Oscar Ho's 'Hong Kong Art: A Curator's History' Chronicles the City's 1980s–90s Art Scene
On September 8, Rizzoli released 'Hong Kong Art: A Curator's History (1987–2004)' by Oscar Ho Hing-kay, which fills an important gap in understanding Hong Kong's art scene, especially during the crucial 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule. In the book, Ho reflects on his return from California in the 1980s, recounting his disagreements with Modernist sculptor Van Lau and the protest by artist Chan Ching Wah at the Hong Kong Art Biennial. From 1988 to 2001, he was the artistic director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, where he curated significant exhibitions like 'Living with Art' and 'Hong Kong Sixties: Designing Identity.' The narrative also delves into Ho's contributions to the story of Lo Ting, with a review by Daniel Szehin Ho, executive editor of CONG.
Key facts
- Oscar Ho Hing-kay's book 'Hong Kong Art: A Curator's History (1987–2004)' is published by Rizzoli on September 8, 288 pages, $65 hardcover.
- The book focuses on the period around the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China.
- Ho returned from California in the 1980s to find contemporary artists marginalized.
- Van Lau declared works by Ho and Ricky Yeung Sau Churk not sculpture.
- Chan Ching Wah spray-painted her painting black at an opening in protest.
- The 1987 exhibition 'Out of Context' featured installation, performance, and photography.
- Ricky Yeung performed chained in a bamboo cage, half-naked and covered in blood-red paint.
- Ho was artistic director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre from 1988 to 2001.
- Exhibitions included 'Living with Art' (1988), 'Hong Kong Sixties: Designing Identity', and 'Art in the Camps'.
- The Lo Ting legend project challenged who defines history and identity.
- The book is a curatorial memoir, not a definitive history.
- Review by Daniel Szehin Ho, executive editor of CONG.
Entities
Artists
- Oscar Ho Hing-kay
- Van Lau
- Ricky Yeung Sau Churk
- Chan Ching Wah
- Michael Chen
- David Clarke
- Ackbar Abbas
- Daniel Szehin Ho
Institutions
- Hong Kong Arts Centre
- Rizzoli
- M+
- Tai Kwun
- Asia Art Archive
- Para Site
- Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition
- CONG
Locations
- Hong Kong
- China
- California
- United States
- Lantau Island
- Oil Street Artist Village
- West Kowloon Cultural District