Party for the Market
Pavan Shamdasani checks out the latest exhibition celebrating our street markets.
With our street markets under threat of redevelopment, many people are wondering what they can do to stop it. Protesting is one route, but as the upcoming "High&Dry" multimedia exhibition shows, it's not the only way.
Created by artist Jay Forster and film producer Lindsay Robertson, High&Dry is an exhibition devoted to celebrating Hong Kong’s street markets. With over 40 artists participating, including famed photographer Wing Shya and G.O.D. founder Douglas Young, the exhibition will showcase a variety of works like paintings, street art, film, animation, photography and installations.
“The ‘high’ in the name refers to the skyscrapers being built on top of the wet market, and ‘dry’ refers to the drying up of the wet market. But the phrase is also obviously a metaphor for being left messed up,” says Forster. “You always hear about things when it’s too late. But in the case of street markets, there’s a few years before the wrecking ball, so this seemed like an opportunity to make a difference.”
The exhibition is a passion project. It’s non-profit, with all the funds provided by the creators and artists. But they’re not against the idea of rejuvenating Hong Kong – on the contrary, the exhibition is trying to stay away from the negativity associated with redevelopment. “It’s too easy for people to go off on a rant, but it doesn’t usually lead anywhere,” says Forster.
Among the participating artists is Jack Wilkinson, a former BBC prop maker who is upset to see major Hong Kong icons being redeveloped. He came up with the piece “Graham," a literal fruit-and-vegetable man (right). “It was built solely from items bought in a street market. I wanted to demonstrate the sheer amount of produce you can buy. But to dispel the negativity, there’s a comedy side in that he’ll soon be out of a job and so he’s looking through the classifieds.”
Forster and Robertson are hoping that the exhibition will inspire people to care about their city. The month-long exhibition is at the Conservancy Association's headquarters (itself located in a historical building). A book about the exhibition is also being planned.