Opinion | Hong Kong’s art ambitions on display at Venice Biennale

The first biennale was presented in the Giardini della Biennale, a public garden that remains one of the two main locations. In 1907, the biennale introduced national pavilions, providing countries with dedicated spaces to exhibit their art. By 1980, the biennale had expanded to the Arsenale, a historic shipyard and armoury on the city’s outskirts.

The biennale appoints an internationally renowned curator for each edition and highlights a theme. The primary event is held in the Giardini and the Arsenale, complemented by collateral events approved by the biennale curator.

Hong Kong first presented a pavilion in 2001 as part of the collateral events programme. Since then, numerous local artists and curators have represented Hong Kong at Venice, and many have subsequently forged international careers.

The council has established the Hong Kong pavilion at arguably one of the Biennale’s most high-profile locations. Many national pavilions have maintained their decades-held locations in the Giardini or the Arsenale, and demand for space outstrips supply. So, our location directly opposite the Arsenale entrance is pretty special.

This highly visible location invites everyone entering the Arsenale to pause and reconsider Hong Kong’s role and growing sphere of influence within international contemporary art circles.

This includes significant museums and institutions, collectors and investors, gallerists, cultural leaders and policymakers, and the millions of tourists visiting Venice between April and November. The Hong Kong pavilion received almost 20,000 visitors in its first two weeks.

Migration and decolonisation are the key themes of the biennale’s 60th International Art Exhibition, titled “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere” and curated by Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa, artistic director of the Sao Paulo Museum of Art. This is the first time a Latin American has been appointed chief curator.

For me, a highlight of the exhibition was Pedrosa’s selection of Hong Kong artist Isaac Chong Wai, to exhibit in the Arsenele. Now based in Berlin, Chong’s art encompasses performance, video, installation, photography and drawing.

In his video installation “Falling Reversely”, dancers of Asian descent move through meticulously choreographed sequences, supporting each other in a visually and emotionally compelling act of mutual protection. It reflects Chong’s exploration of the violent crimes committed against Chinese migrants within the broader context of Asian migrant communities.

China’s national pavilion was excellent as was the Macau pavilion, but I was also struck by the collateral event presented by the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation. “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing” showcases the works of leading Southeast Asian artists, reflecting the indigenous identities that forged influential cultural pathways between East and West.

It has been the mission of Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, chairman and founder of the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation, to highlight the creative strengths and culturally diverse voices of contemporary Southeast Asian art.

Throughout my visit and during the opening events, I was reminded of the powerhouse that the M+ brand and its key personnel have become, and of their high profile. Their international peers hold them in the highest esteem. In worldwide art museum attendance figures last year, compiled by The Art Newspaper, M+ was ranked 15th – a remarkable achievement for a new museum.

Our continued participation in the Venice Biennale reflects the ambition of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District and M+ to participate at the highest level in the contemporary art world, and the fact that we have arrived.

Bernard Chan is a Hong Kong businessman and former Executive Council convenor