How art, dance and drama can transform Hong Kong lives and maintain city’s place as region’s thriving arts hub
- Theatre practitioner Lindsey McAlister, founder of Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, says it’s important for performing arts to nurture city’s next generation of creative talent
- Arthur de Villepin, co-founder of art gallery Villepin Gallery, says city has developed rapidly to become world’s second biggest art market behind New York
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Hong Kong arts practitioners offer glimpse into city’s thriving scene
From the moment Lindsey McAlister arrived in Hong Kong from Britain in the 1980s, she knew she wanted to devote herself to helping the city’s disadvantaged and underprivileged youth “find a voice” through experiencing, co-creating and collaborating in the arts.
In 1993, the theatre practitioner founded her not-for-profit organisation Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF) – originally known as Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival. It organises high-quality, inclusive and inspirational visual arts projects and drama, music and dance performances for the city’s children and young adults, aged five to 25, regardless of their culture, background, ability or the language they speak.
“This is the magical thing that I’ve been brought here to do,” McAlister says.
“The idea was to create a platform where young people could come together to co-create and collaborate in the arts, and to find a voice. Working in the arts in Hong Kong is very exciting.”
Hong Kong’s share of the global art market rose from 17.5 per cent in 2019 to 23.2 per cent in 2020 – when it overtook London for the first time, renowned online art resource Artnet Worldwide Corporation reported.
