Organised by the Faculty of Arts at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and co-organised by the Department of English and the University Library, the CUHK Artist-in-Residence 2025 Public Reading on 14 November drew a full house of poetry enthusiasts for an afternoon of literary richness and artistic exchange.
Professor Collier Nogues introduced Professor Forrest Gander, CUHK Artist-in-Residence for 2025 and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Professor Gander then read from his acclaimed collections Be With (winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize), Twice Alive and his latest work Mojave Ghost, sharing poems whose reflections on life, nature and human connection resonated strongly with the audience.
Following the reading, Professor Gander was joined by guest speaker and transdisciplinary artist Ms Ashwini Bhat, together with Professor Nogues, for an engaging conversation on art-making and collaboration. They reflected on how poetry, visual art and movement can speak to one another, and how working across disciplines opens up new creative possibilities.
The discussion highlighted A Sonnet of Mudras, an exhibition presented as part of Professor Gander’s residency and created in collaboration with Ms Bhat. Drawing on their experience of working together, they spoke about the challenges and rewards of combining different artistic languages, and the ways in which trust, dialogue and experimentation shape their practice and the ways audiences encounter their work.
The dialogue continued into a lively Q&A session, with questions ranging from the musicality of poetry to the ethical use of artificial intelligence in creative practices.
Through events such as the Public Reading, the CUHK Artist-in-Residence Programme advances the University’s commitment to cultural exchange and interdisciplinary creativity, offering the University community and the wider public valuable opportunities to engage closely with international artists.
