HK artists take bird's eye view
A group of Hong Kong artists is presenting an exhibition exploring the psychological effects that Beijing's transformation into an Olympic host city has wrought upon its residents.
'The Olympics has brought rapid changes to the lives of Beijing's residents, both in a direct physical way and to the wider environment. A lot of infrastructure has been destroyed and constructed in a blink of the eye,' said Clara Cheung, the director of the group, C&G Artpartment.
'Local people are expecting better lives and an improved living environment from the Beijing Olympics.'
One of the seven artists included in the exhibition, Chow Chun-fai, has been working out of a Beijing studio since July 2007.
He said Beijing people had grown used to the rapid changes to the city's environment and focused on the economic opportunities the Games offer them.
Hongkongers, by comparison, were less impressed by the Olympics, an idea that he plays with in several of his pieces.
'They may think the promotion of the Olympics in Hong Kong is too exaggerated, although they do have positive attitude towards the Games,' he said.
C&G Artpartment, in Prince Edward, is an art space started in June 2007 and run by Clara Cheung and Gum Cheng Yee-man. It is both an art gallery and a visual art education unit.
It has been regularly holding exhibitions and aims to use art to respond to local social and cultural issues.
The exhibition, titled 'Under The Bird's Nest', runs until September 21. Other artists taking part include Kwok Meng-ho, Bobby Sham Ka-ho and Cho Hyun-jae. Call 2390-9332 for more details.
