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Hong Kong
OpinionComment
Dorothy Chan
Dorothy Chan

Macroscope | Hong Kong arts and culture need public support and private funding to succeed

  • Museums and cultural groups remain heavily dependent on government funding due to a lack of public appreciation
  • Education can change this, and wealth owners can also do more to support emerging artists and the sector’s development

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Creative arts undergraduates pose with their project, “Goldfish”, at an exhibition at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University’s Digital Art Laboratory on January 9. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Dorothy Chan
Hong Kong’s bustling arts scene is far from a recent phenomenon. Over past decades, it has reached a new level of sophistication. The opening of two world-class museums are prime examples, along with international art fairs and trade events, attracting enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe.
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With this flourishing sector, we have a unique opportunity to fund and grow public, private and philanthropic capital to accelerate the development of a sustainable and vibrant ecosystem to realise the city’s cultural hub ambition.

There is a general misconception that museums and other cultural groups are well-funded. According to industry stakeholders, however, museums and performance and other cultural groups are heavily dependent on public funds due to a lack of public appreciation for art and culture.

This perception was reflected in the public reaction when the M+ museum of visual culture started charging visitors after 12 months of free entry. While most were still keen to visit, many did not wish to pay the full ticket price for world-class exhibitions in Hong Kong. And yet they tended not to have such hesitations when travelling overseas.
While there is much coverage about the billions invested or donated to construct the physical infrastructure, not much attention is given to the operating cost required for museums and performance groups to stage new exhibitions and performances regularly.
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For instance, managing collections – which includes leasing, insurance, and display and storage of the works – easily cost a museum HK$100 million (US$12.7 million) annually. This is on top of the running costs of wages, building repairs, curatorial duties, conservation and research, just to name a few.

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