Hong Kong harbourfront turned into a gallery for 18 artists from around the world

A selection of sculptures by Mark Wallinger, Yayoi Kusama, Antony Gormley and others, chosen by curators Fumio Nanjo and Tim Marlow will be on public display on the Central and Wan Chai harbourfront until April 11

Art

Enid Tsui

Published: 6:06pm, 22 Jan, 2018

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The Central and Wan Chai harbourfront will be transformed into a sculpture park next month when works by 18 international and local artists are placed in Tamar Park and public areas outside the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

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The Harbour Arts Sculpture Park, which is free to the public, will be unveiled on February 22 and closes on April 11.

Fumio Nanjo, co-curator of Hong Kong’s Arts Sculpture Park.

The selection of artworks is being finalised by two curators of international renown, Fumio Nanjo, director of Mori Art Museum, and Tim Marlow, artistic director at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Tim Marlow, co-curator of Hong Kong’s Harbour Arts Sculpture Park. Photo: courtesy of Cat Garcia

Artists who have been approached include Mark Wallinger, who made a life-sized sculpture of a horse in marble and resin in 2013, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, best known for her dots and riotous colours, and Antony Gormley. In 2015, the British sculptor placed 31 life-sized sculptures on Hong Kong rooftops and at street level as part of his touring Event Horizon project.

There will also be new works by Rasheed Araeen and local artist Morgan Wong.

Mark Wallinger’s The Black Horse seen in the grounds of Chatsworth House near Bakewell, northern England. Photo: AFP

In 2015, the British sculptor placed 31 life-sized sculptures on Hong Kong rooftops and at street level as part of his touring Event Horizon project. There will also be new works by Rasheed Araeen and local artist Morgan Wong.

Connie Lam, executive director of Hong Kong Arts Centre, the park’s presenter, said the event is designed to demonstrate how art can be part of our everyday lives.

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HKAC will release a mobile app with detailed information on each sculpture and an audio guide in Cantonese, English and Mandarin.

Yayoi Kusamas’s With All My Love For The Tulips, I Pray Forever (2011). Photo: AFP

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and Central Saint Martins, the arts and design college that is part of University of the Arts London, are preparing a programme of workshops and educational activities for all ages.

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The sculptures will be on view during Art Basel Hong Kong, the international contemporary art fair at the end of March that is accompanied by scores of exhibition openings and satellite fairs that help attract many international art lovers to Hong Kong that week.

The sculpture park is aimed at “cementing Hong Kong’s position as a global arts player”, according to the official statement. The projectis supported by both public and private partners, including H Queen’s, the new commercial building in Central that houses a number of art galleries, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

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