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Head of Hong Kong arts hub insists embattled museum never planned to show controversial photo by Ai Weiwei
- The photo, depicting the dissident artist’s middle finger raised against the backdrop of Beijing’s Gate of Heavenly Peace, has been at the centre of a torrent of criticism aimed at the museum by the pro-establishment camp
- But West Kowloon Cultural District chairman Henry Tang says the M+ museum never intended to show the photo
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Hong Kong’s M+ museum never planned to showcase a controversial photograph by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei depicting an upturned middle finger aimed squarely at the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Tiananmen Square during its opening exhibition, the chairman of the embattled West Kowloon Cultural District Authority insisted on Monday.
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While Henry Tang Ying-yen’s announcement confirmed an earlier report by the Post, some lawmakers said they were still concerned over the handling of some works that could potentially breach the Beijing-imposed national security law and raised the idea of removing any lawbreaking art from the museum’s collection.
Speaking after taking pro-establishment lawmakers on a tour of the museum on Monday, Tang stressed that the flagship contemporary art institution, set to open later this year, would fully comply with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, as well as the security law.
“There is no exception to the rule of law, and everyone must comply with the law,” Tang said, adding that he could not judge which artworks might violate the law as he was not a legal expert.
“I cannot tell whether [Ai’s] work will be exhibited or when it will be exhibited; I will leave it to our professional team to decide that. I place my confidence in them.”
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He also denied any accusations of censorship, saying: “There is no question of us retracting it or succumbing to pressure and changing it.”
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