Hong Kong is being given a big dose of culture, and it isn't cheap

At first sight, West Kowloon seems to be utterly out of place. Right next to this 40-hectare development site, much of it covered in green grass, with blue and yellow cargo containers scattered here and there, skyscrapers jostle for attention, the clear winner being the International Commerce Center, at 482 meters the tallest building in Hong Kong.

As fancy shopping malls and streets teeming with shoppers and workers keep the skyscrapers company, the adjoining land, little more than a huge park, sleeps serenely, nestled between Canton Road to the east and Victoria Harbour to the west and south.

Of course, such a piece of real estate, with its prime location and spectacular views, could never lie idle for long, and it will soon take its place alongside its neighbors earning its keep. But in its case the currency of choice will be culture rather than commerce.

The ambitious plans for the site, now known as West Kowloon Cultural District, call for a vibrant cultural quarter for the city, a place for artists to work together and world-class venues to host and produce top-notch cultural events.

Hong Kong, best known as a financial center and the location of a strong services industry, aims to show that it can do other things well too.

"WKCD will be a significant contrast to what happens around it and hopefully provide cheap accommodation for artists, and theater and rehearsal space," says Michael Lynch, CEO of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. "We do not want it to look like a big shopping center, but a different place with character."

The authority was set up to develop and manage the area. It will develop 17 core arts and cultural venues, among them: M+, a cultural institution with museum functions focusing on 20th to 21st century visual art; the Xiqu Centre, dedicated to Chinese Opera, which the authority says will "act as a lantern for Hong Kong".

Under the plan, 23 hectares have been designated as public space, building heights will be kept relatively low, and space used for commercial, rather than cultural purposes, will be strictly rationed.

Philippe Koutouzis, director of FEAST Projects, an art gallery, says Hong Kong has long needed an institution like the WKCD.

"As a participant and observer of the Hong Kong cultural scene since the early 1990s, I feel that such an organization, publicly financed in Hong Kong can only bring multiple benefits Also it seems that the M+ Museum has finally found the right people to function on an international and local level."

Koutouzis, also the founder of FEAST, began his career 30 years ago dealing in modern and contemporary European and American art.

In 1991 he moved to Hong Kong and expanded his expertise by working with Chinese artists.

He says he expects there will be new discoveries in art history in Hong Kong that will help nurture the creation of a true art scene there.

The WKCD project will help promote art and culture in the city, he says, and he hopes the promotion of art will come in the right order "creation first and market second, as a consequence of creativity".

Lynch took the role of CEO two years ago, having served as chief executive of the Southbank Centre in London, and as chief executive of the Sydney Opera House.

"I noticed how little stuff happens outdoors, if you compare it with Australia and England," he says.

"What we are trying to do is to really get people outside, not just staying in shopping malls or culture centers or theaters."

With the infrastructure well designed, one important issue is how to encourage public participation.

In April the venue held an exhibition called Mobile M+: Inflation!

M+ will present 20th and 21st century art, design, architecture and the moving image from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Asia and beyond. During the recent exhibition, large inflatable sculptures by artists from the mainland, Hong Kong, South Korea and Britain were presented, raising questions about the nature of public art and the ways in which audiences might engage with it.

Lynch says the aim of the inflatable objects was to attract people to the site where the museum will be located. "And the idea of doing something that was fun and controversial, easy for people to get to, is really important for us."

The exhibition attracted 150,000 visitors by the end of June, and the furious debate about what art is and what constitutes good or bad art in turn provoked debate about what role the WKCD could play, Lynch says.

On June 28 the authority announced the appointment of Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells, a partnership of two architectural practices, to work on the design of M+ which is due to be completed by 2017.

Carrie Lam, the chairman of the board, said: "The (authority), together with the design team, will continue to engage the arts community to ensure detailed designs of the building will meet their requirements and anticipations."

Elaine Kwok, a doctoral student in fine arts at the University of Hong Kong, says WKCD will spur people to think more about art and culture in their lives and their, and Hong Kong's, role in art.

Kwok says Hong Kong has always been active and creative in art and culture, mostly local pop art and pop culture.

"Maybe the development of art and culture through and by WKCD will be more on the side of fine/high arts and cultures; and be more a mixture of high and low arts and cultures," she says.

Lynch who has 35 years' experience in arts management, says there is an imbalance in the development of art in Hong Kong, and that there are four essential ingredients for art and culture to flourish in an area: artists, audience, organizations and venues.

"You have to achieve a balance in those four factors in order to get it to work."

Many cultural venues have been built on the mainland in the past 10 years, but the other three ingredients are missing, he says.

"In Hong Kong, the big challenge for us is to build organizations and cultivate a robust community."

Oscar Ho Hing Kay, program director of the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says every country in Asia aspires to be a cultural center, particularly because of the economic power that that generates.

"What Hong Kong has is the fantastic geographic location, almost right in the middle of Asia, with good international connections and an open system."

Hong Kong has become a center in the arts market, with its auctions and favorable tax system, but lacks in arts creation, he says.

"That lack is because of the city being small and the small art market, together with a lack of experience in nurturing artists and art education."

Lynch, calling WKCD a "long delayed journey", says it will focus more attention on the development of artists, art organizations and content.

For a huge project like WKCD, huge challenges remain, not the least of them being financial.

On July 4, 2008, the Legislative Council approved a one-off upfront endowment of HK$21.6 billion ($2.17 billion; 2.11 billion euros) primarily to cover the capital cost of planning, design and construction of the facilities at the WKCD, authority documents say.

However, at the end of June this year, after a board meeting, the authority spoke of "concerns on possible adverse implications brought by rising construction costs since inception of the project".

"Despite the challenge presented by cost escalation, the administration and the (authority) are committed to developing the WKCD into a world-class hub of arts and culture," the authority said in a news release.

A "pragmatic approach to develop facilities that are fit for purpose" would be adopted, it said, including "rigorous cost containment and an emphasis on content rather than form of these facilities".

The board had been told the estimated cost of the Xiqu Centre, due to open in 2016, had been reduced from $HK2.7 billion to between $HK2.5 billion and $HK2.6 billion.

Lam said at the time: "We have no plan to seek additional capital injection to the endowment fund at this stage and will review in due course the need to seek additional funding in light of any changes in circumstances and our continued effort of cost containment."

The authority said it would also explore alternative sources of funding such as donations and sponsorships through granting of naming rights of certain facilities or parts of facilities.

Lynch says the WKCD is financially sustainable for the next few years, and it is thinking about how to raise money so that the project continues to be viable.

"For the Opera House in Sydney, one third of the funding is from government, one-third from sponsorship and one-third from ticket sales and business activities."

Mixed funding from sponsorship and business is what WKCD needs, once buildings are finished, he says.

"There is not a strong tradition about giving donations to art and cultural activities, as with hospitals and schools in Hong Kong, so we still need time to change people's minds."

Hong Kong minds were greatly exercised in May over a visiting exhibition, Art Basel, and the 16.5-meter-high Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman, a Dutch conceptual artist, attracted tens of thousands of visits during a stay of more than a month recently.

Debate continues, too, about exactly how much people in Hong Kong are interested in art and culture.

Ho Hing Kay at the Chinese University of Hong Kong says a colonial mindset and an inferiority complex deter people from exploring cultural richness and historic heritage.

"People do not look at what we have, but jump into some Western concept of art and judge that Hong Kong is a cultural desert or art wasteland. That kind of indifference is devastating to Hong Kong, because if you don't know what you have, how are you going to promote it?"

The first thing Hong Kong needs to do if it wants to promote art and culture is to delve into the meaning of its own culture, he says.

"Art creation should be related to our history and identity; otherwise the works simply do not resonate and are meaningless."

More effort and money needs to be spent on infrastructure, and on education, training and art criticism, and not just on exhibitions, he says.

However, not everyone is convinced that Hong Kong has an artistic soul that can be redeemed, and if it does, whether it merits the outlay.

Angelia Wong, who works in a local media, says that no matter how significant the WKCD turns out to be, it will not change the nature of Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is a busy financial center, with fast pace and great life pressure. We would love to have somewhere big and relaxing to go during our spare time, but it would not change our lives. And I seriously doubt whether it is a cost-efficient project, given that so much taxpayers' money has been spent on it."

But Lynch seems sure in his mission, and says one aim of WKCD is to broaden people's views about what art is about, and to convey the idea that there is more to Hong Kong than finance and business. The district should help arts organizations and artists grow and build audiences and serve as a reminder that ultimately Hong Kong is a "human space".

"I do not mind if you just come to WKCD, sit with your friend or ride a bike. I think the reason 798 works in Beijing is that in the center of the city (is) a space for just hanging out or seeing a performance or sitting or drinking.

"I would hope that WKCD would become a place like 798 Art District in Beijing or South Bank in London."

linjingcd@chinadaily.com.cn

Top: A bird's eye view of West Kowloon. Above: Sculptures on a square in West Kowloon. Provided to China Daily

( China Daily European Weekly 09/13/2013 page16)