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Q Many of my friends have Cultural Revolution-era posters, and everyone tells  me they're good collectables because they're visually striking and  not too expensive. But I think it's unnerving to have  Mao staring down at me while I eat breakfast. Where can I find  posters that are more modern and   Hong Kong?

WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS

Judy S.Y. Chan,  curator (art)  of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which has the city's largest public collection of posters,  says  poster collecting is relatively new to Hong Kong.

'The government has only recently realised that design  is an art - a combination  of creativity, business and technology,' she says. 'We started  collecting [posters]  about nine years ago. Now, we have a  comprehensive design collection, with much research  on old designs, including graphic and poster design.'

GENDER BENDER

'The history of Chinese posters started in Shanghai and Beijing at the turn of the 20th century, with what we call calendar posters,' says Chan. These  are the highly decorative  images of  pin-up girls used on advertisements for everything from cigarettes to life insurance.

However, Chan says that they're not what they seem. 'Most of the 'girls' were actually men done up in makeup.  At that time, no cultured lady would do something  so uncouth as posing  for an advertisement.'

Chan also says that the posters aren't as unique as they might look. 'Many were stock posters that could be used again and again for different purposes. Designers would  superimpose  a pack of cigarettes or a bar of soap on top of the set picture.'

LOCAL DESIGN

In Hong Kong, poster design took off at the same time, especially with the opening of major local department stores between the two world wars.

The father of Hong Kong poster design was Kwan Wai-leung, who ran a successful printing and lithographing company in the 20s and 30s. 'He was called 'the calendar king', and created such  iconic Hong Kong images as the 'Double Sisters',' says Chan. 'Today, original Kwan posters are very rare, and can cost up to $10,000 a piece. The museum was lucky  because  his son donated many sketches and posters  after Kwan's death.'

For about half a century,  as Hong Kong became an increasingly important trading port and manufacturing centre, local graphic design flourished, although  it wasn't seen as a high form of art.

'The first group of Hong Kong designers to find recognition overseas were graphic designers. This happened when  they started submitting posters to international competitions in the late 80s and early 90s.'

Two influential figures of this era are Kan Tai-keung and Alan Chan, who are still active today.

SCAVENGING

'A poster, by its nature, is mass printed and posted everywhere - on streets, in schools, on outside walls. It's not considered valuable and is torn down or postered over very quickly.' says Chan. 'Also, the paper used is not made for long-time keeping. So, collecting can be difficult.'

She advises caution when buying vintage pieces. 'Most of what's on the market are newer reprints.  The originals are hard to find on the retail market. The museum usually buys them from private collectors.'

Even Picture This, probably the city's best-known vintage poster store, carries  few  vintage originals from Hong Kong. Most  are Hong Kong travel or movie posters made for the US market.

Chan advises new  collectors to keep an eye out for new designs.  'You basically have to collect [new posters] when they're in circulation.   If you keep these for 10 to 20 years, they might be worth something.'

RESOURCES

Visual Dynamic: Hong Kong International Poster Triennial,  Mon, Wed-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun and public holidays, 10am-5pm, Hong Kong Heritage Museum,  1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin. Inquiries: 2180 8188.  Ends June 27.

Picture This, Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, 6/F Office Tower, 9 Queen's Rd Central. Inquiries: 2525 2820 or www.picturethiscollection.com



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