Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Bamboo artist Inkgo Lam, who apprenticed under Hong Kong bamboo steamer master Lui Ming, is known for blending traditional bamboo craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics.
Ms Lam is one of the 19 artists taking part in the Hong Kong Museum of Art’s newly launched “Live: Hong Kong Art Exhibition”.
She is presenting two bamboo carvings, Arrow (1) and Arrow (2). Using an arrow and a target as a metaphor for how people pursue goals, the works convey two contrasting states – balance and explosion.
Meanwhile, kinetic installation artist Joseph Chan brings audiences a distinctive carousel making its public debut. Titled Pride of Labour, the fully mechanical work is assembled from machine parts. But there is something different about the three horses – upon closer inspection they are seen to walk on human legs.
Mr Chan encourages visitors to look closely at their gait, thereby sparking curiosity and a spirit of exploration.
Staged to mark Art March, the “Live: Hong Kong Art Exhibition” brings together 19 established and emerging local artists. Spanning a range of media, including installation, ceramics, painting and more – it offers audiences a visual feast.
Vibrant convergence
Hong Kong Museum of Art Curator (Modern & Hong Kong Art) Prudence Ma said Art March is the artists’ moment in the spotlight, allowing them to showcase their works and engage directly with international curators, critics and collectors from around the globe.
She noted that during Art March, Hong Kong will host numerous arts and cultural events, including international commercial art fairs as well as the Hong Kong Museum of Art’s “Live: Hong Kong Art Exhibition”.
“This dynamic interplay of international art and Hong Kong art has fully demonstrated the value of Hong Kong.”
Fellow artists were also full of praise for how Art March has benefited them in practical ways.
Ms Lam revealed that artists that participate in the exhibition receive an artist’s fee, and that she had actually sold works to private collectors at other art fairs in the past. She believes that it is a win-win for artists when commercial fairs and museum exhibitions run in parallel.
Mr Chan also agreed that Art March serves as a valuable opportunity for artists to reach curators and potential buyers more easily, adding that he welcomes the opportunity for more people to come view his kinetic installation works.
Creative community
The artistic vibe is also alive at Oi! in North Point, the former clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Every Art March, Oi! presents its “Oi! Spotlight” series. Oi! Curator Joan Chung said the venue’s two new exhibitions this year both take water as their point of entry, echoing the historic building’s locationby the waterfront.
One of them, local artist Chan Wai-lap’s “Jeremy’s Bathhouse”, is set in Oi!’s glass house.
The artist explained that the work draws inspiration from a rare species of snail whose shell coils to the left – a one in 40,000 phenomenon – discovered in the UK. The snail called Jeremy is seeking a similar lefty companion or friends.
Mr Chan combined the story with the site’s features to create a colourful bathhouse. Visitors must change into slippers at the entrance before entering the pool area. Each locker compartment holds only one slipper, requiring visitors to match the left and right themselves – a detail that makes the experience all the more special.
Beyond Oi!, he is also presenting his work at other fairs during Art March, including the aforementioned “Live: Hong Kong Art Exhibition.”
Mr Chan highlighted that there is more buzz around the art world in the wider community during Art March.
“People have suddenly become highly enthusiastic about art, which I see as positive, as artists get the chance to present their work and the public gets to admire more as well. Everyone really enjoys this month.”
Another exhibition, “Oi! Spotlight – Space · Ecology · Poetics: Zheng Jing’s Way of Art”, is Chinese Mainland artist Zheng Jing’s first solo show in Hong Kong.
Using water, sound and light, the works interact with the space itself.
Mr Zheng recalled the memories he formed of Hong Kong during his childhood through watching its films and television shows, so when he first visited the city two years ago, it felt already familiar to him.
In one piece, Mr Zheng gathered a range of Hong Kong’s urban sounds, from the trams’ signature “ding-ding” to the tune of the local ice-cream truck, and presented them as a soundscape in the space, alongside imagery of Victoria Harbour. Visitors are able to manipulate light from a mirrored installation, tracing through the waves so they feel as if they are beneath the waters of the harbour.
The artist added that his understanding of Art March has deepened while preparing for the exhibition.
“Art exhibitions held across Hong Kong throughout March are perhaps more than a festival. They are artists and creators exchanging and presenting work together, revealing a distinctive side of the city.”
Curator Ms Chung supplemented that Art March has become a cultural brand for Hong Kong, promoting collaboration among artists and curators and raising the sector’s professional standards.
She pointed out that by building an international platform and gathering artists from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas, Art March plays a crucial role in reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.