Hong Kong's Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Carrie Yau, visits Venice Biennale

The Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Carrie Yau, who is leading a study tour in Europe, visited the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in Venice on 6 November 2008.

“The Venice Biennale, built with more than 100 years of passion and hard work, started in 1895 has been a resounding success since.  It is a classic example that we would want to emulate in Hong Kong,” Mrs Yau said after the visit to the Arsenale, one of the two main exhibition venues of the Biennale.

At the meeting with President of Venice Biennale Mr Paola Baratta, and Director General of Venice Biennale Mr Andrea del Mercato, Mrs Yau briefed them on Hong Kong’s cultural development and in particular, the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District project.  The delegation from Hong Kong also took the opportunity to learn from the organisers of this internationally renowned international visual arts and architecture biennale how they managed to attract the participation of leading artists and architects in their biennial events as well as to draw in more than 30,000 visitors from the world every year.

Mrs Yau said the meeting was a success and the Venice Biennale would welcome opportunities of collaboration with Hong Kong.  In building the West Kowloon Cultural District, there would be a need to strengthen exchange with leading cultural institutions like the Venice Biennale to lay the foundation for more collaboration projects.

Founded in 1895 when the first International Art Exhibition was organised, the Venice Biennale is an internationally acclaimed cultural institution that promotes new artistic trends and organises international events in the contemporary arts using a multi-disciplinary model. It has become a point of reference for designers and professionals from the world of art.

The dialogue with the Venice Biennale is another block in the foundation being laid for the visual arts network essential to the preparation of the forward looking M+ at the West Kowloon Cultural District. In May, the Home Affairs Bureau played host to the museum conference “Shifting Sites: Cultural Desire and the Museum”, offering an invaluable opportunity for individuals and representatives from institutions from around the world to share their insights and experience in the work and vision for modern day museums.  In 2008-09, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will be sending curators on structured internship programmes on the Mainland and overseas, including a programme in Italy.

A Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Co-operation between Hong Kong and Italy was signed in 2002.