Editor’s Note: Hong Kong’s oldest public institute for showcasing of art, Hong Kong Museum of Art reopened after a massive three-year renovation in November 2019. In an exclusive interview to China Daily, museum director Maria Mok shares how her team made good work of the recurring challenges posed by the pandemic and managed to expand their audience base. Excerpts: 

Maria Mok, museum director, Hong Kong Museum of Art, says the museum’s sea-facing corridor is a favorite spot for people to hang out at. (PHOTO COURTESY: HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART)

The entire Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) collection was made available to view online by late March through the virtually@HKMoA program. How did you manage to accomplish such a mammoth task so soon after the outbreak of COVID-19?

As you probably know, we reopened after the completion of a major renovation in November 2019, and put on 11 exhibitions. At that time we already had plans to use many multimedia and interactive devices, besides moving image, animation and documentary films to complement the exhibitions. 

Unfortunately, the pandemic struck after just two months of our opening. So during the work-from-home period (in February and March), we decided to try to make the best use of our multimedia expertise and put the programs up on the HKMoA webpage so that people stuck at home could browse through them. And that's how we came up with the first framework of virtually@HKMoA. 

Of course after that we produced many more online programs, like those targeted specifically at children and virtual workshops. 

By March 30 we had uploaded our entire collection comprising 17,000 sets of items, online. Besides we had joined the Google Arts & Culture (digital platform), where you can see 140 items from our collection in high resolution format. 

COVID-19 led to the massive growth of curated online content — audio-visual and interactive online material that is not just a video recording (however professionally made) of a physical exhibition but a new cultural form in its own right. What are your thoughts regarding creating online material that goes beyond giving the audience an idea of the physical museum experience?

I think online museum experiences can be very exciting, but I don't think they're comparable to the physical show. When you come to an exhibition, you're going through an experience orchestrated by the curator who not only carefully selected the pieces of art (on display) but was also involved in the writing, design and every twist and turn of the exhibition layout. Such experiences would be very hard to reproduce online and that is part of the reason why we did not put virtual museum tours online. 

But we do want to do something that is very different from (a regular) physical museum experience – create an interesting extension program, and at the same time introduce the newly-renovated HKMoA and its collection, so that even after we recover from the crisis caused by the pandemic, the online programs might continue to stimulate people’s minds and arouse curiosity. So (in our multimedia products uploaded on virtually@HKMoA) we make use of interesting angles or corners in our newly-renovated building, using the architecture as part of an exhibition to create new experiences. 

For instance, we launched a program called Five Senses at HKMoA. We're using non-visualized media such as a capella, drama and singing bowls workshops held against the backdrop of art galleries to create an integrated experience and share it online. I hope such experiences will bring the audiences back to the museum when we reopen.

Installation by Hong Kong’s cross-disciplinary artist Frog King at Hong Kong Museum of Art. (PHOTO COURTESY: HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART)

Do you have a system of tracking visitor traffic to virtually@HKMoA?

It was 1.6 million in the period between our launch and end of November 2020. 

That’s impressive. Could you tell us anything about the exhibitions planned for 2021? 

When we reopen, we intend to follow three strategic paths. We now have 12 galleries of which seven are for exhibiting our collections. Using HKMoA’s four core collections – Chinese Antiquities, Modern and Hong Kong Art, China Trade Art, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy – we will be curating a series of exhibitions to showcase our DNA, and our story, reflecting the cultural legacy of Hong Kong. 

Many of our collections come from donations made by world-class collectors from Hong Kong, (such as Chih Lo Lou who donated his collection of Chinese landscape painting and calligraphy and K.S. Lo who donated a collection of tea ware and seals).  

The second strategy is to continue our narration on Hong Kong art through exhibitions, based on our own research. We will also commission contemporary artists to either echo our existing shows or to use our space to make new work – as a way of portraying Hong Kong art lineage. Being the first public art museum in Hong Kong that has been around for 58 years, we feel it’s important for us to carry on doing this. 

The third pathway would be to continue our international partnerships. We have been hosting important traveling exhibitions. Many major museums around the world have collaborated with us, the most recent one being The Uffizi from Florence (showing works by the master painter Sandro Botticelli, 1445—1510 CE, and his contemporaries from the Italian Renaissance). We hope to continue to bring world class art to a Hong Kong audience.

What impact did COVID-19 have on the way you and your team work at HKMoA? 

I think when there's a crisis, there are opportunities, and this has never been so true as now. The pandemic has made us think of new ways to overcome difficulties. For instance, we are now so used to online meetings… I even have a partner who says now they prefer online meetings because they don't even have to get dressed. We try to see the bright side of things.

Hong Kong Museum of Art has a huge collection of China trade paintings from the 18th and 19th century that throw light on the history of Sino-British trade from the period. Photo courtesy: (PHOTO COURTESY: HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART)

Will there be a reflection of the way COVID-19 changed our lives in the programing and forthcoming exhibitions of HKMoA？ 

Regarding exhibitions, we are expanding on the technology side, (incorporating) more projections, QR codes, AR experiences, so that when we want to promote an exhibition that people are not able to physically visit, we can quickly turn that into an online experience. Sometimes we have to think on two tracks, offering our audiences both physical and online accessibility at the same time. 

Museums in Hong Kong have been closed for the fourth time since the pandemic began. Was there a takeaway from having to deal with frequent shutdowns and cancellations of events? 

I think now we're significantly more aware of public health and safety. For instance, we have to remember to clean the interactive devices in the museum more often. Instead of docent-led tours, visitors now have to rely more on either audio guides downloaded on their phones. These are the things we have on the checklist when planning for a program. 

Would you like to tell us what makes the 18th and 19th century Hong paintings, which is one of your core collections and an important documentation of Sino-British trade activity around Canton (present-day Guangzhou), so special?

The China trade paintings collection is a very special one because recent research has shown that these images have been undervalued and even went unnoticed, and by (having them as part of our core collection) we’re trying to fill a gap in history. We have been able to date some of these paintings and thereby supplemented historical material towards the rebuilding of some of the houses in Guangzhou that figure in these paintings. By cross checking archival materials against (what is documented in) the paintings, we have been able to reinterpret and reinstate the value of these paintings which were previously regarded as souvenir art. Now they are regarded as important materials in the history of art as well as documents of the early stages of China trade. 

The Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is one of the most-visited spots in Hong Kong, by both locals and tourists. How can the renovated HKMoA building and its surrounds contribute to placemaking — i.e. help improve the lifestyle and wellbeing of the people who frequent the area?

Post-renovation we are trying to adopt a more modernized outlook – a sort of contemporary chic that is eye-catching. When it comes to placemaking, the HKMoA restaurant and bookshop play important roles. These facilities have their own entrances, which means they could become hubs where people can hang out and meet friends. I think it's important to see museum visits as not just a stand-alone activity, but a lively, cultural experience. I'm very happy to see people complimenting not just the exhibitions in the museum but also its new restaurant and bookshop. 

Because we are in a very attractive location, right by the waterfront, I've heard people say: I just like to hang out there with a friend, have a beer sitting next to your building, and that helps create the premise as well. 

Inviting community members to participate in museum events is something Hong Kong Museum of Art does on a regular basis. (PHOTO COURTESY: HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART)

There are interesting sculptures outside the HKMoA building which the public can engage with, like the steel shapes created by Kevin Siu, Bob Pang and Shuyan Chen of Aaam Architects that resonate with Hong Kong’s hills and sea waves …

Sure, we have outdoor installations, we have artistic furniture, and these are going to change every now and then. One of the favorite spots in the museum is the sea-facing corridor, where people can sit and look at the most famous scene of Hong Kong. And that creates a sense of belonging. The view and the sense of the place are synchronized with the experience of art appreciation.

Can you tell us a bit about the way we see an interface between nature and architecture in the renovated HKMoA building and how you used this to your advantage in positioning installations like Raymond Fung’s homage to Wu Guanzhong, and Rosanna Li’s Beyond, for example? 

I think the architect (Hong Kong’s Architectural Services Department led by Vivien Fung) has done a wonderful job by opening the space up. We have achieved a high level of openness and connectivity inside the museum as well as outside. The Raymond Fung and Rosanna Li sculptures you mentioned made good use of these features. The exhibition has now ended. There will be new works by others that will use the harbor view as a backdrop to echo their own artistic vision.

Nowadays museums are expected to be climate-conscious, energy-efficient spaces. Could you give us examples of environmentally conscious strategies you might have adopted?

The new constructions done as part of HKMoA’s renovation were done with environmental sustainability in mind. 

The museum’s new construction works employ green building designs and proposals with green and energy saving measures. New glass facades and skylights of the museum are fitted with high-performance low-e glazing. Equipped with good insulation, low reflection and high transmittance, it reduces internal heat gain effectively and leads to lower electricity consumption for air-conditioning. The new external walls have heat insulation properties. Considerable savings in electricity consumption for air-conditioning is achieved. 

Other energy-saving measures include high-performance air-cooled chiller with variable speed drive; automatic demand control chilled water circulation system; automatic demand control air supply system, and LED lights etc. 

Recyclable building materials were used. The original façade and wall tiles of the museum are preserved so as to reduce construction waste. There is also roof and ground green landscaping in suitable parts of the buildings, including horizontal greening, vertical greening and green roof. 

Inside the galleries we have done away with the traditional paper comment book. Visitors can leave comments on an ipad. Also we’re producing fewer exhibition booklets, replacing these with downloadable QR codes.  

In a hypothetical situation, if the allotted budget was cut, how do you think you will adjust the expenditure？ 

Although we are publicly funded, or rather because we are publicly funded, we have always been very careful with our resources and spending money. We don’t always work with big budgets, and that’s our chance to go creative. 

I think if I did have to cut corners I will spend less on publicity. In recent years we have been using a lot of free publicity, such as social media platforms and we try to be creative in using such platforms, understand how these work by doing small-scale surveys of users and try to make the best out of that platform.

How about the spending on community education, research and publication as well as hosting international symposia? Any significant changes in these areas in the time of COVID-19?  

Well, thanks to COVID-19 you could now invite people to join webinars rather than having to fly them, which is way more expensive. So we can be a lot more clever and flexible in providing those services. 

I’m more concerned about promotion, especially since in Hong Kong there are so many distractions. How do you retain people’s appetite for visiting the museum? How do you tell people that you have a good show and that's very expensive? So I am looking to find free channels of publicity, trying to produce content that goes viral, ideas that can help promote us online. That’s really the most economic way for public museums.

There is a very strong community outreach component to HKMoA’s programing. The workshops leading to the striking Capture the Sky installation, in which participants came from across all 18 districts of Hong Kong, is a great visual example of this. Would you like to give us more illustrations of museum visitors getting to experience a sense of ownership of the facility? 

If you search #HKMoA, you will see thousands of posts coming up. Typically you would expect people to talk about an exhibition that they've seen or an art piece but I’m delighted that a lot of people actually enjoy the space. It’s very heartening and that's where the ownership comes from. 

The other day I saw someone trying to photograph a cute figurine signage on the side of a staircase.  That meant the visitor had a special experience inside the museum and wanted to remember small details like that, and I'm really glad that it's not just about the art and exhibitions, rather the entire museum, things with a human touch. 

I hope when people come here they feel that this is a Hong Kong museum – a place where they can see Hong Kong’s cultural lineage and art legacy. This is where the world comes to Hong Kong as well, as we host international shows. In our four core collections you see the old and new, East and West, traditional and contemporary, international and local. All these elements are representative of Hong Kong. People enjoying the art in these collections, in a space where they can see the harbor view of Hong Kong, makes the experience whole. 

What are your thoughts regarding sharing resources with disadvantaged and underprivileged groups? For example, Hong Kong has a huge and growing elderly population not all of whom are digitally well-equipped. How could the HKMoA include them in its programs?

HKMoA has been collaborating with different groups working for the disadvantaged and underprivileged people. For instance, we have a summer art camp program sponsored by Friends of Hong Kong Museum of Art. And it's been running for 12 years. Each year we select or work with one specific underprivileged group. It could be autistic children, families with low income, and so on. One of our recent collaboration programs is called Accessible Art at HKMoA, sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. We collaborated with Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong. That's a program that provides a range of materials people with special needs can use. 

In three of HKMoA’s galleries, the exhibitions come with audio description, Braille description and sign-language videos. So we have been very active and engaged in these types of partnerships. 

Would you say HKMoA has achieved a degree of disaster-readiness? Looking back on the measures you took to cope with the pandemic, would you have done anything differently?

There is always room for improvement. For instance, when we closed the last time during the third wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong, we launched an interesting online campaign. It’s called #travelwithHKMoA where we use a piece of art to share traveling experiences with our audiences. It included Wu Guanzhong’s paintings done in Japan and Kong Kai-ming’s sketches of Hong Kong’s streets etc. Everytime we post these on our web page, we get a huge number of likes. There is also # HKMoAcollectionQnA where we pinpoint funny things about the art in our collections. 

I think we should have been more prepared for the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreak. Now that we’re closed again, I feel I should have worked on an expanded #travelwithHKMoA campaign, giving our audiences a new post and a new destination to explore during this time.

We have been working really, really hard to turn all the disadvantages into advantage. The number of our online followers has doubled since the end of last year. I think this was because we could quickly invest a lot of resources, energy, time and ideas on our online platforms. We’re trying to do the best we can. 

If you had a dream goal on behalf of HKMoA to achieve in the next 5 years, what would that be?               

Since we reopened in November 2019, people have been curious about us. Visitors have told me: you really exceed our expectations. I have seen social media posts where people have said: I spent five hours at HKMoA today, and there is still so much to see that I want to come back. So that's very encouraging. 

I hope in 5 years’ time people will still remain curious about us. Only today someone told me: I wanted to see the exhibition you put on and now you’re closed already. I hope 5 or 10 years later, people will still say: I really want to come back. By that time it won’t be because they want to visit a newly-renovated building, but rather because those people will have fallen in love with art.

I think people are enjoying the way our exhibitions are curated.  Being a public art museum, people expect us to be a conventional space, presenting a lot of traditional art, but we want a refreshed way of seeing the tradition to come through in our curating. I think if we continue in that direction, people will eventually start getting inspired by the new curatorial input, and start enjoying traditional art from a new perspective, presented with a twist.

Interviewed by Chitralekha Basu