Logo Goethe-Institut

Hong Kong

Listening to the Lost Organ: Tuning to the Present

ZEITGEIST Hong Kong series|Solo Exhibition by PONG Pak Kan (aka Chet Bleed)

  • Goethe-Gallery & Black Box Studio, Hong Kong

  • English
  • Free admission. Registration required

A VIP Programme of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026

Exhibition opens on March 20, 2026 (Fri) at 6:30 PM in the presence of the artist.

Opening hours of the Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio:
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Mon - Fri)
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (Sat)
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

The exhibition "Listening to the Lost Organ" finds its inspiration in the auricular muscles, an auditory mechanism once used to adjust and orient toward sound that has now largely become vestigial. The work explores how humans are gradually forgetting their innate organic capacities as technology reshapes the structures of perception. This physical structure, which still exists but is rarely consciously felt, serves as an entry point for rethinking perception and bodily function.

Through a series of rotating speakers, the exhibition constructs a dynamic sound field where the direction of sound is constantly shifting. This prompts the audience to adjust their posture and focus. Listening is no longer a passive act of reception. Instead, it becomes a physical response to the movement of sound within the space, allowing the audience to re-experience orientation as a collaborative process between the body and the speakers. The direction of sound is no longer determined by the organ alone. It is generated between the space, the installation, and the body, presenting perception as a fluid and ever-changing state.

Accompanying programmes:

Artist-led guided tour
March 20, 2026 (Fri), 7:00 PM
Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio
Conducted in English. Free admission.

Performance
March 28, 2026 (Sat), 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Goethe-Institut Hongkong

Pak Kan Pong

Artist

Pong Pak Kan aka Chet Bleed, is an artist, composer, and performer who explores the poetic and physical dimensions of sound through performances and installations. His sonic practice is rooted in experimental and electronic music and is driven by a deep curiosity about the essence and malleability of sound. Pong treats sound as both material and metaphor, weaving it into immersive, interdisciplinary experiences that incorporate kinetic and electroacoustic instruments, media art, and storytelling. His work often investigates the spatial and temporal properties of sound, using custom-built tools and interactive technologies to blur boundaries between performer, space, and audience.

Pong began his formal training in composition at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, studying under Clarence Mak and Steve Hui (aka Nerve). Since 2022, he has participated in a number of prestigious international composition academies, working with leading figures such as Philippe Leroux, Sarah Nemtsov, Lisa Streich, Isabel Mundry, Hanna Hartman, Wim Henderickx, and Jorrit Tamminga. These include programs such as Festival Mixtur, the CEME Composers' Mastercourse, SoundMine 2022, the International Composition Masterclass with mdi ensemble, and IRCAM ManiFeste.

His compositions have been performed by renowned ensembles such as mdi ensemble (IT), Ensemble LUX:NM (DE), Meitar Ensemble (IL), New Morse Code (US), and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble (HK), at festivals including Festival Mixtur (ES), CEME Festival (IL), and the International Composition Masterclass (IT). His electronic works have been featured internationally at NYCEMF 2023 and the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) 2023. His installations and performances have appeared at Freespace, RTHK Radio 4, PMQ, Osage Gallery, EJAR, Taichung City Tun District Art Center, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Pong is a recipient of numerous awards, including second runner-up in New Generation 2022, Toolbox Percussion International Composition Competition 2021, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival 2022 Arts X Tech Creative Competition. He has been supported by the Lions Music Foundation Scholarship (2021 & 2022), Parsons Outstanding Composition Student Award, the CASH Composition Scholarship, the Doming Lam Memorial Scholarship, and the Catherine S Y Chan Creative Project Fund. He is also a grantee of the HKADC 2024/25 Young Arts Tech Talents Residency Scheme.