Art in Hong Kong

I  have been to Hong Kong many times before, but only this time did I really feel the city sink into me.  This time I did not view the city through a haze of family members and schedules; nor as an overwhelmed teenager lost in the hypnotic shopping malls and daunted by the seemingly perfect Hong Kong women.  This time returning to Hong Kong, I truly felt I saw the city for the good and the bad--Hong Kong women aren't perfect or all petite 00s.  Also, despite the city's obsession with sanitation after SARS, Hong Kong cock roaches are huge and can fly!  I would say that trumps any New York City pest I know.  Additionally, what really helped shape my perspective of the city this time were just daily activities---getting my hair cut, taking the trolley, eating the spicy dark meat chicken sandwich at McDonald's, actually going out at night without chaperones, and of course seeing what Chinese art and expression is like in China.

 

 Hong Kong consists of four main areas: Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, New Territories and the Outlying Islands.  Kowloon is on the mainland and has most of the city's landmass. This is the area I am most familiar with but my friend Xiu Dan lives on Hong Kong Island, a section I would probably not have otherwise so thoroughly explored.  Having recently relocated herself, we were prime matches to wander the city together in search of...well, simply the unseen and interesting.

 

Of course I took advantage of my amiable companion and swayed her in to visiting all the artsy, fartsy exhibitions I could find on the island. Below is a visit to the Hong Kong Arts Center in Wanchai which is a community gallery space and school.

These are a mixture of amateur and student works. My apologies, I forgot to jot the names of the artists with which to credit these works...perhaps you can see their signature scribbled faintly in the corner?  In the first painting, I  really appreciate the thin fluidity of his line.  In the second, I  like the color composition and energy.  Pretty decent amateur work.

This painting below is inspired by Facebook and the virtual web of connections that has become our reality.

Next is The Cat Street Gallery in Sheung Wan which is on the eastern part of Hong Kong Island.  Currently on exhibit where cheeky post-modern and expressionist works that were both sarcastically funny and visually inspiring.

Lotus Heartmantra Protection Suit, Hanna Hoyne, 2004, Korean and standard commercial papers, Chinese Joss paper, synthetic fabrics, glue, cane stitching

 You Were A Great Time, Antoinette Wysocki, 2009, Acrylic and Mixed-Media on Archival Rag

Gossip Bone, Hanna Hoyne, (date?) Cardboard, masking tape, fiberglass, glue, plaster, kum-kum pigment, Joss paper 

 

Invasion of the Tree Roots, Mother Nature, (date?), Tree roots, soil, stone wall

 

Hollywood Road links Sheung Wan to Soho (yes, like NYC Soho) and all along it there are contrasting contemporary art galleries and antique shops to duck in to. On the day we walked it was raining, so that proved to be most convenient. I really like contemporary Chinese Art maybe even more so compared to other countries.  In the words of Joyce Gallery, "It is not just a new form of art expression, but it is also a true reflection of a dynamic China currently under a wave of dramatic social and ideological change".  I don't have any corresponding pictures, but I encourage you to visit the gallery website here .  They have a quirky collection of Chinese propaganda style paintings.

At the Contemporary by Angela Li gallery, there is no photography allowed...but of course I sneaked a few anyways.   Feeling overwhelmed lately?  Below is a life-size commentary on the onslaught modern people face with stimulus and distractions.  The human model is made entirely of fiberglass and paper scraps from To-Do Lists.  

Have you had a headache lately?  In the background are negative and positive MRI images of the human brain stitched by hand from fabric.  No matter how much we advance, sometimes we must rely on age-old traditional methods.  Maybe it can also be viewed as traditional handicraft being superior to technology.  To learn more about Contemporary by Angela Li and the represented artists, click here.

To round things up, of course there is the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon on the mainland.  However, it is a daunting 6 floor megalopolis of both classical and contemporary art that I dared not attempt on my condensed visit.  I will save it for another time as I hope there will be many.

Meanwhile, here are some shots from the outside where it is equally beautiful.  Every night behind the museum there is a light show across the bay towards Hong Kong island.  The light show is interesting, but also slightly tacky, ha! Anyways, stay tuned for more postings to come on Hong Kong food and commentary!

Macanese Mommy

My mother was born in Macau, currently a Special Administrative Region (SAR) in China that was formerly occupied by the Portuguese similar to how Hong Kong was occupied by the British.  Macau was a safe haven during World War II but became unstable during China's Cultural Revolution.   After enduring it's own period of unrest and dissatisfaction with the Portuguese government, it was formally returned to China in 1999.  Prior to that, Macau acquired its own type of Sino-European identity.  Today its national languages are still Cantonese and Portuguese--not Mandarin.

The hillside in the distance across the river is mainland China.   It's very close, but also quite far.  During World War II many Chinese refugees would attempt to swim across to sanctuary.   Most were shot and killed before they ever reached the other shore.  Thankfully, my family came by land.

Macau is not what it used to be having developed tremendously with it's gambling industry.  Although commonly called the Vegas of the East,  it actually draws in more revenue than its American counterpart.  Macau's no frill approach to gambling lures the true gamblers. Casinos are packed tightly together along the Cotai Strip without the excess of shopping esplanades, show venues,  and gimicky attractions that define Las Vegas.  Furthermore, it is in prime location to be easily visited by the neo-rich in China, neighboring international clientele, as well as Hong Kong which is about 45 minutes away by speedboat.

The round hotel with pink lights is the Casino Lisboa--the casino that started it all for Macau when it opened in the 1970s. Behind in blue lights is its recent and equally flamboyant extension the Grand Casino Lisboa.

This is Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro or "San Ma Lo" according to the locals which means simply New Street because no one could ever remember the Portuguese name.  This is the main street running through Macau's downtown.

In my opinion, there is not much to do in Macau but gamble unless of course you're taking a trip down memory lane with your mother. I tried to imagine what kind of funny, little town it must have been with the Portuguese and Chinese in her heyday. There are still some beautiful historic sites, but none so interesting to me as the site of their old house. It has since been demolished and paved over with apartments, however there once stood a European style house and courtyard on this block.

 My aunt Belinda--my mother's sister and her daughter Cheryl accompanied us on this visit. It was both Cheryl's and my first time in Macau. Below we are at one of the more well-known sites: the Ruins of the Church of St. Paul. It is one of the few examples of Christianity in China.  Before it was officially designated by UNESCO and blocked off, my aunt Belinda and mother use to pass through the wall daily to get to school.  They never thought it to be any more than just a wall; and in a way it's still just a wall.  The importance of things can be ironically arbitrary.

The A-Ma Temple is the namesake for the city of Macau.  According to legend, A-Ma was a poor girl trying to get to Guangzhou by boat, but was turned away by every wealthy junk owner until a kindly fishermen took her on board his boat. Soon afterward, a huge storm swept in to the harbor destroying all the junks but left the fisherman's boat untouched. When A-Ma got off the boat, she walked to the top of the hill and ascended to heaven. The fisherman built a temple in her honor on that spot. In Cantonese Macau is "Ou Mun", which means gateway of the bay.  When the Portuguese arrived they likely heard "A-Ma Gau" which means bay of A-Ma. (Lonely Planet)

Roast pigs are laid out in an offering to A-Ma and incense coils hang from the temple rafters.

As a SAR, Macau enjoys many privileges. This is a city park where suffrages and complaints are posted relatively without censorship.

We tried some of the local fare while we there. Ja Ja is a type of sweet red bean and coconut soup served warm. It tasted more Chinese than Portuguese.  ( Pardon the fuzzy picture. I will move on to a better camera one day!)

I'm not sure how authentic food court Macanese cuisine is, but when you're on time and budget restraints; it'll do.  Below is curry chicken.

And, last but not least we had to visit my favorite hotel: Wynn. While the hotel is still nice, it can't hold a candle to the Vegas original.  The modern elegance of the Wynn is still here with the signature array of tassels and lanterns.  However the Vegas design has a certain quirky wonderment about it that captures your attention, while Macau's approach seems to be business as usual.  Then again, people may go to Vegas for more reasons then to just gamble--Wynn Vegas does have an awesome buffet.

In the front of the Wynn there is an imitation of the dancing fountains of Bellagio.  We got there just as the fountains stopped but I still found it amusing how many parallels to Vegas Macau tried to capture on its own casino strip. Half way around the world and I still feel like I could be in the US.  Maybe it's another example of common ground? Different, but still fundamentally the same. 

Guangzhou: Goelia Concept 225

So much of Chinese design and styling is unnecessarily glamorous and ostentatious that it becomes uninteresting and artificial.  Chinese revel in the new and flashy.  The retail industry is intense in China and sales assistants are abundant and aggressive at promoting the latest products.  Having said this, I was pleasantly surprised to come across Goelia Concept 225 in Guangzhou which is essentially a clothing brand that took over an historic office building and transformed it in to part store, part florist shop, and part exhibition space. The building is lovingly preserved and retrofitted for it's new use.  Furthermore, they regulate the amount of traffic allowed in the store so it's always a comfortable browsing atmosphere.

Murals, mosaics, and stained glass define the entry stair well from the street.

On the second floor a florist shop has millwork made entirely of cedar wood. It makes the place smell great. Goelia paraphernalia (including post cards) is tucked away in a back niche. You can buy stamps at the cashier and mail them from the cute little store mailbox.

The theme for the exhibit was traditional Indian art and imports.  These sketches from the buyer inspired me to buy a sketch book on the spot. Whether I will make use of my purchase is another story.

I love these hand-painted suitcases reminiscent of The Darjeeling Limited.

Some other interesting amenities of the store was a reading room for customers to relax and check out the latest selection of books for sale as well as a private restroom with high-tech occupancy/vacancy signage.  All that's missing is a proper cafe or sweets shop and this place would be perfect.