Opinion | Hong Kong must build on M+ museum opening to fulfil its cultural potential

Name: M+ contemporary art museum opens in Hong Kong
Uploaded: 2021-12-13T00:30:13.000Z
Duration: 3 min 7 s
Description: M+ contemporary art museum opens in Hong Kong

The opening of M+ was a success, but more must be done to translate Hong Kong’s unique culture into soft power for the city and the country

The city is uniquely positioned to articulate another side to China’s story, one that complements the cultural vision projected by the mainland

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Brian Y. S. Wong

Published: 8:30am, 13 Dec 2021

As Hong Kong emerges from some of the worst political upheaval it has seen in recent years and uncertainty looms over the cultural trajectory of the country, the opening of M+, the city’s museum of visual culture, is a historic moment for Hong Kong. For the first time in far too long, there is an Asian institution devoted to purely modern art, design, architecture and the moving image.

Early reviews have been predominantly positive. Many have praised the museum for its “impressive” range of works on display across 1,500 exhibits in 33 galleries and its “sensitively curated sections” dedicated to the full range of Asian cultural and aesthetic movements.

The few pro-establishment critics, as they do, have taken to lambasting the museum for displaying ostensibly politically inappropriate artwork, criticisms that have been deftly and swiftly addressed. Art is political but should not be subject to unhelpful politicking.

Given Hong Kong’s new-found positioning, as per the 14th five-year plan, as a cultural nexus for China and the world, M+ certainly plays a critical role in a possible, albeit challenging, path to the revival of the city’s fortunes. It is by no means enough, though.

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M+ contemporary art museum opens in Hong Kong

More action is needed to channel Hong Kong’s unique culture and cultivate a new dimension to the city’s soft power in the region and beyond. More must be done in transforming Hong Kong’s arts and cultural scene into one that is truly egalitarian, inclusive and representative of the rich ideological and social currents undergirding the city.