Search
Explore
Johnson Chang Tsong-zung
57 years old, curator and art critic
Johnson Chang Tsong-zung is a force to be reckoned with in the global art world. The Hong Kong-born curator and art critic has been at the forefront of the Chinese contemporary art movement since he led the groundbreaking exhibition China's New Art Post-1989 in 1993. His gallery Hanart TZ Gallery has pioneered some of the biggest names in the Chinese art scene, and, increasingly, Chang’s work is taking him around the world – his most recent feat sees him curating the immense Third Guangzhou Triennial, which runs until November 16.
“It makes me feel that the word hero needs to be defined, especially in my case,” he says with a laugh when told of the news. “Doing what you like to do is not heroic. But of course if it’s something that’s seen to be emblematic of Hong Kong or contemporary culture today, then I feel very honoured.”
Chang chooses two heroes: “My friend David Tang. Through Shanghai Tang he’s brought the imagination of traditional Chinese culture to the new generation. I think the great Hong Kong hero is the martial arts fiction writer Jing Yong [Louis Cha], he has helped to shape the magic and the fantasy of a culture that was struggling to discover itself to become modern. He made it possible by keeping the imagination of China open to a range of possibilities.”
Chang has some compelling ideas on the current art scene. “Hong Kong artists are getting more opportunities than ever before,” he suggests. “Unlike what they claim themselves, they are getting more support from the government than most artists in most cities in the world, in terms of financial support. And although people complain about lack of institutional support, in a way this is precisely why I think Hong Kong artists are so lucky – there is a different possibility for freedom, for working on things on their own, for making a different future. At the end of the day, it is the job of contemporary artists to see possibilities in any situation. If any Hong Kong artists complain about what is wrong, you will know they are not creative contemporary artists.” It’s a different argument to what we normal hear, but that’s what we love about Johnson Chang – he tells it like it is, and brings an intellectual force to the Hong Kong art discourse. Clare Morin
| John Woo | Index | Josephine-Siao |
Tags:
Add your comment