Art On The Rebound

AN ART SHOW collaboration between Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong was supposed to open in Hong Kong during Art Basel Hong Kong in March. But it is opening only now, three months after the slated date - with a lot of supplementary online material to compensate for the fact that most international art lovers still face travel restrictions.

Titled They Do Not Understand Each Other, it is now showing at the leading non-profit institution Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong, a city that only weeks ago saw life return to normal as businesses reopened and people started shopping and dining out. Indeed, art exhibitions are said to be drawing healthy attendances there, as people look for solace in these difficult times in the contemplative halls of museums and galleries.

The show is jointly presented by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and National Museum of Art, Osaka. The former has a substantial collection of Southeast Asian art, while the latter is well-regarded for its North-east Asian art collection. Co-curated by June Yap, SAM's director of curatorial, collections and programmes, and Japanese curator Yuka Uematsu, some of the featured artists include Singapore's Heman Chong, Ho Tzu Nyen and Ming Wong, as well as Japan's Kazuo Shiraga, Madokoro and Kumi Machida.