HK MUSEUM IN HOT WATER
Pro-Beijing politicians accuse new art museum of breaching national security law
AFTER muzzling Hong Kong’s democracy protests and opposition, Beijing’s loyalists are now taking aim at the arts as they seek to impose mainland-style orthodoxy on culture and purge the city of dissent.
Newly built on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, M+ Museum aims to rival Western contemporary heavyweights like London’s Tate Modern and New York’s MoMA.
The 60,000 sq m venue is finally set to open later this year after multiple delays. But it has already found itself in hot water.
Earlier this week, a group of prominent pro-Beijing local politicians accused the museum of breaching a sweeping national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong last year in response to 2019’s huge and often violent democracy protests.
The cause of the complaint, filed to police on Tuesday, was the content of a media preview, including works by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
“Many of the pieces are spreading hatred against the country,” pro-Beijing lawmaker Eunice Yung said in a recent question to city leader Carrie Lam in the legislature.
“Will the government censor the collection? What will the government do to prevent such provocation of anti-China sentiments?” she added.
Lam, a pro-Beijing appointee, replied that Hong Kong “respects the freedom of cultural and artistic expression”.
But she warned authorities would be on “full alert” for any breaches of the security law, adding that the red line “is clearly recognisable” for anyone hosting exhibitions.