Editor’s Note: Asia Society Hong Kong Center kept busy during the most challenging months of the pandemic, and continues to hold both on-site and online events. In an exclusive interview to China Daily, executive director S. Alice Mong shares how her team coped with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and managed to connect with newer audiences both within and outside of Hong Kong. Excerpts:

Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s executive director S. Alice Mong says the organization will continue to explore diversity in its programing. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

A number of multi-talented high-achievers were honored at Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s (ASHK) Arts and Culture Virtual Gala recently. Would you like to tell us how the honorees were chosen and the point of honoring people who are already rather well-known in their respective fields, such as filmmaker Ruby Yang and multi-disciplinary artist Du Yun?

Although the awardees we chose are well-known in their respective fields, some of them may not be that well-known to the general public. Yes, Du Yun is a well-known composer who won the Pulitzer (in 2017, for her opera Angel’s Bone) and Shen Wei is widely-known as a choreographer, but all of them may not be as well-known as you might think.

We wanted to honor those 12 people for their achievements but also because of their ties with us. We wanted to show them our gratitude.

Each one of the honorees, in their own way, has directly contributed to diversity and inclusion — the theme for this year’s ASHK Arts and Culture Virtual Gala. For example, Sanjoy K. Roy (managing director, Teamwork Arts) who worked with us on India by the Bay (an annual festival of Indian culture in Hong Kong) helped introduce diversity to our programing. The late Daniel Yat Chiu Ng helped us commission our first piece of music (composed by Aenon Loo) performed here (at the opening of Miller Theater in February 2012). And he actively worked to recruit young Asian music talents.

An exhibition of works by the Chinese-French painter Lalan (Xie Jinglan, 1921—1995) is running at ASHK at the moment. It is the latest in a series of solo shows by Chinese women artists, such as Pan Yuliang and Irene Chou. Would you like to tell us how Lalan’s works hold a unique place in the canon of 20th-century women Chinese painters, and why you would like viewers to come see the exhibition?

Lalan is in fact the fourth in our series of focus on 20th-century Chinese women artists which began with Fang Zhaoling.

Some years back we asked ourselves, how come we have heard about Wu Guanzhong, Chu Teh-chun and Zao Wou-ki… but not that many (Chinese) women artists? Then we found out there were women artists working in the same period but they weren’t appreciated in their lifetime.

Also Lalan was under her first husband Zao Wou-ki’s shadow (for a long time). So for us doing a Lalan show was a no-brainer.

Lalan integrated the arts. She trained as a singer (at Hangzhou National College of Art) and later on as a dancer. She also practiced tai qi. Now we take integrated art for granted, but she was doing that in the 1970s.

A third of the works in this exhibition has never been seen in public. We are showing her works from the 1950s to around the time she died in 1995. Getting an opportunity to do that for any artist is really fantastic.   

A former British explosives magazine from World War II was re-vitalized into a striking piece of architecture that now houses Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s premises in Admiralty.  (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Taking my cue from the theme of inclusion and diversity that you mentioned earlier, can we expect to see more solo shows by not just important Chinese women artists, but also artists from Asia who are women or belong to other marginalized groups?

We commissioned the opera Mila in 2018. It’s about a Filipino domestic helper here in Hong Kong. For me our work in ASHK has to do with hearing the voices of those less heard, whether it’s a woman artist working in the South of France (like Lalan) or a Filipino domestic helper trying to adjust to a life with her Chinese employers.    

When you exclude a group, you lose the richness of a society. For example, the contributions made by the ethnic groups to Hong Kong since before it was colonized by the British (in 1843) are tremendous. And then we have the Chinese population that came from the mainland. So we already have a lot of diversity here but we aren’t celebrating it. Without the foreign domestic helper workforce, I’m not sure Hong Kong would be as dynamic as it is today.

For us at ASHK, it’s important to celebrate the contributions of these ethnic groups toward making Hong Kong a global city.

Would you like to give us a sneak preview of how diversity is going to be reflected in ASHK’s future programs?

India by the Bay, which we’ve been hosting since 2014, has been one of our most successful programs. In it we celebrate the diversity of India today. I think the festival added to Hong Kong’s understanding of India and we will continue to partner with them.

I’m also particularly proud of the International Jewish Film Festival. It includes feature films and documentaries that give the audience a sense of what it means to be Jewish today and also historically.  

We have helped foster the growth of these two festivals.

We also work with various consulates in Hong Kong. In 2014, the Italian consul general had asked us: Would you like to do a Caravaggio (Italian painter, 1571—1610) show in Hong Kong? And we said yes, because how often do you have such masterpieces travelling to Asia?

We are going to continue to explore the diversity of Hong Kong. 

Installation view of the Chinese-French artist Lalan’s (1921—1995) retrospective show at Asia Society Hong Kong Center. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

ASHK was quick to respond to the pandemic, by launching a series of online talks and panels focusing on the virus and public health, including mental health. This was quite remarkable, given ASHK is seen primarily as a cultural organization. Would you like to share highlights from your experience of putting this series together?

We’re not just a cultural organization. Originally we were about business and policy.  After moving into this building (ASHK’s current location at 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty) in 2012, because we had a theater, gallery and multi-purpose function hall, our arts and culture content increased. We still do business and policy, partner with various universities. And the COVID-19 series was about building on that.

Around the time of Chinese New Year in 2020, we began hearing of a SARS-like disease spreading in China. We knew Hong Kong has a history of dealing with infectious diseases. Hundred and twenty years ago, (cases of) plague were found in Hong Kong. (In the beginning of 2020), as there was a lot of fake news (circulating), and people were nervous about this mysterious new disease, we thought why not talk to the experts in the field.

We launched the first talk in February, 2020. In the beginning it was mostly local experts. And then as the program grew we talked to experts from Johns Hopkins, Berkeley and London.

We were the first Asia Society Center to do it and many other Asia Society Centers, in Mumbai, and Los Angeles, for example, are now doing it. As long as COVID-19 is still around, we will continue to talk about it with experts. 

You kick-started the series in the very early days of livestreamed online panels. In February 2020, much of the world still did not know what a Zoom conference was… I think ASHK has been quick to respond to the changing realities, be it hosting a panel on Bitcoin in mid-2014 when it was a very new concept, or the ongoing COVID-19 panels. What’s the secret behind being able to stay ahead of the curve?

I think the secret lies in listening. Such curiosity is in our DNA. We listen.

I never heard of Bitcoin until Jehan Chu (art advisor and co-founder of Blockchain trading firm Kenetic) suggested we do an event on the subject. I was quite skeptical about the idea and I still am. So I said, alright, we could have a panel but you got to give me both sides of the story. Fast forward seven years later, we recently did another panel to talk about NFTs (non-fungible tokens) which is now the art world’s darling. Seven years ago I had thought, give it a year or two and we may not hear again about Bitcoin. But seven years on it’s still there.

So one of the things I try to do is stay curious and listen to our members. Also being nimble (matters), for today’s hot topic is out of date tomorrow.

Right now I’m interested in ESG (environmental, social and governance criteria that companies adopt out of concern for the ethical impact and sustainability of the investment they make). Many corporates and other organizations are talking about how they will fulfill such goals.

If there is a certain topic people are talking about, I would like to see its different facets and different developments (reflected in ASHK forums).

This year we reached more people than previous years combined by going online on social media. And I had not even heard of Zoom in January 2020.   

During much of 2020, ASHK continued to host both online and on-site programs, including the open-air sculpture exhibition co-produced with Hong Kong Art Gallery Association, and Next Act: Contemporary Art from Hong Kong, featuring works by 10 noted local artists. What was the most challenging aspect of hosting these shows during the height of the pandemic? And what were your takeaways from the experience?

The challenge was in not knowing from day to day. We had several exhibitions lined up but the government ordered cultural venues to remain closed. I remember writing a letter to the editor in a local newspaper arguing that museums were the safest place during COVID-19. You don’t touch the exhibits and as long as you are masked up and a museum operates at reduced capacity… So I argued that museums should be kept open. It’s good for people’s mental health. Co-incidentally, the day the piece came out, the government ordered museums to reopen.

We had a number of programs that we had to put online, postpone or cancel at the last moment, or postpone.

So the takeaway from last year is that now we have a Plan B and also plans C and D.

Another challenge was losing the revenue from renting out our spaces to corporate events and private functions, in order to cover operational costs. It all dried up… (including) the incomes from our store and the restaurant. But the great thing is that none of our members dropped out although there were no events to attend. And to have that vote of confidence was really helpful.

In the end, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you better. We never done a virtual gala before but we figured out how to do it and held our first one in November 2020. We raised more money, got more viewership and made more impact.

Because we are willing to learn, and change on a dime, that has made us resilient.

And we never had to lay off staff. We all took pay cuts and went on unpaid leave. So as hard as last year was, it also boosted our confidence. I am particularly proud that we have come together as a team.  

To complement the Lalan exhibition, Allen Lam was invited to choreograph a performance piece inspired by Lalan’s dance moves. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

ASHK was a key partner in launching the Art Power HK initiative to keep the constituents of Hong Kong’s art ecosystem active and supporting each other during the pandemic. Sadly the campaign came to an end recently. Personally I felt the platform was a useful resource site with curated, up-to-speed content for people interested in the Hong Kong art scene. Would you like to tell us how it came about and why it couldn’t continue, regardless of the pandemic?

The working group of Art Power HK is all ladies. We didn’t mean to discriminate. It happened that way.

When Art Basel Hong Kong (ABHK) 2020 was cancelled, preparation was already underway for exhibition openings etc. Some of us, like, Katie de Tilly, founder of 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Kiri Sinclair, CEO of Sinclair communications, Georgina Hilton, head of marketing strategy and events, Asia Pacific, Christie's, Levina Li-Cadman, co-founder of Art-Partners… we all knew each other socially, decided that just because there would be no art fairs, doesn’t mean we cannot have an art month.

That’s how Art Power HK came about. We decided to share the information that the art scene was alive in Hong Kong. We all dug into our pockets.

In the beginning we thought we’d run it until end of May 2020. We always had an end date in mind because it was always going to be a temporary campaign. But we kept extending because of the way COVID-19 developed.

We decided to close it end of June this year, as things are almost back to normal in Hong Kong. The art fairs happened. The exhibitions and auction houses are open. We are all stronger than the way we were a year ago.

I think we have accomplished our objective, which was to unite us. Last year we needed that unity. (It was) especially (useful) for some of the smaller institutions to have that platform. Also the viewership (of Art Power HK panels) was sizeable, with many people outside of Hong Kong, including from the US and the UK, tuning in. 

It’s (a testament to) the power of the growing art and culture infrastructure of Hong Kong.

ASHK completed 30 years in 2020. I imagine some of your plans for an anniversary celebration got derailed or had to be toned down because of the pandemic. Would you like to tell us how you celebrated and plan to celebrate the events that were put on hold?

Some of the 30th anniversary celebratory events I had thought of do not make sense any more. One of the programs I had in mind was a conference about the Sino-US relationship. That could not happen. On the other hand the idea of celebration came to fruition in the two virtual galas we hosted in November 2020 and June 2021 — events I had not planned.

I had thought of hosting site-specific performances (at our premises), and that did happen. We had a site-specific dance piece (choreographed by Allen Lam) to complement the Lalan show. So some of the things I had envisioned two years ago happened, but not the way I originally planned them. But we had more eyeballs, and that in some ways was better than what I expected.

I was wondering if now might be the time to revisit the shelved conference on Sino-US relationship. There seems to be growing misconceptions and misgivings on both sides and these issues have never been more pertinent…

That’s correct, but a lot of people are already doing different versions of it. So the question I ask myself is: what can we do that will add to (the conversation). I am interested in the 50th anniversary of (former US President Richard) Nixon’s visit to China, which is in February 2022. So the question to raise is: between 1972 and 2022, what could we have done to make the situation better.

Some of the people who worked on developing the Sino-US relationship 50 years ago are still around. So we might still go ahead and have the conference but I’m not sure what form it will take because I don’t know what the situation will be in February 2022.

You mentioned the opera Mila. Could we expect to see more original productions commissioned by ASHKC in the near future?

Yes. For the 10th anniversary of our moving into this building next year, I would like to commission an original work. I envision us putting on something that is uniquely Asia, involving Asian talents, telling the audience of Asia today.

There is a lot of turmoil in Asia, but there is also vitality in Asia’s creative artists. More young people are studying arts. I see a creative energy that is probably comparable to the kind seen in New York post World War II — when many of the artistic ideas came from all over Europe and ended up in New York. I see a similar energy here in Hong Kong, and that’s why I am so excited.

And we at ASHK will play a role by commissioning new work. I see my job as a synchronizer (of the creative energies from around Asia). And ASHK is the perfect platform to do that.

I fondly remember a Pansori performance by the Korean artist Jaram Lee from December 2015 which is a fine example of ASHK showcasing an indigenous Asian cultural form from outside of Hong Kong. While COVID-19 remains a major hurdle in the way of international travel, do you see such cross-country collaborations picking up again at some point?

There’s a lot you could do online. At our Thanksgiving Virtual Gala in November 2020, we got a number of artists from Hong Kong and the US to perform the song “You've Got to Be Carefully Taught,” adapted from the original number in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 Broadway musical South Pacific.

It was on online project. We got musicians from Broadway, like Jose Llana who is Filipino-American. The video was put together during the height of Covid. We had a happy version and then we did a somber version on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. That song to me symbolizes our mission. You see so much division in the world right now that it feels like our job is to remind people that we are more alike than different.

The two bridges in this building are also a symbol of what we do. We have plenty to learn from each other. This might sound naïve, but somebody has to try.

Asia Society was founded as a mission (to deepen the understanding between the peoples in the United States and Asia) in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, during the height of Cold War. ASHK was founded in 1990 with four or five staff and now we have 30, including fresh grads. So right now I have more people helping me to do the lifting.    

Mila, a chamber opera depicting the life of a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong, was commissioned by Asia Society Hong Kong Center. It played in Hong Kong, New York and San Francisco. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Then while the support of colleagues can go a long way in making an institution of this stature and prestige thrive, there’s also the mundane matter of sustaining ASHK financially, especially in the time of a pandemic. Are you considering alternative avenues of generating funds?

Unlike a lot of cultural organizations in the US, we do not have an endowment to fall back on, so I am always looking for ways to generate income without diluting our mission.

We could make money easily by renting out this space as a wedding venue. But that’s not our mission.

Once more people get vaccinated we could probably go back to renting out parts of our premises to host corporate events. But we will also continue to look for creative collaborations.

We need to reach out to people living in Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok. Some of them see ASHK as unattainable. But I believe you could be elite without being elitist.

So I am thinking of using our educational and community programs to reach out to them. Many people from Sham Shui Po won’t know what we’re about. So it’s up to us to convey the message to them. We have to be more pro-active.

Hong Kong Jockey Club gave us a wonderful grant to start a program called Joyful Readers Community Project. It’s a program that encourages family and kids to read (in the time of shutdowns during a pandemic). So if we have an interesting program that benefits the community, I know we can get local foundations to support it.

Hong Kong Arts Development Council gave us a matching grant to support the current Lalan exhibition.

So if we’re doing a good job, I think we’ll continue to get the funds.

We saw a lot of competitive bidding at the last online art auction held during the virtual gala in June and sold two thirds of the 45 artworks. That to me is like a vote of confidence.

As you noted early on in this interview, when ASHK was started, there was a strong focus on business and public policy and then after the center’s move to this gorgeous location in Admiralty with a lot of open-air spaces, adapted from a former British explosives magazine, the scales tilted towards cultural content. In 2020, understandably, discussions on public health took precedence. Between hosting discussions on health, climate change, public policy, finance and art exhibitions, what do you see as priority for ASHK in say the next five years?

I would like to see more people coming to ASHK and that includes average Hong Kong people. Actually (newer) audiences are already coming. In the last two months I have seen many new faces coming to see our exhibition. Local tour groups are coming here. Earlier when we had an exhibition we’d reach out to the community and try to bus them in. Now they come on their own. I want to see that number grow.

And we’re offering exciting things. The exhibition is interesting. And it’s free. The environment is beautiful. And the restaurant (AMMO) is affordable. So I think we can do it.

Our other audiences are those from the mainland with an interest in art and culture. Once M+ opens this year and Palace Museum by the middle of next year, we’re going to have to tap the mainland art and culture tourists. If you’re coming all the way from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou to see Hong Kong museums, you should consider stopping by at ASHK. So that’s another sector that has growth potential.

The present Hong Kong government is keen to develop Art Tech, i.e. supporting projects that use advanced technology in the service of art. Do you think ASHK might want to take advantage of the government support to bring tech-driven or tech-heavy shows to its audiences?

Yes, directly and indirectly. I think this November we’re going to work with an organization that will stage an Art Tech event. They needed a very special outdoor space like ours. I’m afraid I can’t give you the details right now.

So we can bring in artists who do Art Tech or collaborate with galleries and other foundations to bring artists and their projects here, because we have such a unique space.

We have already done site-specific AR shows here. If somebody were to do a drone show or a light show that involves a lot of technology, our space is (a) perfect (fit).

So I see ASHK as more like a canvas. As long as there is support for Art Tech-based projects, (we invite artists to) make use of it. If you want to build a giant sculpture, for instance, the sky is the limit.

I am not an artist myself, and nor do I understand technology, but I’m ready to collaborate with people who do. If people come to me with an interesting idea that we could jointly work on, I’d say, why not?

When this interview goes out, what you just said could read as a call to artists to pitch you ideas…

Oh, I get them all the time. There’s a review committee that makes the decisions though. And once they approve the search for funding begins.  

Interviewed by Chitralekha Basu