Tractions of Gravity in Hong Kong Pairs Suspension with Support
At HSUHK through November 20, Anderwald and Grond explore weight through photography, sound and video. Visitors must register at least three working days ahead.
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong’s Foundation Gallery presents Tractions of Gravity from October 23 to November 20, 2026, featuring photographs, sound and video by Vienna-based artist-researchers Ruth Anderwald and Leonhard Grond. The exhibition considers how bodies carry weight and find support. Visits to the Sha Tin campus require registration at least three working days in advance; a date within the exhibition period should not be treated as an invitation to walk in without arrangements.
An invisible force becomes legible through bodies
Two photographic series anchor the exhibition: Atlases, begun in 2008 and ongoing, and Joys of Gravity, begun in 2024 and ongoing. Sound and video extend the artists’ research into dizziness and groundlessness. Support is central to the former series, while the latter brings rest and play into the relationship with gravity. This is a framework for looking, not a promise of a weightlessness ride or physics experiment. A still photograph also leaves room to imagine movement before and after its instant.
One official black-and-white image places a figure within a large expanse of sky, with the horizon and swimmers near the bottom. Bent knees, a raised arm and the almost empty background hold the body visually between sea and sky. The image does not provide the complete sequence of jumping and entering the water, making distance more conspicuous than the outcome. It is not a photograph of a diving facility available at the gallery.
Remove orientation and a familiar portrait becomes strange
In another photograph, a man wearing a shirt and braces is seen in an inverted relationship with grass. While deciding which way is up, we read expression, the fall of clothing and the position of arms as clues. Rather than solving a photographic trick, viewers can consider their dependence on ground, horizon and posture when recognising a stable body. The image alone does not establish the sitter’s identity or the exact method of photography.
Official artwork image: a man and grass in an inverted composition.
A horizontal black-and-white image shows two inverted, slightly blurred human forms. Water texture and a distant bright point make the space hard to locate immediately. Beside the first image’s clear figure and open sky, the bodies become almost silhouettes. These are three distinct official artwork images, not crops multiplied from one photograph or TIDEZINE’s visit documentation. Their unlabelled individual titles should not be guessed.
Official artwork image: two inverted human forms and water texture.
Check registration and last admission before entering campus
The gallery is on the first floor of the Creative Humanities Hub (CR), HSUHK, Hang Shin Link, Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories. The official registration page accepts reservations for the next 14 opening days and requires at least three working days’ notice. Present the confirmation email or a QR code when issued. Weekday hours are 10:00–19:00, with last admission at 18:00; Saturday hours are 10:00–17:00, with last admission at 16:00. Closing time is not the admission deadline.
The exhibition page still carries an upcoming label, although its stated run begins October 23. Check those dates against the registration system’s available slots. Confirm Sunday and holiday access, availability and other campus conditions with the gallery before travelling; neither daily opening nor acceptance of a registration should be assumed. After finding up and down again inside an image, returning attention to where one stands makes the exhibition’s question subtler than simply floating.
