A Day in Hong Kong: Archives, Art, and the Tapestry of Collective Memory
"A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller," – Paul Lee
On my final day in Hong Kong, I woke eager to explore the winding streets of Sheung Wan and the Central and Western Districts, despite the oppressive humidity. My timing was unfortunate, a Wednesday afternoon in a city that thrives after dark seemed to be holding its breath. Undeterred, I redirected my journey to the Asia Art Archive, a decision that would prove remarkably rewarding.
The Asia Art Archive houses one of the most valuable and expanding collections of material documenting recent Asian art history. With resources freely accessible both online and in their physical library, the Archive dedicates itself to building tools and fostering communities that collectively expand knowledge through research, residencies, educational programs, and publications.
George Orwell's famous line from Nineteen Eighty-Four echoed in my mind as I explored the exhibition: "Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present, controls the past." The current exhibition offered a fascinating take on this concept by focusing collective history through the lens of a single day.
As explained by the Archive: In 1990, the Hong Kong Arts Centre's Exhibition Department invited residents from across the territory to document their daily lives within a 24-hour period. Three months later, these photographs of first-hand experiences of Hong Konger’s were exhibited as "One Day in Hong Kong."
Thirty-three years later, Asia Art Archive has created "Another Day in Hong Kong," using their research on Hong Kong art histories as a framework. The exhibition poses an intriguing question: If we can document a day in the future, can we similarly reconstruct one from the past? By analyzing dates in their database, researchers identified October 19, 1996, as a statistical median day just another ordinary day.
The Archive interviewed over a hundred individuals from Hong Kong's art community about their recollections of this specific date. As they note, countless seemingly insignificant events occur on any given day. For the researchers, discovering these "trivial matters" absent from mainstream historical records provides their greatest satisfaction. These everyday moments create opportunities for connecting with life in another time and place, infusing historical narratives with genuine humanity.
Through a combination of archival materials, personal memories, imagination, and artistic interventions, the exhibition inspires fresh perspectives on art and history, bringing visitors closer to this one particular day in Hong Kong's past.
The exhibition beautifully reminds us that life consists of individual days linked together, each offering new beginnings and possibilities for transformation. A day's significance lies not in its length but in the choices we make within those hours. Our lives unfold as continuous cycles of learning and growth, with each day forming a chapter in our personal narratives. We are all connected through our shared experience of living, particularly in collectivist societies like those of Eastern cultures, where the impact of our daily choices on others' well-being resonates more profoundly.
Moreover, the exhibition stands as a powerful testament to the importance of archival work in preserving our collective histories. Archives serve as cultural custodians, vital for preserving and amplifying voices that might otherwise have been marginalized or considered insignificant. These captured moments from a single day now form part of an exhibition that celebrates both the organic and mechanical solidarity essential to society's functioning. It reminds us of our shared responsibility to ensure that our stories both individual and collective are not lost to time.
Another Day in Hong Kong was curated by Anthony Yung and Hazel Kwok, in collaboration with Isabella Chan, Aki Kung and Leah Lam. Site Link