Abstract
This chapter demonstrates the ways that the official museum of art in Hong Kong realizes its strategies and influences of identity formation by utilizing its resources and representative position in both the colonial and post-colonial spaces. It argues that there are ever changing “internal” battles of cultural identities, and the official museum has been playing a significant role in some of the cultural and political antagonisms involved.
This chapter was originally published in Hockings (2011).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
See the mission statement of the Museum at its existing webpage.
- 2.
Examples are “National Treasures—Gems of China’s Cultural Relics” in 1997, and “The Pride of China: Masterpieces of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy of the Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties from the Palace Museum” in 2007, etc.
- 3.
Examples are “Masterpieces—The Origins of Modern Art in France,” “Nice Movements,” the two blockbusters “Impressionism: Treasures from the National Collection of France” jointly organized with the Musee d'Orsay and “Artists and Their Models—Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris” were also popular among Hong Kong audiences.
- 4.
Other collaborators include the Consulate Generals of Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Italy, Portugal, and Japan, etc.
- 5.
Examples are “Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties,” “Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the Collection of T.Y. Chao Family Foundation,” “Chinese Bamboo Carving,” “Chinese Jade Carving,” “Chinese Porcelain from the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection,” etc., and work with Min Chiu Society in organizing thematic exhibitions every five years since 1980, and the recent “Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth” series with long-term loans of exhibits from private collections.
- 6.
Notable examples prior to the opening of the new museum premises include exhibitions such as “Gems of Chinese Art from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Avery Brundage” in 1983, and the “Ancient Chinese Bronzes” jointly organized with the Shanghai Museum in 1983. Significant exhibitions from Mainland museums have included the “Warring States Treasures: Cultural Relics from the State of Zhongshan, Hebei Province,” “Origins of Chinese Civilization - Cultural Relics from Henan Province,” “Selection from the Guoyun Lou Collection of the Shanghai Museum” and “Buddhist Sculptures - New Discoveries from Qingzhou, Shandong Province,” etc.
- 7.
According to Hong Kong Artists (vol.1), the last art exhibition prior to World War II was “Exhibition of Western Paintings” held at a library in the Hong Kong University. Cf. Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Artists (Hong Kong: The Urban Council of Hong Kong, volume 1, 1995: 13).
- 8.
It should be noted that after the demolition of the old City Hall, Hong Kong had no public cultural facilities or buildings. This situation persisted from 1947 to 1962. It was not until the 1950s that plans were drawn for the construction of a new City Hall that would house cultural and artistic exhibitions for the people of Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Museum of Art 2008, p. 74).
- 9.
It was reported that past displays have been held for deceased and those senior artists who are still active including Feng Kanghou, Jian Jinlun, Lui Shou-kwan, Liu Guosong, Hon Chi-fun, Wucius Wong, Van Lau, Cheung Yee, Sun Xingge, Lin Jentong, Lau Ping-hang, Chao Shao-an, Yang Shen-sum, Fang Zhaolin, He Qiyuan and others.
- 10.
Examples of themes are “City Vibrance,” “Ink Paintings by Hong Kong artists,” “Hong Kong Visual Arts: Vibrant City,” “Hong Kong Cityscapes—Ink Painting in Transition,” “Chinglish,” and “Made in Hong Kong.”
- 11.
This is an internal decision which was not announced till a report in 1993. Cf Chen (2008), p. 85).
- 12.
As reported by Tang (2008, p. 99). It has included “Digit@logue,” (Guest Curator: Ellen Pao), “New Ink Art - Innovation and Beyond” (Guest Curator : Ms. Alice King), “Looking for Antonio Mak” (Guest Curator : Valerie C. Doran) and “Charming Experience” (Guest Curator : Grace Cheng).
References
Bakhtin, M. 1981. The Dialogic Imagination. Trans. C. Emerson, and M. Holquist. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Bhabha, H. 1995. Cultural diversity and cultural differences. In The post-colonial studies reader, ed. B. Ashcroft, G. Griffiths, and H. Tiffin, 206–209. London: Routledge.
Brinson, Peter. 1990. Dance and the arts in Hong Kong—a consultancy report. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Carrier, D. 2006. Museum skepticism: A history of the display of art in public galleries. Durham: Duke University Press.
Chen, W. 2008. Hong Kong cultural policies, vol. 1. Hong Kong: Hua Chien Hsu Publications.
Chiu, Simon. 2008. Five Partial Recollections of Hong Kong Museum of Art 1989–1993. In Hong Kong art: Open dialogue: Exhibition series 2008-09, a launching publication. ed. Hong Kong Museum of Art, 60–66. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Chu, Christina. 2008. Scattered memories: a museum story. In Hong Kong art: Open dialogue: Exhibition series 2008-09, a launching publication. ed. Hong Kong Museum of Art, 40-55. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Clarke, D. 1995. Hong Kongness: Chineseness and modernity: Issues of identity in Hong Kong art. Hong Kong Cultural Studies Bulletin Issue 4(Winter): 82–84.
Clarke, D. 1996. Art & place: Essays on art from a Hong Kong perspective. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Featherstone, M. 1996. Localism, globalism, and cultural identity. In Cultural Reproduction and the Transnational Imaginary, eds. Wilson Rob and Dissanayake, W., 54–55. Durham: Duke University Press.
Hockings, Paul, ed. 2011. Visual anthropology, 90–105. Routledge: Taylor & Francis.
Hong Kong Museum of Art. 1995. Hong Kong artists, vol. 1. Hong Kong: The Urban Council of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Museum of Art. 2008. Hong Kong art: Open dialogue: Exhibition series 2008-09, a launching publication. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Luke, Timothy W. (ed.). 2002. Museum politics: Power plays at the exhibition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Tang, Hoi Chiu. Hong Kong museum of art: On the crossroads of curatorship. In Hong Kong art: Open dialogue: Exhibition series 2008-09, a launching publication, ed. Hong Kong Museum of Art, 96–99. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Wong, Wucius. 1975. Hong Kong art today. March No: Nan Bei Gi. 49.
Wong, Wucius. 1976. The development of Hong Kong art in the recent ten years. Ming Pao Monthly. January, 168–172.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Man, E.K.W. (2015). A Museum of Hybridity: The History of the Display of Art in the Public Museum of Hong Kong and Its Implications for Cultural Identities. In: Issues of Contemporary Art and Aesthetics in Chinese Context. Chinese Contemporary Art Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46510-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46510-3_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-46509-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-46510-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)