Presenter: Hong Kong Arts Centre
Media Partners: Sing Tao Daily, The Culturist

2022 HK Art Scene: Global Opportunities and Challenges Forum programme archive:

Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC), 2022 HK Art Scene: Global Opportunities and Challenges Forum drew to a successful close on 18 September, 2022 at the Shouson Theatre. Key arts and cultural leaders in the city shared their views and opinions on the current art scene and its development before and after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), enlightening viewers on how to better embrace upcoming opportunities and meet corresponding challenges on a global scale. This forum is an accredited event celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and is also a celebration of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the HKAC.

Officiating guests at the forum included: 

• Mr. LAU Chun, Raistlin, JP, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism;
• The Honourable Kenneth FOK Kai-kong, JP, Legislative Council Member; and
• Mr. Bryant LU, JP, Deputy Chairman, Board of Governors of the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

The Moderators of the Forum, Ms. Eve Tam (Deputy Director (Culture), Leisure and Cultural Services Department) and Mr. Tang Shu-wing, MH (Artistic Director, Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio) encouraged active engagement and organic discussion on two key infrastructural areas: The Multi-arts complexes possessing physical spaces and venues, and institutions which have fundamentally changed the demand and supply chain of artistic creations and products. Keynote Speakers included Dr. Darwin Chen, SBS (Former Chairman, Hong Kong Arts Development Council); Mrs. Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, GBS (Chief Executive Officer, The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority) and Prof. Lo King-man, SBS, MBE, JP (Founder, Hong Kong Arts Centre; Director-General, Musica Viva), whilst Panellists included Ms. Winsome Chow (Chief Executive, Hong Kong Arts Development Council); Mr. Mike Hill (Chief Executive Officer, Magnetic Asia); Mr. Albert Lee (Executive Director, The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited); Mr. Xavier Mahé (General Manager, Le French May Arts Festival and Co-founder, Boogie Woogie Photography), Dr. Louis Ng Chi-wa (Museum Director, Hong Kong Palace Museum of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority) and Ms. Adeline Ooi (Director Asia, Art Basel). Together they examined the challenges in the present conditions, and explored the possibility of future arts and cultural development in different facets in response to the global and current socioeconomic situation.

Mr. Bryant Lu, JP, Deputy Chairman, Board of Governors of the Hong Kong Arts Centre remarked, “This is an important time for the industry to strengthen Hong Kong's positioning as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange - as supported by the Central Government in our nation's 14th Five-Year Plan. With our 45 years of history in the arts and culture field, the HKAC will continue to nurture new talents and provide a platform for the continuing success of Hong Kong’s art and culture scene.”

Ms. Rebecca Ip, Executive Director of the HKAC said, “We are delighted to be taking part in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of HKSAR with the government’s official support, and would like to express our sincere gratitude to the speakers, attendees and media collaborators for their support. This forum provided stimulating discussion with key art leaders, enlightening us about key challenges and opportunities ahead, giving insight into the future development of the local art scene. We will continue to work closely with different stakeholders in the art industry and the community in order to further promote Hong Kong as a vibrant international cultural metropolis and achieve the objective of developing the city into an East-meets-West centre.”

2022 HK Art Scene: Global Opportunities and Challenges Forum  

Biographies of the Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Darwin Chen, SBS
Former Chairman, Hong Kong Arts Development Council 

Dr. Darwin Chen was responsible for the performing arts, public libraries and museums while serving as Director of Cultural Services of the Hong Kong Government in the 70′s and 80’s. He was former Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.  He currently serves as Senior Adviser of UNESCO Hong Kong Association and Honorary President of Hong Kong Children’s Choir.
His Civil Service appointments included Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing, Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Commissioner of Labour and Director of Buildings and Lands.
He serves on the board of several non-profit organisations, including two international charites: Habitat for Humanities International (Hong Kong) and Plan International (Hong Kong).
Awarded the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences (honoris causa) by the University of Hong Kong, Chen is also an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Honorary University Fellow of the University of Hong Kong, Honorary Fellow of the Education University of Hong Kong and Honorary Fellow of the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong.   He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government in recognition of his community service.

Prof. Lo King-man, SBS, MBE, JP
Founder, Hong Kong Arts Centre; Director-General, Musica Viva

Prof. Lo King-man was born in Hong Kong and educated at the Diocesan Boys’ School and The University of Hong Kong. He won an Italian Government Scholarship for advanced studies at the University of Rome, where he also received training at the Opera Theatre of Rome and the Morlacchi Theatre of Perugia.
Since the 1960s, Prof. Lo has written, directed and designed over a hundred stage productions ranging from opera, drama, to music and dance theatre, with performances in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe and America. During 2008-10, he directed ten major western opera productions for Musica Viva of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Beijing Music Festival, the Shanghai Opera House, the Zhou Xiaoyan Opera Centre of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Singapore Lyric Opera, all enthusiastically received with warm critical acclaim.
Over the years, he has made significant contributions to the Hong Kong community, not only in the performing arts but also in the fields of higher education and public service. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honours from international academic and arts institutions as well as the HKSAR Government and several foreign nations. In 2008, he participated in the creation of Musica Viva, an organization dedicated to nurturing young artists, and served as its Director-General.

Mrs. Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, GBS
Chief Executive Officer, The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Mrs. Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee has overall responsibility for formulating the Authority’s strategic directions and overseeing the day-to-day operations, working with a strong team to deliver the visionary West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project. She had been on secondment from the HKSAR Government to the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) as Acting Chief Executive Officer between December 2020 and June 2021 before assuming the post of Chief Executive Officer of WKCDA on 15 October 2021.
Mrs. Fung joined the Administrative Service of the Hong Kong Government in 1986.  Since then, she had served in a wide range of positions in various bureaux and departments, including as Press Secretary to Chief Secretary and Financial Secretary, Assistant Director of Trade, Deputy Government Chief Information Officer and Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower.
In 2007, Mrs. Fung was appointed Director of Information Services who was the Government’s chief advisor on public relations and publicity matters. She was appointed Director of Leisure and Cultural Services from 2009 to 2014 to oversee the development and management of cultural, sports and recreation facilities in Hong Kong. As Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs from July 2014 to April 2018, she oversaw the formulation of culture, sports and district administration policies and was actively involved in the implementation of the WKCD project including the Hong Kong Palace Museum project.
Mrs. Fung was Head, Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office from April 2018 to November 2020 prior to her secondment to WKCDA. 

Biographies of the Panellists

Ms. Winsome Chow
Chief Executive, Hong Kong Arts Development Council

Since joining Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) as the Chief Executive in 2015, Ms. Chow has sought more arts spaces and sponsorship for Hong Kong artists and the Council.  She has initiated numerous vital strategies and schemes over the years, including gradual improvements to the Council’s grant schemes and devising new ones, like the “Matching Fund Scheme” that has helped arts groups to grow with the support of their donors and sponsors.  She is keen to promote cultural exchange and led over 700 arts practitioners to various overseas festivals, expos, arts markets in Europe, America and Australia before the pandemic.  She promoted 24 arts programmes in major cities in the Mainland with some in digital format. To help artists and arts practitioners under the pandemic, she devised the “Support Scheme for Arts and Cultural Sector” in 2020 to distribute the Government’s relief fund.  Concurrently, she sought sponsorship from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to engage 68 arts units in a HK$25 million project, “Arts Go Digital Platform Scheme”.  She was bestowed the International Citation of Merit by the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) in 2022.

Mr. Mike Hill
Chief Executive Officer, Magnetic Asia

Mr. Mike Hill is the CEO of Magnetic Asia, a pioneer integrated event and entertainment solution house based in Hong Kong. Magnetic Asia is the parent company of Clockenflap: Hong Kong’s Music & Arts Festival, Neon Lights music and arts festival in Singapore, Your Mum, a Hong Kong based promoter of music and Ticketflap, a regional digital ticketing platform.
Music has always been a consistent passion for Mike, both as a promoter and as an electronic musician. That passion led him to co-found the Clockenflap Music & Arts Festival and assume the role of Festival Director. Mike has been instrumental in developing services across areas as diverse as ticketing, artist booking, digital marketing and event technology solutions. With a strong I.T. background, he has run various tech-focused businesses and has experience of designing and implementing systems across a range of business sectors.
He is also the founder and Managing Director of Kite Systems, a Hong Kong-based technology company.
Mike has a Bachelors (BEng Hons) Degree from Nottingham Trent University in Electronics and Computing and an MSc Degree from Liverpool University in Computer Science.

Mr. Albert Lee
Executive Director, The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited

Mr. Albert Lee is Hong Kong International Film Festival Society's incumbent Executive Director with a wealth of experience in production, distribution, exhibition, and corporate management for over four decades. After joining Golden Harvest in 1979, Albert became one of its key members, contributing to Hong Kong cinema's Golden Age. Recruited by Emperor Motion Pictures in 2003, he produced more than 20 films and was instrumental in leading EMP's expansion into the exhibition sector. Albert has sat on the board of the Hong Kong Film Development Council and Singapore Media Festival's advisory board. A member of the China Film Association, Asia Pacific Screen Academy, and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he has served as a jury member on many renowned festivals. He is passionate about film preservation.

Mr. Xavier Mahé
General Manager, Le French May Arts Festival and Co-founder, Boogie Woogie Photography

General Manager of the French May Arts Festival and co-founder of Boogie Woogie Photography, Xavier Mahé is devoted to the Arts, Culture and Creative industry. He graduated with a Master's degree in Anthropology from the University of Aix-en-Provence (France) and studied at ESRA International Film school. For fifteen years, Xavier Mahe occupied several strategic and manager positions in French national and local governments. Living and working in Hong Kong since 2014, he contributes to developing cross-cultural initiatives.

Dr. Louis Ng
Director, Hong Kong Palace Museum

Dr. Louis Ng was appointed the first Director of Hong Kong Palace Museum in August 2019, leading the construction of the new museum for its official opening on 3 July 2022.  He is a seasoned museum professional, arts administrator and historian with over 33 years of experience in arts administration and museum management.  Previously he was involved in the planning of many new museum projects in Hong Kong including Hong Kong Coastal Defence Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre and Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum. Prior to joining the Hong Kong Palace Museum, he was Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, overseeing the operations and programmes of public museums, performing arts venues and public libraries.  A historian by training, he earned his PhD from Chinese University of Hong Kong.  

Ms. Adeline Ooi
Director Asia, Art Basel

Adeline Ooi is the Director Asia at Art Basel, the international art fair staged annually across three cities in Hong Kong, Basel (Switzerland) and Miami Beach (USA). She is responsible for delivering the Art Basel show in Hong Kong, which takes place annually in March at the HKCEC. Trained in Central St. Martins College, London, Adeline has worked extensively across Asia over the past twenty years, with experience and knowledge about Asia’s art market and its rich, diverse art scenes. 

Biographies of the Moderators

Ms. Eve Tam
Deputy Director (Culture), Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Ms. Eve Tam is the Deputy Director (Culture) in the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.  She studied Fine Arts and graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1991. She holds a Master degree in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Hong Kong (2003) and a Master degree in Museum Studies from the University of Sydney (2012).
She is responsible for the planning and management of museums, performance venues, public libraries and indoor stadia; promotion and presentation of museum exhibitions, arts festivals, and visual, film, literary and performing arts programmes and intangible cultural heritage activities; conservation of cultural heritage; and the management of the Music Office. In the meantime, other than the museum projects, she is also steering developments of other cultural facilities such as new cultural centres and public libraries.

Mr. Tang Shu-wing, MH
Artistic Director, Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio

Renowned theatre director and drama educator, Mr. Tang Shu-wing is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, and former Dean of the School of Drama of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
His most famous works include Titus Andronicus, Titus Andronicus 2.0, Detention, Thunderstorm, Macbeth and King Lear. His major awards include Medal of Honour by the HKSAR, Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Honorary Fellows of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Lingnan University and Hong Kong Arts Centre, Three times Best Director in the Hong Kong Drama Awards, and Director of the Year of the IATC (HK) Critics’ Awards 2021, l’Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Excellence Award by the Undercloud Festival of Romania, "Arts & Culture" Award of the Grand Prix France Hong Kong 2022. He was selected as 100 most influential people in Hong Kong by British Debrett’s and South China Morning Post in 2015.