sculptures, and the Visual Art Centre in Hong Kong, hosted the other five collaborative sculptures.

This time, Fusion 2 will be held at the Chantal Miller Gallery in Asia Society Hong Kong. Not only will the show bring back all 10 sculptures created from Fusion, but also an additional 20 new smaller sculptures using marble and wood by the same exhibited artists. This exhibition will also provide the opportunity for the artists in this exhibition series to meet their collaborative partners for the first time in-person.