Hong Kong poised for its next artistic renaissance
- The pandemic shutdown practically pulled the city off the global arts map, but a series of coming events will help re-establish its position
Hong Kong is making a strong comeback in the arts world as museums and exhibitions return to post-Covid normalcy.
Capitalising on the drive to be “back-on-stage” again, the city is to showcase a series of exciting events which, hopefully, can help re-establish itself on the arts map that has been burgeoning with attractions from other global players.
In a boost to the city’s East-meet-West cultural tradition, dozens of masterpieces from Britain’s National Gallery are now on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Featuring big names such as Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh, the exhibition is the last stop of the institution’s Asian tour.
Earlier, the Shanghai show pulled in more than 420,000 visitors in 15 weeks, making it the most popular ticketed event in the gallery’s history. The art and cultural exchange that transcends political tensions is to be welcomed.
Previous exhibitions featuring works from Paris’ Louvre Museum and other top Western galleries have proved to be hugely popular among local audiences.
What sets the latest one apart is that it offers visitors a rare opportunity to see Chinese national treasures along with Renaissance and post-Impressionist works under one roof.
The Palace Museum’s ongoing display of archaeological discoveries from Sanxingdui in Sichuan province has been drawing big crowds.
The calendar extends to late March with the staging of Art Basel. With no fewer than 242 exhibitors from 40 countries and territories, nearly 40 per cent more than this year’s numbers, it is set to be the biggest art fair since the pandemic.
Despite the prevailing uncertainties over the economy and investment, a joint report by Art Basel showed the event had helped fuel a 59 per cent jump in Hong Kong art exports during the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2022.
The outlook remains cautiously optimistic.
The city had undergone an art renaissance over the past decades until recent years when the pandemic shutdown practically pulled it off the map.
It is good to see that it is slowly catching up with other players who have been promoting themselves just as eagerly across a thriving global landscape. But a lot more needs to be done to make Hong Kong a leading arts hub.
