Scorching summer heat may be keeping people away from a Hong Kong art exhibition that has attracted online mockery, some visitors to the show have said, with many unaware of a row between the organisers and the artist who inspired the pieces.
A Post reporter counted only a handful of families at the “Inflatable Wonders” at the Central harbourfront at about 3pm on Sunday.
But some who spoke to the Post said they were unaware of the controversy and were generally pleased with the exhibition.
Krystina Te Kanawa, a 39-year old make-up artist from New Zealand who has lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, added it was a “cool attraction”.
She visited the area around 4pm with her husband and two children, aged two and four.
“It’s fun, it’s innovative and it’s totally different from what we’ve seen down here before,” Te Kanawa said.
But she added the harbourfront space was “bare” and there wasn’t much else to do.
“Because it’s a cool attraction they could have put more thought into other things around it,” Te Kanawa said.
“Otherwise you’re only here for 10 or fifteen minutes and then you’re out.”
The show features large-scale inflatable replicas of world-famous landmarks, originally inspired by works created using artificial intelligence by Armenian artist Joann.
Some internet users have ridiculed the exhibition and compared some of the artworks to gravestones and Joann has said she wanted the “very ugly” pieces taken down.
Families who braved the heat on Sunday either gathered at the Stonehenge installation, which doubled as a bouncy castle, or huddled inside a replica Giza pyramid to get respite from the sizzling temperatures.
Other major landmarks on show include Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, France’s Arc de Triomphe and representations of Chile’s Easter Island Moai statues.
The Observatory said southeastern China was experiencing “extremely hot” weather, with temperatures in many parts of the city hitting about 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit).
The Post noticed there was very little shade at the 36,000 square metre (43,055 square feet) event space and that most of the installations were in direct sunlight.
A sports activity area and dozens of booths, selling products from cosmetics to beer, also lacked customers.
The most popular booth was one where people could dress up as mermaids and have their photos taken.
Some visitors said the heat had taken a toll and that shaded areas would have been a welcome addition.
“The weather makes it difficult,” Maggie Wong, 47, who was visiting the city from Canada with her family, said.
She added the family had decided to check out the exhibition before they took a Star Ferry vessel to Tsim Sha Tsui, but that her sister had opted to stay at the ferry terminal to avoid the sun.
“Some shaded areas would help – it’s not an ideal location,” Wong said.
The exhibition is part of “SummerFest@Central” which opened on July 5 to August 11 at the Central Harbourfront Event Space.
Artist Joann, who uses @joooo.an on social media, on Saturday claimed that the organisers, Central Venue Management (CVM), had not asked for her approval before the start of the exhibition.
But CVM said the artist had acknowledged that the exhibition was inspired by her work as early as March and that she had backed the concept.
The organisers added that Joann was not involved in the production process and did not ask CVM to obtain her approval before the exhibition opened.
CVM was appointed by public tender to operate the Central harbourfront area from 2016.
It has mounted a string of events, including Art Central 2023 and 2024, the Clockenflap music festival and a Formula E motorsport world championship race.
