Dubai Telegraph - 'Rigid' Hong Kong office turned into artists' satire

EUR -
AED 3.996029
AFN 76.634217
ALL 99.067632
AMD 424.959796
ANG 1.956349
AOA 992.302209
ARS 1162.013398
AUD 1.719986
AWG 1.958491
AZN 1.834779
BAM 1.94828
BBD 2.191741
BDT 131.890945
BGN 1.94828
BHD 0.409221
BIF 3216.385816
BMD 1.08805
BND 1.448808
BOB 7.501048
BRL 6.2515
BSD 1.08551
BTN 94.352829
BWP 14.78892
BYN 3.552389
BYR 21325.789517
BZD 2.180384
CAD 1.563556
CDF 3129.23268
CHF 0.961853
CLF 0.026358
CLP 1011.466076
CNY 7.875146
CNH 7.867111
COP 4477.817109
CRC 542.306875
CUC 1.08805
CUP 28.833338
CVE 109.84105
CZK 25.018035
DJF 193.293949
DKK 7.460931
DOP 68.256552
DZD 144.835981
EGP 55.123771
ERN 16.320757
ETB 142.575307
FJD 2.492757
FKP 0.841162
GBP 0.841319
GEL 3.019366
GGP 0.841162
GHS 16.825061
GIP 0.841162
GMD 78.339882
GNF 9386.770176
GTQ 8.3687
GYD 227.103456
HKD 8.457134
HNL 27.760852
HRK 7.530617
HTG 142.360535
HUF 399.655626
IDR 17765.688328
ILS 3.96806
IMP 0.841162
INR 94.602184
IQD 1422.011507
IRR 45806.925973
ISK 146.299015
JEP 0.841162
JMD 169.99388
JOD 0.771424
JPY 161.600529
KES 140.567456
KGS 95.150202
KHR 4349.213477
KMF 491.63527
KPW 979.255513
KRW 1578.815551
KWD 0.335195
KYD 0.904609
KZT 544.020262
LAK 23514.242812
LBP 97259.510507
LKR 321.738197
LRD 217.092096
LSL 19.749972
LTL 3.21273
LVL 0.658151
LYD 5.22583
MAD 10.505552
MDL 19.316445
MGA 5061.464424
MKD 61.293428
MMK 2284.643063
MNT 3778.994195
MOP 8.68976
MRU 43.136507
MUR 49.125057
MVR 16.766261
MWK 1882.235196
MXN 21.684982
MYR 4.838014
MZN 69.523383
NAD 19.749972
NGN 1690.580083
NIO 39.945822
NOK 11.570345
NPR 150.964328
NZD 1.891092
OMR 0.417409
PAB 1.08551
PEN 3.981931
PGK 4.461779
PHP 62.369257
PKR 304.071584
PLN 4.185355
PYG 8618.73454
QAR 3.95633
RON 4.981324
RSD 116.759348
RUB 92.999614
RWF 1524.81472
SAR 4.080621
SBD 9.151755
SCR 15.642866
SDG 653.91781
SEK 11.020799
SGD 1.450866
SHP 0.855037
SLE 24.839909
SLL 22815.875834
SOS 620.405441
SRD 39.516928
STD 22520.448286
SVC 9.49834
SYP 14146.674843
SZL 19.756746
THB 36.635202
TJS 11.831833
TMT 3.819057
TND 3.353656
TOP 2.548322
TRY 39.893893
TTD 7.370552
TWD 35.841494
TZS 2887.355763
UAH 45.028605
UGX 3978.643753
USD 1.08805
UYU 46.261446
UZS 14060.730239
VES 69.75109
VND 27761.608139
VUV 133.784436
WST 3.066665
XAF 653.434958
XAG 0.032217
XAU 0.000364
XCD 2.940511
XDR 0.812663
XOF 653.434958
XPF 119.331742
YER 268.476295
ZAR 19.806278
ZMK 9793.762239
ZMW 31.072072
ZWL 350.351812
  • GSK

    0.2600

    39.49

    +0.66%

  • SCS

    0.2000

    10.99

    +1.82%

  • RIO

    1.8400

    63.04

    +2.92%

  • VOD

    0.0500

    9.55

    +0.52%

  • RBGPF

    66.0200

    66.02

    +100%

  • NGG

    0.8900

    63.21

    +1.41%

  • RYCEF

    0.0500

    10.4

    +0.48%

  • BTI

    -0.0200

    41.36

    -0.05%

  • CMSD

    0.1500

    23.35

    +0.64%

  • CMSC

    0.0500

    23.22

    +0.22%

  • BCC

    2.9700

    99.35

    +2.99%

  • AZN

    1.0900

    77.6

    +1.4%

  • RELX

    1.1200

    48.93

    +2.29%

  • JRI

    0.0335

    12.83

    +0.26%

  • BP

    1.0200

    33.39

    +3.05%

  • BCE

    -0.1990

    23.47

    -0.85%

'Rigid' Hong Kong office turned into artists' satire
'Rigid' Hong Kong office turned into artists' satire / Photo: May JAMES - AFP

'Rigid' Hong Kong office turned into artists' satire

At first glance, the office desk could belong to any Chinese executive -- an ashtray, mini-flags, a golden sculpture inscribed with the character for "integrity", and a picture of a local celebrity.

Text size:

Instead, it is part of a defiant art show challenging Hong Kong's stuffy power structures, held in an office tower at the heart of a finance district famous for its long hours and cut-throat competition.

The group exhibition -- named "RE:URGENT" in mockery of corporate-speak -- is meant to "subvert the office space that we are working in every day", said curator Renee Lui, managing director of Young Soy Gallery.

The exhibition mirrors a workspace, with four artists given a standard office cubicle to present their work in, and one displaying in the boss' office.

"This is sort of a really rigid space that people (wouldn't normally) see as being able to contain creative ideas," Lui told AFP.

The main office is occupied by artist Dominic Johnson-Hill, whose idiosyncratic desktop was inspired by his 28 years doing business in Beijing.

"I went to a lot of bosses' offices," he said. "I really wanted to sort of copy a lot of that paraphernalia."

His displayed pieces include a surreal digital wall clock, which tells time in an eerie, robotic voice.

Next to its numbers is a picture of people looking down at their phones whilst queuing to enter a coffin store.

Johnson-Hill came across such traditional shops in a Hong Kong neighbourhood and was inspired to create the piece, which he said poked fun at aimless work culture.

"I thought how wonderful it would be to see people dressed in office attire queuing... (it's) a ridiculous idea that was quite playful," he said.

In another cubicle, artist Riya Chandiramani sits role-playing as an "unpaid intern" who dreams of starting a feminist revolution.

In a painting, she imagines herself as the Hindu goddess Kali, forced into a treacherous game of snakes and ladders set in the workplace.

"The numbers also represent ages, and so there is also that aspect of women not being allowed to age," Chandiramani said.

- 'Rebels still allowed' -

The show is taking place during Hong Kong's "Art Month", headlined by art fairs which draw wealthy buyers from around the world.

But gallery co-founder Shivang Jhunjhnuwala said he decided to ditch the fairs after two years because of high exhibition costs and "a lack of confidence in the art market".

The show is pushing against the mainstream in its thematic matter too.

In one corner, almost unnoticed, is a palm-sized paper cutout of Chinese President Xi Jinping, trapped within multiple frames, by pseudonymous artist Louie Jaubere.

"The people are not in control of what the state dictates," the artist said.

"But it is not targeted at China; it generally represents government or state control."

Hong Kong's freedom of expression and political rights have been whittled away since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after large and sometimes violent protests the year before.

At the show's opening, retired architect Serena Chan said she appreciated the show's sense of humour.

"The other rebels are all gone," she said.

"Rebels in art are probably still allowed, so let's have more of that."

H.El-Din--DT