This article examines the local art world in Hong Kong as a sounding board to look at the state of art criticism. Drawing from Howard Becker’s sociological notion, the art world can be considered as a socio-economic network that defines, negotiates, and appropriates discourses of art. Art critics would be one of the agents mediating between producing and consuming art, and promoting a dynamic process of meaning-making that resonates with the wider public. By no means does the view reinstate the importance of art criticism, rather, it aims to examine some of the less than palatable forms of art writing in the local context. This article may draw criticism that Becker’s theory only addresses the “sociology of occupation applied to artistic work”, but gives little attention on the artwork per se or the internal logic of contemporary aesthetics (Becker 2008: xi). However, it is justified that Becker’s sociological notion broadens the scope of studying art not just as an event or object, but a meaning making system that operates within the profession and resonates in society. It is instrumental in considering the state of art criticism – a meaning-making process that works alongside with other art producers to reflect upon at the arts mean to society. In particular, this article argues that the paucity of local art criticism lies in the inability of local art infrastructures and this cultivates a popularist perception of art – one that is posh, individualistic and sentimental.

In the history of modern Chinese painting, Deng Fen (1894-1964), a painter from Guangdong, is no doubt a prodigy that stood out in the art world. Not only was he accomplished in both calligraphy and painting, but he also excelled in poetry, verses and Cantonese opera, even mastering the art of kernel carving. Such an exquisitely multi-talented artist like Den Fen was unquestionably a rarity in the Chinese art world of the modern era. Travelling around Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau in his early days, Deng was very active in both the art and opera circles, contributing significantly to the promotion of traditional Chinese painting and Cantonese opera. As a much unbridled and ebullient liberal, he has also left behind quite a number of intriguing and fascinating tales. Settling in Hong Kong at last, Deng unexpectedly passed away on a dark and stormy night in 1964. In this sense, he was also considered a Hong Kong painter and his remarkable achievement in calligraphy, Cantonese opera, poetry and literature should be further recognized.

In the past twenty years, the discourse on artist-run spaces or alternative art spaces in Hong Kong since the 1990s has been focusing on their origins. Nonetheless, because of various factors, there have been changes to the way in which these art spaces operate. As for commercial art activities, apart from the fact that many foreign-owned and local galleries have been open for business, ART HK was held in Hong Kong in 2008. Parties that are supposedly irrelevant to the arts of Hong Kong, such as foreign galleries, have altogether become stakeholders of the local art scene. On the other hand, non-profit or artist-run spaces that are neither selling commercial art nor relying on government funds have been emerging in the recent five years, gradually creating a new force in the construction of art and cultural space in Hong Kong. From a broader and general point of view, this essay attempts to illustrate some of the major artist-run and nonprofit art spaces newly set up during the recent five years and explore the differences between the recent mushrooming and its initial occurrence in the 1990s. The comparison will serve as the departure point for an analysis of the roles and positions of small-scale art spaces in the current art ecology.

Universities in Hong Kong have long attracted scholars from around the world to live and work in the city. Professor Wan Qingli (1945-2017), a distinguished art historian and artist, was one such figure. Born and trained in Beijing with further studies in the United States, he came to work in Hong Kong from 1989 and stayed there until his retirement in 2011. He was a professor at the Department of Fine Arts, The University of Hong Kong, and from 2006 the founding Director and Chair Professor in Visual Arts at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University. As an art historian, Professor Wan is best known for his work on Chinese painting of the 19th and 20th centuries – areas of study that were still relatively new when he started his research career. His identity as a painter and his personal connections and friendship with major artists, such as Li Keran (19071989), Lu Yanshao (1909-1993) and Wu Zuoren (1908-1997), gave him unique, first-hand insight and understanding of the development of modern Chinese painting. As a painter, he studied and practiced in the brush-and-ink tradition, based of which he developed his own style that was at times witty and satirical. His life experiences, artistic practice and scholarship led Wan to develop strong and clearly articulated views concerning the history of Chinese painting and its future.

There have been numerous inspiring teachers and talented graduates at the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, since its establishment sixty years ago. The limited space available here means it is not possible to discuss every one of them. This article talks about the remarkable artists, including Liu Siu-jane, Ho Siu-kee, Shieh Ka-ho and Koon Wai-bong, who graduated from the Department, advanced their independent careers by opening up a fresh horizon of art, and received awards at the Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition (renamed as the Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition and then Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards), the first platform provided by the Hong Kong Museum of Art to present official prizes to emerging artists. This article also describes how those artists were drawn to the Department’s teachers, how the students and teachers helped each other improve during the teaching process, and how the artists drew inspiration and developed what they had learned to create their own style. By discussing the relationship the artists have with the Department, the article affords a glimpse of the contributions the Department made towards nurturing art professionals.

The subject of artistic labor in Hong Kong has been receiving much attention from a good many arts practitioners and scholars in recent years. On the one hand, academic research on the conditions of cultural and creative labor is becoming more established; on the other hand, a lot of art practitioners begin to consciously publicize their individual labor experiences and even take further actions to develop a sense of collectiveness amongst themselves so as to look straight into the issue of artistic labor. Whilst the three basic labor rights, namely the rights to unionize, to bargain and to dispute, are embodied in the formation of collectiveness, organizing trade unions is precisely one way to achieve this end. In 2016, a group of local artists gathered to propose and prepare for the founding of “Hong Kong Artist Union,” which provided us with the opportunity to reflect on the actual working conditions and identities of local artists. Originating in Britain during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, trade unions were considered illegal then and it was not until the mid-19th century that they started to gain legal status in different parts of the world. Now, back in Hong Kong in 2016, “Hong Kong Artist Union” was founded via the online advocacy of a group of artists. Having spread across different times, races and professions, the history of trade unions no doubt demonstrates the complexity of the development of the political economy of labor, and proves that as times goes on and the form of labor evolves, the ideas and tactics revolving around the fight for labor rights also keep on changing. Through tracing the establishment of “Hong Kong Artist Union” and drawing on the subsequent discussions, this essay will examine a few issues in relation to artistic labor, Such as namely the individual enterprise model for artistic laborers, the individuality and collectivity of artistic labor, and the connection amongst laborers in artistic work.

A number of alternative art spaces emerged in Hong Kong since 2015. “Things that can happen” was one among the many. This essay traces the origin of “Things” and delineates what had happened during the two years when “Things” was in operation, including its art residency projects, its relationship with the neighborhood as well as its operational experience. Issues like community and art, urban renewal, gentrification, utilization of space, allocation of resources, understanding of time and labor, art production, etc. are reflected and discussed.

More discussions on museums would seem to promote a better understanding of what cultural institutions mean to society, and encourage meaningful interactions between communities and the profession, while considering what type of museums are needed in the city. In this essay, two museum projects (the “A History of the World in 100 Objects” project by the British Museum and the International Slavery Museum of the National Museums Liverpool) are introduced to consider how museums produce knowledge and engage the community with culture, for the purpose of improving the quality of living. The case studies do not propose what museums should do and how they should do it. Instead, the aim is to open up new possibilities for how the institutions can respond to contemporary social needs. How do museums respond to social change and rework their interpretation of communicating for a wider audience? Museological researchers hold that museums are an intellectual platform serving to engage communities to share ideas, negotiate differences, and create values and meanings for art and culture. In magnifying the potentials of cultural activities, museums in Hong Kong should re-examine the relationship between the institutions and local communities. How can cultural institutions connect with a wide range of communities? How can such institutions discuss local issues to address community interests and concerns? How can they improve peoples’ life experiences through art and culture? If these questions remain unanswered, the discussion about local museum development would be limited to little more than practical operating models, outcome-based evaluations, and professional guidelines. What is lacking is not how institutional routines should be executed, but how the notion of museums can be contextualized in relation to local cultural needs. Ultimately, we need to consider the purpose of museums and how this cultural mechanism can promote critical public discussions about our cultures.

This paper will begin to address some of the assumptions that have surfaced through unpacking how the ecology feeds, thrives and sustains the distinct layers of the environment available to the audience. In Hong Kong, market dominance has been the catalyst for the growing ecology of visual arts, generating public engagement and sparking interest, facilitating the early exchanges of capital culture and habitus through general interest, public awareness of fine arts and, crucially, increased audience. This is a unique and prestigious environment in which the visual art ecology has had the opportunity to grow, from the public viewing of Salvator Mundi to a shopping mall full of Monet’s. Access to international aesthetic markers across the region is being driven from the distinct parent of commercial marketplace. Art Basel has upped the ante further, with queues of people waiting for tickets. The dominance of private and secondary markets facilitate a unique developing audience and market environment embedded in a vibrant and active trans-global relationship with visual arts. This un-paralleled foundation provides Hong Kong with an acute awareness of contemporary art, the economics of that art and the beginnings of intellectual interactions with artworks and art spaces, in anticipation of meaning-making about visual arts. Hong Kong’s next challenge will be how to use and enrich this foundation, to make bridges to the public sector museums. We are though, in an age of art, the money from the art market has breathed life into the creative industries, giving audience unrivalled opportunity and this consumption has led directly to the production of art.

On December 22, 2016, then Chief Secretary for Administration, Carrie Lam, told the press at the Hong Kong International Airport before her trip to Beijing that “there will be a collaborative cultural project between Hong Kong SAR Government and Palace Museum, Beijing.” Then, on the following day, she announced in Beijing that “Hong Kong Palace Museum” (HKPM) would be built in West Kowloon Cultural District. It will be operated and managed by West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA/Authority). HKPM will display artifacts from the imperial collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Design, construction and exhibition planning expenses will be supported by a donation of HK$3.5 billion from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
The majority of Hong Kong people only learnt about HKPM project as it was announced. In the society there was mixed opinions on the fact that the collaboration decision had been made in the absence of public consultation. Controversy was thus stirred up in the Legislative Council, the political circle, among arts practitioners, and the public.
On June 29, 2017, a Collaborative Agreement was signed by the WKCDA and the Palace Museum, Beijing on the development of the HKPM,3 scheduled to complete in 2022.