A curator’s crucial perspective on Hong Kong’s burgeoning art scene in the 1980s and 1990s

In Oscar Ho Hing-kay's book, Hong Kong Art: A Curator's History (1987-2004), the author delves into Hong Kong's art scene during the tumultuous years leading up to the UK's 1997 handover of the city to China. Ho, the artistic director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, aimed to demonstrate that Hong Kong possessed a culture worth taking seriously.

During the 1980s, contemporary artists were still a minority in Hong Kong and often faced rejection by the mainstream art establishments. One such example is when senior sculptor Van Lau dismissed Ho's and Ricky Yeung Sau Churk's works as not being "sculpture". This highlights the struggles faced by artists in breaking away from traditional norms.

One notable exhibition that showcased the growing diversity of artistic practices was Out of Context (1987). This exhibition featured artists working in installation, performance, and photography—styles that were largely absent from mainstream institutions. A standout work was Ricky Yeung's two-day performance, in which he chained himself inside a bamboo cage, half-naked and covered in blood-red paint, symbolizing the anxieties surrounding Hong Kong's uncertain future.

Ho's curatorial efforts focused on organizing exhibitions at the Hong Kong Arts Centre between 1988 and 2001. He sought to expand the boundaries of what counted as art, challenging aesthetic standards shaped by seniority and master-disciple hierarchies. Notable exhibitions include Living with Art (1988), which dispensed with the jury system, and Art in the Camps, which focused on Vietnamese refugees living in Hong Kong's detention camps.

As the handover loomed, questions about Hong Kong's identity became more pressing. In response, Ho created the Lo Ting series, which transformed the myth of a half-human, half-fish creature into a series of exhibitions combining archival materials, contemporary artworks, and fabricated evidence. This approach challenged who gets to define history and identity, positioning Hong Kong as a place grappling with its origins while confronting an uncertain future.