Hong Kong bureaucrats throttle innovation at birth (again), foiling use of hoist for big artworks at new H Queen’s tower for galleries
Tower’s first tenants, Tang Contemporary Art, forced to split main artwork into pieces and fit them into passenger lift after being told of lengthy approval process needed before using rooftop lifting system
There were two reasons the opening of Tang Contemporary Art at H Queen’s last Thursday was keenly anticipated.
First, there is the art.
Husband and wife artists Huang Yongping and Shen Yuan have provocatively called their first joint exhibition in Hong Kong “Hong Kong Foot” (slang for athlete’s foot), a symbol of how the city has the power to afflict anyone who comes here with Hong Kong characteristics.
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Huang, whose Theater of the World (1993) is the titular piece of a controversial exhibition currently showing at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (full title: Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World), has made three new works about Hong Kong for Tang Contemporary Art’s new space. These are on show with a large installation by Yuan inspired by the 2014 Occupy Central protest.
Then there is the location. The gallery, founded by Chinese art dealer Zheng Lin in 1997, is the first to move into H Queen’s, Hong Kong’s first made-for-galleries commercial building. Its opening gave everyone a chance to finally see what all the fuss is about.
The new property on Queen’s Road Central – built by Henderson Land Development – wants to tap into art dealers’ demand for high-ceilinged exhibition spaces with a large floor area. Its positioning seems to have paid off so far. Other tenants will include David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth and Seoul Auction, which have all credited the William Lim-designed building for their decision to open permanent spaces in Hong Kong.
