Ecologies of Artistic Practice: Book Talk with Ashley Wong
Thursday, July 23, 2026 | 6:30–8PM
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Join us for a discussion about how we make and circulate art today, hosted by Ashley Lee Wong and Miriam Arbus.
In Ecologies of Artistic Practice: Rethinking Cultural Economies Through Art and Technology (The MIT Press), Ashley Lee Wong explores the economic relationships of artists working at the nexus of art and technology as they negotiate a means to make art in a neoliberal creative economy. Wong looks at the diverse ways in which artworks circulate, both online and offline, in galleries, on digital platforms, and on media facades, and investigates some of the mechanisms that enable artists to create works, including selling artworks and NFTs, grants, licensing, commissions, and artist residencies. The book also looks at the ways in which artists collaborate with corporations and develop practices as commercial entities themselves.
The book provides unique insights into the diverse creative and economic processes that shape the meaning and value of artworks. Wong seeks to shift away from notions of individual authorship and finite artworks that can be bought and sold, and instead toward an understanding of artistic practices as collaborative, social, and cultural processes. Rather than critique this economy, Ecologies of Artistic Practice opens space for engaging in hypercommercialized contexts, while considering how money is not an end goal, but a means to initiate or continue an artistic process.
This event is supported by MA Cultural Management programme, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
About the Author
Ashley Lee Wong, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies and Associate Director of the MA Cultural Management programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of MetaObjects, a studio that facilitates digital projects with artists and cultural institutions. She is managing editor of Technophany, Journal for Philosophy and Technology. She is the author of the monograph, Ecologies of Artistic Practice: Rethinking Cultural Economies through Art and Technology (The MIT Press, 2025).
About the Speaker
Miriam Arbus (Sky Fine Foods) has an ongoing, developing practice interested in issues that intersect around new medias and digital technologies, post internet and post digital existences, and new feminisms. She investigates the shifting geographies of new realities and landscapes and the potentials this offers for openness and equalising representation. Her practice has taken form most frequently in curatorial pursuits: organising conceptually-driven exhibitions and participatory experiences that are responsive and relational.
Accessibility Information: We are located on the second floor of the building, which is accessible by two flights of stairs or an elevator. The front entrance has an automatic push door and is accessible by ramp or a short flight of stairs. Inside, all InterAccess facilities are on the same level, including a single-user accessible washroom.
Questions? If you have any questions about the event or require additional support, please contact us at education@interaccess.org.