Artists worry government will try to control culture at new M+ museum

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Chan Kam-lam came under fire yesterday after he warned the West Kowloon museum not to confuse art with politics.

Chan's remarks raised questions as to whether the pro-Beijing camp was putting political pressure on M+, the arts hub's 20th to 21st century visual culture museum.

The museum acquired 1,510 Chinese contemporary artworks produced between 1979 and 2009 from Swiss collector Uli Sigg - some of which are considered politically provocative.

Chan said at a meeting of a joint Legislative Council subcommittee monitoring the arts project that freedom came with conditions.

"I believe that [West Kowloon is] very clear that works that are indecent, vulgar, political and insulting are not works of art," the legislator from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said.

"We do not intend any political interference. But I hope [West Kowloon] will always remember that art is art. Culture is culture."