Not as Trivial as You Think: Hong Kong Art Quiz

Book published on the occasion of ‘Not as Trivial as You Think: Hong Kong Art Quiz’, which was organised by C&G, the Artist-in-Residence of Asia Art Archive from January to May 2014. The quiz took place at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong on 17 May 2014.

“C&G searched for information on contemporary art in Hong Kong, digging not only into Asia Art Archive’s collection, but also through other resources available in the city. A general knowledge quiz on contemporary and politics in Hong Kong marked the culmination of their research, and was brought to life by way of a live event during Art Basel in Hong Kong 2014. Four teams (‘Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie’, ‘4 Monkeys’, ‘Art Moustache’ and ‘PageNext’) comprising of 23 artists, art professionals, and students “fought it out” as over 200 enthusiastic audience members cheered on. The video documentation of the art quiz is available online at Asia Art Archive’s website (www.aaa.org.hk/HKArtQuiz).

A parody of the education and examination system in Hong Kong, the quiz encompassed question that no one textbook could cover — referencing trivia related to individuals, institutions, mathematics, and even international relations. The parody continues in this artist book as it covers the quiz’s questions and answers, as well as C&G’s interviews with various contestants, providing yet another “short-cut” to those who wish to enter Hong Kong’s complex art ecology the “easy” way in the manner of a study guide.”

– excerpted from the Preface