The narrative surrounding Hong Kong’s ability to utilize the soft power of culture and the arts as a medium of engagement is not particularly new. It has long been identified by respective governments as an important lever through which greater dialogue and understanding can help inform and bridge a gap between different cultures and societies.
Nowhere has the soft power of cultural engagement been better utilized than the People’s Republic of China. For decades, respective governments have been promoting cultural exchange as a means to foster greater understanding of the complex cultural tapestry and rich history that to this day remains alien to many in the West.
Since 1997, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been on a journey to establish itself as a cultural hub and an increasingly important location for the international art market. Despite many challenges along the way, we have witnessed the vision taking shape. Over the past decade or more, the HKSAR gradually became the regional epicenter for the international art market. This was largely a result of the strength, depth and purchasing power of the collector base within the region. To a large extent, this was driven by the massive growth in the number of private museums and further fueled by the insatiable appetite of a new generation of collectors across the region, particularly on the Chinese mainland. A new breed of investor also entered the market in the form of private wealth-management professionals who understood the value of art as an asset class and a possible hedge for high-net-worth individuals.
A strong art market is a reflection of sales performance, which in turn requires the infrastructure and supporting services needed by collectors and gallerists, ranging from legal and finance to insurance, transport or storage. The ability of fairs like Art Basel Hong Kong to attract the international glitterati of the art world and stimulate collector interest resulted in some of the most important galleries establishing a strong local presence. This in turn enabled them to develop, support and service an increasingly important and expanding regional collector base. Art Central identified the opportunity to bring in more affordable art and engage with new audiences. Throughout, the auction houses consistently increased the quality of the works at auction, supported by strong marketing programs to stimulate interest in their increasingly important sales events in the Hong Kong SAR. A strong and vibrant local gallery scene has been evident for decades, and they were the initial drivers of the art market in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
Of course, sustained investment in the hardware is helpful as a means to accelerate the creation of an art hub. We are seeing this emerge in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which should eventually enable Hong Kong to compete with Berlin, London, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo and Tokyo as cultural destinations. Covering 40 hectares of prime real estate alongside Victoria Harbour, the master plan was designed by Foster + Partners with the objective of creating an internationally acclaimed venue with the ability to interact and draw the local community closer to the arts. The jewels in the crown are M+, the Palace Museum and the Xiqu Centre. Art Park and Freespace offer dynamic programming, including dance, music and theater, and these spaces have been designed to further stimulate the local art scene and encourage artists to interact and collaborate. There is much more to come, including the Lyric Theatre Complex.
However, we should never lose sight of the main ingredient that is needed for a cultural hub to evolve: the talented young artists and designers in our midst, whose practice may reflect artisanal or contemporary values. In some cases, their artistic practice may reflect traditions that are rapidly disappearing, but whose influence continues to flow through our contemporary culture, be it through food or fashion, ceramics or neon, dance or opera. With the right levels of support and encouragement, these artists are the creative stimuli that fertilize the seeds and enable a truly vibrant cultural hub to grow.
Public and private support for the arts and culture has long been evident in Hong Kong, but the cost of property and the high cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for the next generation of young and emerging talent to survive. Support at the grassroots level is critical. While many colleges and universities offer excellent undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the creative arts, the perception sadly remains that qualifications in the arts provide limited career options.
However, neither should we lose sight of the influence of technology. Some of the earliest adopters of Web 3.0, the metaverse or non-fungible tokens are local individuals whose core values reflect local traditions and heritage, but their creative vision is the future, and herein lies an opportunity for greater collaboration across artistic disciplines.
Many observers understand that neither a strong art market nor hardware alone should be confused with or misidentified as a barometer of the cultural value that lies within a society. Nor should they be perceived as a natural stimulant in the generation of a strong cultural hub. Of course, both have a role to play, but supporting local emerging creative talent is most likely the key to defining and stimulating future cultural capital. The ability to train and maintain local artists is a factor in drawing in artists from around the world to engage, collaborate or practice here, which may be key to creating a vibrant cultural hub in Hong Kong.
Post COVID-19, when our new normal sees the reopening of borders, the easing of travel restrictions, the removal of quarantine measures and resumption of international travel, the soft power of cultural capital can create a valuable bridge to support cultural exchanges, generate new dialogues and facilitate a better understanding between Chinese and Western cultures.
The author is an international partner and Global Advisory Board member of MilleniumAssociates AG, and director of Ireland Funds China.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.