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Various artworks in the ¡§Building Hong Kong-redwhiteblue¡¨ exhibition Kenix Wong
Red, white & blue for a better future
By Kenix Wong
It was not until the veteran pop singer Sam Hui's comeback concert that many people paid attention to red, white and blue plastic bags.On his concerts, mini red, white and blue plastic bags were given to the audience as souvenirs.
Yet, Stanley Wong, a multi-media worker, has been taking photographs of red, white and blue for more than 10 years already.
Red, white and blue is the generic term for the tri-color plastic fabric, which is mainly used for making low-priced carrying bags. It can be used as the canopy for street stalls and the covers for the scaffolding in construction sites as well.
Mr. Wong, also known as ¡§anothermountainman¡¨, has engaged in a special project known as ¡§Building Hong Kong¡¨, which tries to search for ¡§Hong Kong Spirit¡¨ through creative artworks in red, white and blue, since 2001.
Currently, he is the guest curator of the ¡§Building Hong Kong-redwhiteblue¡¨ exhibition organized by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum .
¡§Twenty artists of various professions and styles were invited to express their views on ¡¥Hong Kong Spirit' through artworks made of red, white and blue fabric,¡¨ he said.
Mr. Wong himself regards ¡§Hong Kong Spirit¡¨ as the optimistic attitude towards life and active involvement in the construction of Hong Kong .
Through the artworks, Mr. Wong expressed his opinions about how Hong Kong people should behave in order to make Hong Kong a better place to live in.
¡§Red, white and blue represents some qualities that Hong Kong people should possess, for example, perseverance and endurance.
¡§ Hong Kong people are quite pessimistic sometimes. When they encounter difficulties, they do nothing constructive to improve the situation but grumble about their misfortune.¡¨
He thinks Hong Kong people should be as tough as the red, white and blue material when they are faced with .
In his opinion, many Hong Kong people are selfish and are only concerned about their own interest. To build a better Hong Kong , he believes that everyone should let go their self-interest and work hard together.
¡§The sense of unity among Hong Kong people is weak. During the period of SARS, however, it is noticeable that Hong Kong people have become more positive.
¡§The sense of unity has grown among them. I hope they can keep this attitude,¡¨ he said.
Using the red, white and blue material to create artworks, he wants to convey the message that the seemingly insignificant goods in society have their uses and are worth paying attention to.
¡§I believe that the red, white and blue material has great potential.
¡§Vivienne Tam deploys this material to produce bags. Also, I once saw a red, white and blue plastic bag sold in a boutique in Soho , London , as a trendy and interesting item.
¡§In my exhibitions, there are a great variety of art pieces that are made of this fabric, for instance, an evening gown and a children's playground. ¡§The point I want to illustrate is that everything is possible. Humble materials can also be used to create something modern and special.¡¨
The exhibition goes on till the 18th of April this year. To take a closer look at the redwhiteblue core value of Hong Kong , step in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum before the spring ends.
Various artworks in the ¡§Building Hong Kong-redwhiteblue¡¨ exhibition Kenix Wong
Various artworks in the ¡§Building Hong Kong-redwhiteblue¡¨ exhibition
Courtesy of Stanley Wong