Hong Kong - Harbour Arts

"When people begin to engage with art and participate in it, art will change their lives."

Michael Craig-Martin

Text/Photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang | Dates: February 23 – April 11 | Location: Central Waterfront

Preface: In early March, I attended a special lecture at Hong Kong Baptist University and visited two typical art exhibitions—"Harbour Arts Sculpture Park" and "Samson Young’s Songs for Disaster Relief World Tour." I was surprised! I also happened to witness an unconventional outdoor performance art exhibition taking place at the Wong Tai Sin Triangle Beach Small Park. The organizers had asked if I should wait until the end of March for the Art Basel Hong Kong fair. While the fair is indeed bustling and lively, I prefer to face art quietly whenever possible.

Hong Kong is Asia’s most internationalized financial hub under globalization. It is dense with skyscrapers and concrete walls, crowded with traffic and people. Within just a few steps, one encounters world-class luxury boutiques, pharmacies, and jewelry stores. It is arguably the global city with the highest concentration of such establishments—a paradise for shopping and gourmet food. This commercial prosperity and flowing capital can feel suffocating, echoing artist Jenny Holzer’s sentiment regarding Hong Kong: "Money creates taste." During my visit, coinciding with the by-election campaigns following the disqualification of three young Umbrella Revolution activists, campaign slogans were everywhere. Yet, at Harbour Arts, I found Jenny Holzer’s work capturing the current living situation in Hong Kong: "Freedom is a luxury, not a necessity." One can imagine the context.

Harbour Arts: Harbour Arts is Hong Kong’s first outdoor international sculpture exhibition modeled after Japan’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. It is a remarkable artistic endeavor intended to showcase Hong Kong’s international vision for art and humanities. The location was chosen on the leisure space of the green waterfront promenade in the scenic Western District of Hong Kong Island, using the charming panoramic view of Victoria Harbour as an extraordinary backdrop. Hosted by the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the exhibition was co-curated by renowned international curators Fumio Nanjo, Director of the Mori Art Museum in Japan, and Tim Marlow, Artistic Director of the Royal College of Art in the UK. Nineteen artists from around the globe and local Hong Kong artists participated: six British artists—Antony Gormley, Rasheed Araeen, Michael Craig-Martin, Tracey Emin, Conrad Shawcross, and Mark Wallinger; American artists Jenny Holzer, Hank Willis Thomas, and Tony Oursler; Chinese artists Xu Bing and Zheng Guogu; famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama; South Korean artist Kim Hong-suk; Mexican artist Bosco Sodi; and five local Hong Kong artists recommended by the organizers: Zeng Minfu, Ho Koon Ting, Wang Zhiyong, Wong Kwok Choi, and Wong Wing Fat. Over twenty works were exhibited.

Harbour Arts - Exhibition Scenes: The Harbour Arts International Sculpture Exhibition combines masters and emerging artists from East and West. The artworks are displayed from the City Hall to the Central Waterfront Promenade, then extending to Admiralty Tamar Park and Wan Chai. The overall works are light, subtle, elegant, and poetic, leaning towards formal aesthetic experiences. They encompass diverse forms—figurative, abstract, geometric, and conceptual—with both natural and humanistic imagery present. Under the world’s most beautiful skyline, they initiate a dialogue with the metropolis amidst narrative, literary, and philosophical dimensions. The most eye-catching piece is Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Big Pumpkin (2008). Surrounding it are four white marble benches from the Common Sense series (2013) by American artist Jenny Holzer, which drew significant attention. Inscribed in Chinese are the phrases: "Money creates taste," "Freedom is a luxury, not a necessity," "Loneliness enriches," and "Do not trust experts too much." The choice of these four sentences by the artist here is not without purpose, inviting viewers to ponder their meanings deeply.

Chinese artist Xu Bing’s innovative silver Rock No. 45 (2014) deconstructs the vertical and horizontal elements of the metropolis. Mexican artist Bosco Sodi’s Untitled (2017), featuring three blocks of corroded stone transformed into something magical, carries a strong Eastern Zen spirit, constructed between nature and humanity. Not far away, children would surely enjoy the pile of black plastic bags forming Bear Back (2012), full of humor—a masterpiece by South Korean artist Kim Hong-suk. Next to it is Hong Kong artist Zeng Minfu’s metaphorical Before Collapse (2018), depicting two broken thick legs wearing slippers, perhaps alluding to the current plight of humanity?

British artists’ contributions in this exhibition were relatively subtle and conservative. Antony Gormley, who has always explored the human figure as a theme, presented Staring VI (2016), a composition of cubic blocks forming a human figure. Perhaps "staring" is a good form of relaxation in Hong Kong. Mark Wallinger displayed a White Horse (2013) on the green lawn—a perfect steed. Could this be a byproduct sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club? Rasheed Araeen’s Hong Kong Blue (2018) features deep blue mathematical geometric lines arranged in a cross shape, poetically dialoguing with Hong Kong’s most beautiful waterfront skyline. Michael Craig-Martin planted a large magenta linear structural fork, Magenta Fork (2017), on the lawn, creating a landscape scene with the distant Ferris wheel. Tracey Emin’s depiction of daily life, No Time Without You (2017), shows four small birds perched on square columns, implying a sense of waiting. In front of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hank Willis Thomas displayed two alternative sculptures, Thomas Nest and Ruth and The Fact Is I Love You (2015). The former is a bench simulating a chat bubble from communication software (where people can sit), while the latter presents a tree structure with several white leaves inscribed with black Chinese and English sentences, full of literary quality.

April 2018, Paris