The government has declined to reveal how much funding it provided for an open-air art installation of giant floating balloons conceived by British fashion designer Anya Hindmarch.
Launched on Wednesday, Chubby Hearts Hong Kong is part of the authorities’ drive to bring large-scale “mega events” to the city to boost an economy struggling to recover after all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted early last year. It was organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, with funding support from the government’s Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund.
Since its unveiling, the heart balloons have popped up at various locations across the city, attracting couples to pose in front of them as well as criticism. In a Thursday Facebook post, shareholder activist David Webb questioned how much the installation had cost taxpayers.
Webb also said that Anya Hindmarch had a shop in K11 Musea, a shopping mall owned by developer New World Development. Adrian Cheng, CEO and executive vice-chairman of New World Development, is also chairman of the ACE fund.
“Promoting her business should help your rents. Heart-warming indeed, ” Webb said, reposting a post by Cheng promoting the installation as first 2024 project supported by the fund.
In an emailed response to HKFP on Thursday, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) did not respond to a question asking how much funding the organiser of the Chubby Hearts exhibition had received from the ACE fund.
Regarding whether there was a conflict of interest stemming from Hindmarch’s brand being a tenant of the ACE fund chair’s company, a spokesperson for the CSTB said that all members, including the chairman and the vice chairman, “have strictly observed the requirement on declaration of interests when handling all the applications in the past in accordance with the established mechanism.”
Mega events sponsored by taxpayers
The city’s leader John Lee announced the establishment of the ACE fund in the 2022 Policy Address to promote more international arts and cultural events being held in the city.
Kevin Yeung, the CSTB chief said in late 2022 the government planned to allocate approximately HK$60 million per year from the Arts and Sport Development Fund to the ACE fund to support around four activities.
Responding to lawmakers last July, the bureau said the maximum funding amount for each project was HK$15 million, but the ACE committee could adjust that amount for a specific project’s requirements, if necessary.
Lee said during the opening ceremony for Chubby Hearts Hong Kong that the installation was one of the year’s many mega events, and he hoped the city would host yet more to showcase Hong Kong’s strengths and make it a must-visit city for tourists.
Yolanda Ng, a former district councillor and a member of the ACE committee, said on Thursday on RTHK that the committee considered the scale of the event, its ability to attract tourists, the organiser’s capacity to curate large-scale events, and the significance of the project for Hong Kong when reviewing applications for funding.
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