Hong Kong arts district to sign deals with 22 global institutions to promote city’s status as East-meets-West cultural hub
“We anticipate that the collaborations will take global arts and cultural discourse to the next level, sparking a new era of creativity and cultural connectivity for Hong Kong and reinforcing the authority’s vision of strengthening the city’s strategic role as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.”
The signatories include museums, conservation and art research institutions, art centres, film archives, theatres and theatre associations from France, Japan, Korea, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States, as well as cities in mainland China.
Among the institutions visiting Hong Kong are the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Japan’s Tokyo National Museum, Qatar Museums, Singapore’s Asian Film Archive, and the China Theatre Association from the mainland.
About 1,000 people have been invited to the International Cultural Summit on March 25 and 26.
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Officials from 10 of the world’s top 40 museums and arts hubs are expected to attend the summit.
The summit will also showcase the city’s role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange as stipulated in China’s latest five-year plan.
Half of the summit’s cost is sponsored by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.
The summit, along with a string of high-profile events kicking off this month, such as Art Basel and ComplexCon, is expected to attract thousands of visitors globally.
The government said it planned to offer free tram rides and Star Ferry trips, as well as hand out ice cream, as part of a big promotional push for the events designed to attract more tourists.
A free tram ride day will be held on Saturday for the public on all routes to explore Hong Kong Island and enjoy the art and culture.
This year is the first that the government has grouped together a range of cultural events and programmes under the new “Art March” banner, and authorities have offered organisational and funding support over the period.
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Art Basel, Asia’s biggest art fair, will bring 243 galleries to Hong Kong from around the world this year, up from 177 in 2023 and 130 the year before.
Art Central, which runs alongside Art Basel, will run between March 28 and 31, and return to its harbourfront site for the first time since 2019.
Organisers said last year 86,000 visitors attended Art Basel and 40,000 went to Art Central.
Pop culture festival ComplexCon will also make its Asia debut from March 22 to 24 at AsiaWorld-Expo with the event expected to welcome 30,000 guests to sample street styles, fashion footwear, art, food and music.