Isaac Chong Wai to talk about his biennial projects at Initial Research NY (10/12/2025)
Isaac Chong Wai gave an artist talk focusing on his recent projects, including commissions for the 60th Venice Biennale and the 14th Taipei Biennial. The program followed by a conversation with curator Kelly Ma. The event took place on December 10 at Initial Research in New York.
During the talk, Chong will discuss the conceptual framework behind two major works presented in these biennials. In Falling Reversely (Venice), the artist collaborates with performers of Asian descent to examine U.S. CCTV footage of public assaults, using movement to slow down, reverse, and transform moments of violence into gestures of collective resistance. In Touched (Taipei), etched glass and mirror panels carry traces of the artist’s own body, forming fragmented figures inspired by John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow, its cinematic stills, and Chong’s childhood memories of Hong Kong.