'Rigid' Hong Kong office turned into artists' satire

HONG KONG - 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.

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.

An artist poses during the opening of an exhibition titled 'RE:URGENT' by Young Soy Gallery in Hong Kong
AFP | May JAMES

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. 

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

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. 

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