The 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards were held at Hong Kong City Hall on June 10, organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC). This annual event acknowledges achievements in many categories, but as an art critic, I was watching the visual arts prizes closely.
The artist of the year award (visual arts) went to Enoch Cheng Tak-yan, while the young artist award (visual arts) went to Dony Cheng Hung. Cash prizes of HK$50,000 (US$6,400) and HK$25,000 respectively were awarded.
Cross-disciplinary artist-curator Enoch Cheng has fingers in many pies. He was the curator of gallery programmes at the Hong Kong art fair Art Central in March, and in 2024, he directed and translated the play Jerome Bel at the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
Inspired by French dancer and choreographer J茅r么me Bel, Enoch Cheng鈥檚 collaboration with theatre and dance producers Dick Wong and Mui Cheuk-yin combined dance, projected text and lighting.
Dony Cheng has been particularly busy over the past two years. After completing her postgraduate fine art studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, her graduation paintings and animation videos were repurposed into her solo exhibition, 鈥淔inding Rest on the Highway鈥, at Gallery Exit, in Hong Kong鈥檚 Aberdeen neighbourhood, in 2024.
Speaking to the young artist winner, it struck me that the HKADC has a thing or two to learn from the newly established Art Basel Awards.
The new awards were also presented in June and were heavily promoted globally. Thirty-six 鈥渧isionaries鈥 were chosen worldwide in nine categories, including artists, patrons, curators and institutions. They received medals, exhibition opportunities and cash as well as 鈥渁ccess to Art Basel鈥檚 global network, mentorship, expert support, and new creative pathways to ensure art continues beyond the emergent into the future鈥.
Winning artists, including Cao Fei, Ho Tzu Nyen and Pan Daijing 鈥 to name three with an Asian background 鈥 were given global exposure reflecting Art Basel鈥檚 commercial strategy of having their fairs cover all continents and time zones.
In comparison, the Hong Kong awards appear provincial and inward-looking. Despite having an excellent award ceremony, biographical videos and a bilingual catalogue about the winners, the Hong Kong award winners will unfortunately not be promoted outside Hong Kong.
Similarly, even the elaborate award ceremony failed as a social function. While Dony Cheng was pleased to be recognised as an artist, she wished she had more of an opportunity to meet the award presenters and other awardees after the ceremony.
鈥淚 was hoping to meet people, to get together, make connections and have a drink,鈥 she said. Instead, everyone went home.
Her small studio space at Hart Haus in Kennedy Town is part of a studio community of more than 30 artists that encourages collaboration and camaraderie within a creative and supportive atmosphere. The prize money could help cover the rent, but she would have welcomed help in getting new artistic opportunities, like an overseas residency.
Recently, Dony Cheng has been studying past masters, especially the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico, the Belgian artist Ren茅 Magritte, and the surrealists. She has been trying to flatten the look of her painted surfaces, experimenting with egg tempera and spray paint. She has also learned new software to make better, more complex videos.
She and many other young artists are perfect ambassadors for Hong Kong鈥檚 strong arts scene. Let鈥檚 copy Art Basel and strongly promote and support our award winners in the Greater Bay Area, regionally and worldwide.
This is the 19th edition of the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards and it鈥檚 time to give our award winners better support, opportunities to learn, and chances to show their work overseas.