Shortlists

Shortlists offer thematic selections from AAA’s Collection, including overviews and annotations by invited contributors. The following shortlist by curator and educator Oscar Ho focuses on the development of contemporary art in Hong Kong.

Introduction

This Shortlist is a guide to introduce the development of contemporary art in Hong Kong based on selected material from AAA’s collection. However, while AAA has built a substantial collection of over 7,000 related items, it is difficult to get an overall view of the subject by means of existing publications, since writing on the general history of Hong Kong art has been scarce. Much research still needs to be conducted in order to configure a picture of Hong Kong’s art historical development. For now, with this limitation in mind, three types of material—general reviews, exhibition catalogues, and medium-specific studies—are listed to provide a starting point to approach the subject.

Selected material with a general approach to Hong Kong art, focusing on different time periods, is grouped under "General Reviews." The book Modern Art in Hong Kong, an early attempt to write Hong Kong’s art history, traces the development from eighteenth century’s China trade painting to the early 1980s. The video recording of the talk Snapshots of Hong Kong Art History gives a brief overview of Hong Kong art with a focus on the period from the 1950s to the 1980s. Art & Place is a collection of essays by David Clarke written from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Four other titles—Hong Kong Art Review, Hong Kong Art: Culture and Decolonization, Someone Else’s Story – Our Footnotes, and Through the Transition and Over the Millennium—feature mainly the 1990s, before and after the handover from British to Chinese sovereignty. Topography (published in 2011) and Hong Kong Artists / 20 Portraits (published in 2012) attempt to map the local artistic landscape by introducing some recent key contemporary art institutions and young artists in Hong Kong respectively.

Exhibition catalogues offer another way to look at the chronological development of Hong Kong art. Catalogues about the 1970s to the 1990s were selected either because of their nature as surveys, or because of the historical significance of exhibitions. Highlights of the latter include Out of Context, a self-organised exhibition declaring the rise of a new wave of art held over a weekend at an old mansion in 1987. Another landmark exhibition that attempted to declare a new era of contemporary art is Turn of a Decade organised by Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1989. Under severe criticism, Hong Kong Museum of Art for the first time presented an exhibition of local contemporary art entitled City Vibrance in 1992. Catalogues of these exhibitions could serve as sources for understanding the dramatic transitional period from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Two other exhibitions—Contemporary Photography from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (1994) and Art & Space: From Sculpture to Installation (1996) featured specific media. The former attempted to put Hong Kong within the larger context of the development of contemporary photography in Mainland China and Taiwan. The latter, which offered the campus at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for artists to create site-specific installations, was a direct response to the growth of installation art during the 1990s. Another exhibition, entitled Hong Kong Sixties: Designing Identity (1995), reflects concerns about constructing a local self-identity. In the 2000s, the catalogues listed are chosen merely as examples to illustrate new trends of the decade rather than highlighting individual exhibitions. Several other publications focus on specific art media and they are listed under "Medium-specific Studies."

It should be emphasised that the recommended material provides only a starting point for research. Given the inadequacy of general art historical writings, users are recommended to try out other sources to get an overview of contemporary art in Hong Kong. One channel could be through material on individual artists and organisations. To begin with, users can refer to the second part of this article which is a sketch of Hong Kong contemporary art from my personal observation. Key individuals and organisations are hyperlinked to AAA’s online catalogue where users will find information on a handful of related material. For advanced users, Hong Kong Art: A Bibliographic Guide, Art in Hong Kong: A Chronological Guide to Exhibitions (1985-2001), and Hong Kong Visual Arts Yearbook are useful resources for further research which are not included in this introductory guide.

The Contemporary Art of Hong Kong: A Sketch

One may say that the New Ink Movement, which emerged in the 1960s, was the first self-consciously "modern" movement of Hong Kong art. Led by Lui Shou Kwan, this group of artists believed in the progressive development of art and the mission of "modernising" Chinese art by bringing in Western elements. It is worth mentioning that during this period there were artists such as Kam Ka Lun, Kwong Yeu Ting, Hon Chi Fun, and Gaylord Chan, who were already involved with abstract painting which was stylistically close to the abstraction and pop art of the West.

When this movement was replaced by a new generation of Hong Kong artists in the late 1970s, the "contemporary art" of Hong Kong emerged. Artists like Choi Yan Chi, Kwok Mang Ho and photographer Leong Ka Tai were active members of this new development, whose work is in line with global art languages and new art forms (such as installation and action art) of their time. They represent the locally born "baby boom generation" of the 1950s who have little identification with China, and are strongly influenced by Western culture.

It was in the 1980s when the contemporary art scene took on a solid form, with the return of a team of "post-50s" artists from the West, including Antonio Mak, Yank Wong, Wong Wo Bik, and Josh Hon. Because of the difference in their backgrounds, their artistic styles were dramatically diversified. Without any Chinese "baggage," these artists were more willing to embrace the artistic language of Western art and its experimental approaches.

It is important to note that the development of contemporary art during this period is a multi-faceted one. There are also artists such as Luis Chan who moved into a distinctive path of surrealist landscape; Chu Hing Wah who developed a distinctive form of ink painting; Wong Cheung who practiced Photo-realism; Ricky Yeung, a self-taught artist whose raw and expressive treatment of sex and violence was unique within the local art scene; and Ellen Pau, a co-founder of Videotage (which began in 1986) and an important figure in nurturing the development of video art in Hong Kong. By the late 1980s, artists who emigrated from the Mainland, such as Yeung Tong Lung, Wang Hai, and Wong Shun Kit, were making significant contributions to the art scene.

Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were several significant exhibitions which marked the rise of contemporary art in Hong Kong. They have been mentioned in the first part of this article.

In the 1990s, another generation of artists emerged. Most of them were locally trained. Some of them furthered their studies overseas, such as Fiona Wong, Ho Siu Kee, Chan Yuk Keung, Warren Leung, Kith Tsang, and other younger artists such as Leung Po Shan, Phoebe Man, and So Yan Kei.

At a time when Hong Kong people suffered from the anxiety of unification with China as well as the post-1989 trauma, political references and the quest for a Hong Kong identity were common topics in the arts. Capturing the political and psychological turbulence of the transitional period, the development of photography was particularly outstanding. Examples of active photographers during this period are Vincent Yu, Ken Wong, and Almond Chu.

The 1990s was an unusually energetic period in both art making and art criticism. Apart from photography, another prominent development was the growth of installation art which replaced sculpture as the most noticeable form of three-dimensional expression. Independent art spaces also emerged after the mid-1990s, including Para/Site Art Space, 1a space, and the Artist Commune. Once situated at Oil Street artist village, 1a space and Artist Commune later moved to Cattle Depot.

Since 1997, the economic downfall, SARs, the rise of China, the ambiguity over identity, as well as social/political discontent have created a state of limbo and frustration. The contemporary art scene remains diversified with a growing concern about culturally negotiating with China. New, young artists such as Hung Keung, Wen Yau, and Wong Chung Yu continue to add to the dialogue.

Public platforms for contemporary art remain scarce. Grotto Fine Art is devoted to the display of local art, while certain other spaces such as Osage Gallery occasionally present local contemporary art. The economic downfall after 1997 brought down rental costs and enabled artist villages to emerge, first in Fo Tan, and later in Kwun Tong and Chai Wan. Strongly affected by the real estate market, the futures of these artist villages remain unstable.

With an increasing global interest in Asian art, some Hong Kong artists such as Tozer Pak, Wilson Shieh, Chow Chun Fai, and Tsang Kin Wah are getting international recognition, while others such as Luke Ching, Simon Go, Wen Yau, and Jaspar Lau join forces with the local community and engage in social art actions. The demolishment of the Star Ferry Pier in 2006 intensified such movements. Art and social activist groups such as Video Activist, Community Museum, SOCO, CCCD, HULU, and Wooferten attract artists to engage in art projects at a grass-roots level.

While some young artists utilise their art for political causes, there are a substantial number of artists working quietly along their own paths. Without a strong market interest, Hong Kong contemporary art remains distinctive for not having been dictated by the art market, and for the time being, it retains its freedom to be vocally political. It suffers, however, from a lack of direction and self-identity, and worst of all, a lack of infrastructural support.

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Shortlist | Hong Kong

Introduction

The Contemporary Art of Hong Kong: A Sketch

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