K11 Art Foundation

Presented by K11 MUSEA and K11 Art Foundation, City As Studio, China’s first major exhibition of graffiti and street art, will showcase the breadth and depth of the graffiti and street art scene across generations, styles and geographies.

Featuring over 100 works by more than 30 artists, City As Studio traces the global history of graffiti and street art from its emergence in the subway yards and parking lots of 1970s New York to its rise as a worldwide phenomenon. It begins with the movement’s pivotal innovators such as Fab 5 Freddy, FUTURA and Jean-Michel Basquiat who were part of the dialogue and the Downtown art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and goes on to highlight artists such as Barry McGee, Mister Cartoon and OSGEMEOS, and the groundbreaking styles they created in San Francisco, East Los Angeles and São Paulo. The exhibition also documents the emergence and evolution of artists such as KAWS and AIKO who represent a younger generation of New York street artists.

To accompany the exhibition, K11 Art Foundation is presenting a series of events:

Guided Tour

An immersive guided tour led by K11 Art Foundation docents to take a deep dive into a global history of graffiti and street art City As Studio. For guided tour timetable, please visit here.

K11 Konversations

1. K11 Art Foundation x HKwalls Panel Discussion
   Date: 20 March 2023 | Time: 1 – 2 pm
2. Jeffrey Deitch In Conversation with AIKO and Lee Quiñones
   Date: 23 March 2023 | Time: 3 – 4 pm
3. Beyond the Walls: The Greater Bay Area's Street Art Revolution
   Date: 4 April 2023 | Time: 5 – 6 pm
4. K11 Art Foundation X ERCO Lighting Lectures: Lighting and Conservation of Art
   Date: 13 April 2023 | Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm (For art practitioners and industry professionals)
   Date: 13 April 2023 | Time: 4:30 – 6 pm (For public and students) 
   
   

Audio Guides

Enhance your experience at City As Studio with our audio guides to learn more about the artist’s practice on your own device. Listen to Jeffrey Deitch, curator of City As Studio speaks about this landmark exhibition. Available in Cantonese, English and Mandarin.

Online Resources

This online resources of City As Studio are designed to provide additional information for the audiences in their artistic exploration through a range of focus areas and multimedia experience.

Publication

Published by K11 Art Foundation and helmed by legendary art curator Jeffrey Deitch, City As Studio celebrates the dynamic history of graffiti and street art with an extensive combination of historical archives and rare insights. A comprehensive bilingual publication is exclusively available at K11 Art & Cultural Centre and K11 Design Store.

Graffiti Tagging Activity

Get inspired by watching the graffiti tagging video demonstrates by the New York-born street artist Stern Rockwell and start out designing your first graffiti tag!