The Young Reporter

  by Terrance Zheng On the night of November 22, after winding up a 10-day exhibition, a group of people gathered in a studio in old Shanghai Street. They include artists, volunteers and neighbours who were reminiscing about Woofer Ten, the workshop that would no longer be theirs. Wong Yin-mong, a neighbour working next to Woofer Ten, said she was astounded when she was told of their coming removal. "The products they make are very interesting. Some show the original image of the community, which is unknown to most young people today." Community art is a revival and representation of a community's culture and history. It embodies communal lifestyles and beliefs, and helps to distinguish among different communities, says Mr Lui Yat-nan, a key member of Woofer Ten. Unlike other art forms, community art should be deeply rooted in the community, says Dr Leung Mee-ping, an associate professor of visual arts at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and an expert in community art. "Artists' group should establish long-term relationships with community residents, and that's what Woofer Ten tried doing", Dr Leung says. Starting in 2009, Woofer Ten twice bid for and was awarded the running of the community art project at 404 Shanghai Street. But the Hong Kong Arts Development Council decided to cut the funding and in July 2013 instead accepted the bid from the Centre for Community Cultural Development. Dr Leung says community art studios need to enact communal identity and connectedness if they want to thrive in the neighborhood. "No artists' group wants to rely on government sponsorship for the long run, but it's quite impossible for them to self-sponsor given Hong Kong's soaring rents," he says. Mr Lui, of Woofer Ten, says the hegemony of developers is hindering the development of community art in Hong Kong. Businesses would rather let art groups do exhibitions in their stores than sponsor low-rent areas for community art projects. Dr Chew Ming-tek, associate professor of sociology at HKBU says Hong Kong people "are so short-sighted" that capitalists businesses and the government were not willing to pay for something that is seemingly not financially sustainable or for …

  by Herbert Cheung Salmon swimming upstream, snowboarding and rock climbing: just some of the paintings you see on staircases in Tsuen Wan town centre. But are people in Hong Kong ready to welcome community arts with open arms? "In Hong Kong, more people are interested in popular culture than in crafts, such as tea making, ceramic and handicrafts," said Lam Yuk-fai, leader of the artist group, Omni Art. Their members have been painting the murals around Tsuen Wan. "Most of the shops are monopolised by tycoons, leaving no room to promote arts and culture. It is hard for artists to blossom here," he said. Mr Lam thinks Hong Kong does not provide a fostering environment for art, compared with Taiwan and mainland China. Mr Lam believes community art is a great stepping stone to promote art in Hong Kong. But it takes a time for people to develop an interest. His group has been working with the Home Affairs Bureau, but Mr Lam there is not enough government support. He believes Hong Kong has the potential for further art development because it is the world's fourth largest art auction market. According to the Contemporary Art Market Report 2015 published by Artprice, more than $146 million dollars' worth of contemporary art was auctioned off between July 2014 and June 2015. Denise Yeung Tsz-ching, one of the five artists of Omni Art, said residents in Tsuen Wan used to call the police when the artists were working on the stairs because they thought they were vandalising. "We didn't put up any signs stating that the activity was sponsored and approved by the District Council. So there was some misunderstanding," said the 20-year-old artist. "The visibility of the murals allow people to appreciate and participate in art as they walk on the stairs or stop to take photos", Ms Yeung said. Lo Siu-kit, a Tsuen Wan district councillor, thinks murals on stairs are ‘interesting', even though painting the three stairs cost $100,000, according to the council's meeting document. "These may be small changes, but people feel different about the stairs," …