Sophie Hui
A group of 18 Southeast Asian artists have created artworks reminiscent of the Hong Kong they knew as tourists.
The 18 Hong Kong Super Fans artists from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand have been invited by the Tourism Board to share their works on social media and show the Hong Kong they love.
Aside from recalling visitors’ memories amid a general reluctance to travel amid the pandemic, the board also hopes people can experience the SAR’s new attractions and travel to Hong Kong after travel restrictions are lifted.
A number of artists were previously impressed after taking a virtual tour of West Kowloon through the board of newly opened art destinations such as the M+ Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, as well as traditional disciplines such as mahjong tile making and embroidered shoes.
Indonesian artist Abel Brata used around 500 Rubik’s Cubes to create a work of art of Hong Kong’s unique harbor landscape, while another artist, Thanh Hoang from Vietnam, used 450 of the cubes to create a harbor landscape as seen at dusk .
Noel Lin from Singapore created a cake to represent the Hong Kong she missed and used cream to capture popular imagination of Victoria Harbor with local food cultures – yum cha and dim sum.
“I recently took the Arts in Hong Kong virtual tour and it really brings back memories of my pre-pandemic trips to Hong Kong,” Lin said on Instagram.
“So I decorated a cake based on the Hong Kong skyline, the new M+ and HK Palace museums in West Kowloon, and yummy HK dim sum kitchen items that I missed!” she added.
Indonesian sand painter Vina Candrawati recreated classic scenes from Return of the Condor, broadcast by local TVB in 1983, and another 1990 Hong Kong love-action film – A Moment of Romance, both starring superstar Andy Lou tak-wah.
“As a kid, I loved watching Andy Lau and Idy Chan, the heroes of Return of the Condor. That’s why I love watching Hong Kong movies since most of the scenes are set in Hong Kong,” she said on Instagram.
“That’s why, since I was a child, I dreamed of visiting Hong Kong to meet actors, see the beauty of the city, enjoy its typical food and admire its art and culture. One day I would like to visit Hong Kong to fulfill my childhood dreams and have new experiences in Hong Kong. I’m a Hong Kong Super Fan!” she added.
The board said the works by these artists combined traditional cultures and the latest trendy attractions in Hong Kong. By sharing their works on social media platforms, they have presented fans with “a Hong Kong like never before”.
