Hong Kong homecoming for art space curator

On a hazy morning at Spring Workshop in Wong Chuk Hang, curator Christina Li is taking a break from installing "Days Push Off Into Nights", the latest exhibition at the non-profit art space.

She has been working with artists Moyra Davey, Elmgreen & Dragset, Cevdet Erek, Lee Kit, Job Koelewijn, Jewyo Rhii and Magdalen Wong to realise her vision. The title of the show, which runs until April 26, comes from the first line of an essay by poet and art critic Quinn Latimer, "My Mother, My Other: Or, Some Sort of Influence", which is featured in the book, , co-edited by Li and Singaporean artist and writer Heman Chong.

The exhibition "starts from the book, even though in the show we don't really talk about the book", says Li, who spent a year working on , which was inspired by her work with Chong on Spring Workshop's 2013 programme "A Fictional Residency", which brought together artists and writers to create a book in four days.

With , the idea was to give people the time and resources to write anything they wished - it would serve as a platform for ideas that might have been neglected in favour of more pressing projects or the busyness of life. "Initially, we wanted to launch the book with an event. I thought, why don't we make a show that makes palpable this kind of idea or ethos in a more physical way," Li says.

Li, who lives in Amsterdam, flew to Hong Kong early last month. In August, she will join Spring Workshop full-time as curator and will also take on directorial duties.

"We often hear from our partner organisations that Hong Kong needs more support for local talent," says Spring Workshop founder-director Mimi Brown. "We know Christina is a sparkling talent as we have worked with her now on three separate projects. ['Days Push Off Into Nights'] and are perfect examples of what I love about her vision: she takes a thoughtful position, remains unmoved by trends, and steadily works to draw together the body of works that best reflect that position."