Visual Arts

According to the survey on persons with disabilities and chronic diseases in Hong Kong conducted by the Census and Statistics Department in 2015, there are 2.4 visually impaired people in every 100 Hong Kong citizens. Visual impairment refers to a certain degree of visual loss; the visually impaired people have a reduced visual acuity or limited visual field. Both congenital and acquired causes can lead to visual impairment, so does age, disease, or accident. The visually impaired are not out of reach, and they may be even among us. When visual impairment becomes inevitable, one must go all out to get used to it and overcome the challenges it brings. Nevertheless, will this enable the visually impaired to understand and deal with the world with a more sensitive, delicate, and inclusive perception?
Focusing on the creativity of visually impaired artists, the 8th Touch Art Festival is a year-long exploration of touch art divided into three different phases. Unlike the previous festivals which explored the art hand-created by visually impaired artists, the current iteration focuses on their everyday life. Based on their conception and perception, the festival foregrounds not only the mediums of expression but also the inter-sensory experience of the artists, striving to unveil and display their creativity in overcoming their visual impairment. Daily matters for the sighted can be the starting points for visually impaired artists. Themed on “Every day”, the first exhibition of the year’s festival unveils how the visually impaired have connected these dots with creativity and eventually developed them into a kaleidoscope of lines and surfaces.