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What is Hong Kong’s N+ Museum? And why is it calling out the ‘cringe’ nostalgia trend?
At ‘Hong Kong Nostalgia-Bait’, indie art collective N+ uses images from the past to criticise the commodification of traditional culture
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Neon signs on a Mong Kok street, “ding ding” trams sounding their bells, milk tea at traditional cha chaan teng cafes – images such as these are what usually come to mind when one thinks of Hong Kong culture.
During this year’s Hong Kong art week, indie collective N+ Museum are confronting how the city is increasingly caricatured by nostalgic tropes in “Hong Kong Nostalgia-Bait”, an exhibition that asks: what gets left when memory is treated as a commodity and turned into visual souvenirs? The show, featuring 19 local artists, runs until March 29.
“Nostalgia is not cringe in itself. But what’s cringe is people trying to use nostalgia to make it consumable … trying to just get as much money as they can with nostalgia,” says Renee Lui, an independent curator and a co-founder of N+ Museum.
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N+ co-founder Louie Jaubere, a pseudonymous painter who hides behind a mask, says: “We’re commenting on the exploitation of memories. [The exhibition is] also about … the lack of effort in conservation. They keep demolishing things without having careful consideration, while cashing in on fake old stuff.”
The name N+ not only satirises M+ – one of the largest museums in the city, owned and funded by the Hong Kong government – but is also meant to stand for “new”, emphasising their mission to spotlight young, up-and-coming artists.
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