About
PhD, Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU, Hong Kong
MFA (Public Art & New Artistic Strategies), Bauhaus-University Weimar, Germany
Dipl.-Ing. (Arch), Bauhaus-University Weimar, Germany
Cornelia Erdmann is a German visual artist, reseracher and curator who has been based in Hong Kong since 2006. Since mid 2023, she has relocated to Weimar, Germany, but still commutes between the cities to follow up on projects.
With her background in fine art as well as in architecture, she likes to blur the boundaries between creative disciplines, exploring modes of narrativity connecting subjective realities and objective spaces. Light is an integral medium of her research and practice.
She specialises in site-specific installations and public art works that are found in private and public collections, and at light art festivals around the globe. Above all, she enjoys to collaborate with communities to co-create public artworks that help to build and generate collective memories.
In recent years, she had works commissioned – mostly for hospitality (i.e The Peninsula Hotel (HK), InterContinental Suzhou (CN), Deacon Hotel Wuxi (CN), Studio City Macau), commercial spaces and offices (i.e. South China Morning Post Headquarters (HK), The HK Jockey Club, The Olympic (HK), Lee Flagship Store (HK), CITIC Bank (HK)), but as well as private homes – in Hong Kong, greater China, Singapore, and the UK. She has exhibited in many museums, galleries around the globe and in art festivals in Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the UK.
Her best known work is the light sculpture “The People” for the main lobby in the new Legislative Council Complex in Hong Kong.
Academic Qualifications
| 2018–2021 | Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University (HK) Fine Art PhD Supported by a fellowship by the Hong Kong Baptist University Title of PhD thesis: “On Lightscapes: Exploring the Aesthetics and Narrativities of Light and Colour in Contemporary Hong Kong” |
| 2002–2005 | Bauhaus-University Weimar (DE) Fine Art MFA “Public Art & New Artistic Strategies” (Prädikat “Sehr gut“) Title of Master thesis: “Neue Heimlichkeit vs the Insuficiencies of Urban Space” (Prof. Liz Bachhuber) |
| 1996–2002 | Bauhaus-University Weimar (DE) Architecture Dipl.-Ing. (Arch) (Prädikat “Sehr gut“) Supported by a full scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes e.V. (National German Academic Scholarship Foundation) Title of thesis: “Ein Heim für Homeless in Tokio/A Home for Homeless in Tokyo” (at the chair for Structural Design/Baukonstruktion Prof. Mike Loudon) |
| 1999–2000 | Waseda University Tokyo (JP) Architecture Department, Graduate School Architecture (one-year exchange programme at the laboratory of Prof. Osamu Ishiyama) Supported by scholarship from the Daimler-Chrysler Foundation |
Experience
| since mid 2023 | relocated to Weimar, Germany (continues to commute between HK and Weimar) Freelance artist, curator & creative director |
| 2006–2023 | lives and works in Hong Kong Studio Laiyan Projects |
| 2023 | Part-time lecturer for City Cultures at Department of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong |
| 2010–2023 | Part-time lecturer (BA and MA) for Art & Space, Public Art, Art & Public, Art & Senses and Experience Design Studio at Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU |
| 2014–2020 | Part-time lecturer for Light Art & Public Art at HK University of Science and Technology (HKUST) |
| 2008 | Founder & Creative Art Director of laiyan Projects Limited |
| 2007 | Gallery manager at the non-profit gallery 1a space (HK) |
| 2005-2006 | Freelance artist with studio Raumkunst |
| 2003-2004 | Part-time lecturer for Mediatektur at the chair for CAAD at ETH Zürich (CH) |
| 2003-2005 | Freelance artist at Designafairs GmbH, Munich (DE) |
| 2002-2005 | Part-time lecturer for various courses in the MFA course Public Art at Bauhaus-University Weimar (DE) |
| 2000 | Intern at Koike Kazuko design, Tokyo (JP) |
| 1999-2000 | Intern at Ishiyama Osamu Underground Laboratory, Tokyo (JP) |
| 1998-1999 | Freelancer (part-time) at Ideenwerkstatt (agency for public events) of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (DE) |
| 1995-1996 | Assistant teacher for German and Fine Art at Tormead School, Guildford, Surrey (UK) |