Invitation cards served as a primary medium for communication and promotion when Para Site opened in the late ‘90s. With the aim of offering a historical snapshot of exhibitions and events that took place during the early years of the organisation, all of the invitation cards in Para Site’s archive from 1996 to 2001 will be on display. This exhibition, on the one hand, acts as a portal to revisit the art scene at the time including: collaborating artists, programmes that took place, and institutions that Para Site collaborated with both locally and internationally. On the other hand, it showcases the design preferences and styles that were adopted across these media in the late ‘90s, emphasising the use of material, colour, typography, and composition, as fundamental considerations in the design of these invitation cards.This exhibition is the first in a series of public programmes, presenting and engaging with Para Site’s archival materials.

The exhibition is curated by Fanny Chan and Jenny Tam.

Para Site’s Archive Project aims to provide a digital platform and physical collection of its archival materials for the public, to be accessible to artists, curators, and researchers. Materials include exhibition catalogues, photos, slides, press materials, VHS, and cassettes tapes. The Archive Project consists of several ongoing actions: restructuring and digitising original materials; producing new interviews with artists, critics, curators, former staff and collaborators; editing and uploading online.

The Archive Project is financially supported by the Project Grant of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. The Hong Kong Arts Development Council fully supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.