To promote its city as a hub of arts and cultural exchange, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has expanded its creative horizon with the Arts in HK with SEA Artists campaign, which features 18 talents from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines to create a collection of imaginative artwork that captures the iconic Hong Kong way of life.
Paintings, digital illustrations, pottery, embroidery and sand art are all included in the collection, which is shown on social media platforms to stay in touch with art enthusiasts across the world.
"Hong Kong is excited to engage, nurture and develop the next generation of local artists across the region while giving them a platform to showcase their talent to the world. Amplifying the potential of artists through this initiative, we hope to positively shape and empower artists within the local arts community in the region," said Raymond Chan, regional director of Southeast Asia at Hong Kong Tourism Board.
"Art holds clues to life in the past and present. Looking at a work of art's symbolism, we can learn, rewind time and experience a culture that is different to our time. The creations by the 18 Southeast Asian artists explore different facets of old and new Hong Kong -- some celebrate traditional crafts such as mahjong carving and slipper embroidery while others look towards the future with the modern M+ museum and the West Kowloon Cultural District."
One of the artists is Thai digital illustrator Seatapron Korwanichakul, aka Painterbell, who is best known for his popular Line sticker "John And Lulu". This time, he illustrates the fun journey of John, Lulu and friends in Hong Kong through a series of stunning pieces.
"My characters -- John, Lulu and friends -- represent joy and brightness, which was how I felt when on a virtual tour of the West Kowloon Cultural Centre. My inspiration was to send them to West Kowloon so they could experience the traditional culture and modern offerings the neighbourhood has to offer," he said.
Indonesian artist Vina Candrawati crafted a sand art piece titled Hong Kong Through The Sand Of Time, which depicts her childhood memories of renting VCR tapes of the Hong Kong series The Return Of The Condor Heroes and her wish of travelling to Hong Kong.
Candrawati said she grew up a fan of Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, who starred in Condor Heroes. "I enjoyed many Andy Lau films and through them, I learned about Hong Kong's culture, lifestyle and popular cuisine," she said.
"Hong Kong's TV series have also shown me the extraordinary scenes and skyline of the city. From those nostalgic memories, I wanted to know more about Hong Kong's art and culture and am ready to discover everything new on the island."
Find out more details at discoverhongkong.com.
