The Long Journey of Baking M+

A timeline of M+’s development as a museum dedicated to visual culture and its contributions to the Hong Kong art ecology in the contemporary global context.

While we read and review the Time Capsules vigorously, the student projects have yet to be fact-checked in their totality. We are sharing them openly as they are with the intention of building different thresholds from which others may discover new ideas for future research or build on existing explorations. We welcome your feedback, dialogue, and discussion. This project was written in . Last updated TBC. 

Introduction

After over two decades of heated debates, M+, the first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia, finally opened to the public on November 12, 2021.[1] Serving as a vital hub for visual art production, exhibition, collection, research, and education, M+ has brought about a profound transformation in the art landscape of Hong Kong. However, deeply entangled with government policies, local politics, social critiques, and public involvement, the establishment of this institution has been far from smooth.

At the time of M+’s inception, visual culture was still a nascent discipline, Hong Kong’s art institutional system was exploring decolonizing pathways, and Hong Kong art was striving to transcend frames within an East-meets-West paradigm or as a periphery of Chinese art.[2] Given these circumstances, M+ undertook the responsibility of representing Hong Kong’s art narratives and identities. Throughout its construction process, Hong Kong experienced turbulent political unrest and social movements, forcing M+ to make constant adjustments to adapt to the ever-changing external contexts. The museum thus grappled with challenges of how art should navigate political sensitivities and find its standpoint within the social-political realms.

Examining the key milestones, setbacks, and breakthroughs encountered during the long journey of “baking” provides valuable insights into M+’s vision, values, and the art ecology of Hong Kong. Our project traces the timeline of M+’s development as a museum dedicated to visual culture, discussing how it probes localized voices and identities, and how it contributes to the Hong Kong art ecology in the contemporary global context.

Methodology

The first part of the project builds a chronological timeline of M+ from 1996 to 2021, tracing its institutional history from its ambiguous beginnings in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) plan up to its official opening as a global museum of visual culture. We have divided M+’s development into three sub-periods: “1996–2006,” “2007–2014,” and “2015–2021.” The first sub-period, although relatively lesser known to the public, laid a crucial foundation for the subsequent development of M+ and its emphasis on visual culture. The second sub-period involved increased public engagement and further promoted the construction of M+, including proposals for architectural design and improvements to collection policies. The third period witnessed the physical construction and systematization of M+ during precarious years of political agitation. For this part, we mainly rely on primary sources from the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) and M+ websites.

While official documents provide insights into the authoritative visions for the art hub, public commentaries act as sparkling explosions, disrupting the official narratives and making time “more visible, perceivable, and sensible.”[3] Hence, the second part of our research assembles a collection of newspaper clippings from leading Hong Kong publishers such as the South China Morning Post, Ming Pao, Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kong Economic Journal, and Wen Wei Po. By compiling and examining these clippings, the timeline of M+ is presented in a way that goes beyond a linear and authoritative narrative. This approach captures the breadth of views and concerns from various communities, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the development journey of M+ and the Hong Kong art ecology.

Conclusion

Looking back on the history of M+ prior to 2006, the conception of having M+ and visual culture is not an overnight idea but a result of collective thoughts and, to some extent, a compromise among different interest holders, for it could be hard to summarize the diverse opinions of government officials, artists, curators, public, and commercial interests. For the total 66 themes received during the consultation period (2003–2006), it is impossible to apply all of them, but it would be regrettable to disregard any of them. Therefore, the significance of visual culture extends beyond aligning with global trends and manifesting local identity; it also signifies inclusiveness. From this standpoint, while visual culture may not be the most idealized theme, it stands as the most all-encompassing and comprehensive concept that can embrace a wide array of existing themes and accommodate future additions. This partially explains why M+’s collection policy was initially defined in broad and inclusive terms. It is perhaps this very flexibility and inclusiveness that contributed to Swiss collector Uli Sigg’s decision to donate his vast selection of contemporary Chinese art in 2012, as M+ demonstrated the courage to shoulder social responsibilities by exhibiting artworks that reflect social issues.[4] Additionally, M+’s acceptance of Sigg’s collections aligns with another mission of visual culture, as highlighted by Nicholas Mirzoeff: “to point out social issues in the hope of solving them.”[5]

The comments from newspapers and the subsequent timeline reveal the controversies surrounding M+’s endeavor to maintain both localness and globalness, attracting international attention while catering to the local residents. As one of the first museums focusing on visual culture, M+ confronts challenges in defining its positions and addressing specific issues such as collection policies, collaborations with artists and responses to socio-political concerns. Although our intention for this archival timeline does not encompass financial matters, the changes in stakeholders and construction methods throughout different periods have triggered us to contemplate whether art and money can be viewed as entirely separate. Furthermore, the existence of M+ has prompted recurring questions about the definition of art and visual culture in the contemporary art world and contributed to the expanding definition of Hong Kong art. Our timeline of M+ offers a periodic reference point for the institution’s long journey, a place to look back and reflect on as M+ heads toward its future.

Footnotes

[1] “M+, Asia’s First Global Museum of Contemporary Visual Culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Opens to Public Today,” M+ Website, 12 November, 2021, 

https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/press/m-plus-opens-to-public-211112/.

[2] In 2001, David J. Clarke wrote a book envisioning a possible framework for the narration of Hong Kong art history, proposing that the subjectivity of Hong Kong art should transcend the seductively celebratory framing of the East-West dichotomy. For more information, see David J. Clarke, Hong Kong Art Culture and Decolonization (London: Duke University Press, 2002).

[3] Mieke Bal, “Activating Temporalities: The Political Power of Artistic Time,” Open Cultural Studies 2, no. 1 (2018): 84–102, 84.

[4] Uli Sigg once explained his decision to donate his collection to M+: “I have repeatedly expressed in public my readiness to bring my collection back one day to China, yet having never received any signal of interest from public institutions in mainland China, except for M+, which reached out its hand.” Anon, “Uli Sigg Donation Will be Game-changer for Hong Kong & Chinese Contemporary Art,” Jing Daily, 12 June, 2012.

[5] Nicholas Mirzoeff, An Introduction to Visual Culture (London: Routledge, 2009), 2.

Bibliography

Bal, Mieke. “Activating Temporalities: The Political Power of Artistic Time.” Open Cultural Studies 2, no. 1 (2018): 84–102. 

Clarke, David J. Hong Kong Art Culture and Decolonization. London: Duke University Press, 2002.

M+ Website. “M+, Asia’s First Global Museum of Contemporary Visual Culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Opens to Public Today.” November 12, 2021. https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/press/m-plus-opens-to-public-211112/.

Mirzoeff, Nicholas. An introduction to visual culture. London: Routledge, 2009. 

Stella Wu and Cindy Wang were participants of the Hong Kong Art Workshop, a class of the Department of Art History at The University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Asia Art Archive, in 2023.