Transcription
Welcome to Straight Talk. I'm Eugene Chan. "Where have all the flowers gone?" Philanthropist Mrs. Cathy Chui Lee joins us to share the story behind the Flower Market, a crossover of Henderson Land and Cj Hendry.
A passionate humanitarian, Mrs. Lee was the first Asian patron of Save the Children Hong Kong and has supported numerous children's and education charities locally and globally through her charitable foundation founded with her husband. In recognition of her philanthropic work, Cathy has received several honors, including humanitarian awards from Tatler Hong Kong, Elle, amfAR, and an Honorary Fellowship from University College London. She's also a board member of the Friends of Hong Kong Museum of Art. Welcome Cathy to the show.
Hello Eugene, thanks for having me. And I'm sure the viewers are really looking forward to hearing this beautiful story that you're going to present to us. And I must congratulate on the successful Flower Market installation to mark Henderson's 50th anniversary. Maybe you can share with the viewers why a public art installation was chosen as a way to celebrate your anniversary of the firm?
Well, firstly, because my father-in-law, Dr. Lee Shau-kee, he loved sharing his kindness with public. And we wanted to celebrate his spirit and his charitable acts by extending the joy of this art Flower Market to everyone. So the little kids from kindergarten to seniors and a lot of NGOs, we wanted to welcome them to be our first guests at this art event. Right. Because I think to be able to enjoy flowers is something that we forget a lot of times in our daily lives. We walk by gardens and we don't really take a close look at flowers. We don't take the time to smell them, to feel them. And so this Flower Market is to bring back the joy of nature. And so we wanted to invite all our guests and to extend the charitable act of my father-in-law.
Well, Cathy, as you rightly said, so this installation kind of emphasizes the joy and childlike wonder. Is creating this sort of emotional experience as important as creating kind of an artistic one?
It's really important because humans have used art as a form of expression since even before we have a written language, before there was any law, before there was any institution, we were painting in caves, we were carving on stones. It's basic human way of expressing our experiences. It turns experiences into stories to share with others. And I feel a lot of times we treat art as a sort of luxury good. But instead of seeing it as luxury, we see it as a necessity. Right. It's something that we need as human interaction to share our experiences. And I feel a lot of times art nowadays is being limited by high prices, exclusivity, and by art jargons, which tends to make art seems very fancy, but actually art is a very basic form of expression. Right. So to create a simple art Flower Market which is understandable, relatable to everyone, I think is very important. And sometimes art can be too conceptual and it takes you a lot of effort to process it. And so a lot of times we feel tired. We don't have that kind of time to really learn about all the history and all that. So to create art that just creates joy. And this is something that all ages will be able to understand and relate to is something we want to share with everyone. Right.
Cathy, so the firm sort of decided to collaborate with Cj Hendry to bring this Flower Market for the first time to Asia. I believe it was in New York, it was in Australia, even in UAE as well. So why collaborate with them? And what's so special about their sort of art pieces?
Yes, when I first saw Cj's art, I was already obsessed with her work because it's so accessible. So Cj is actually a sketcher, but a lot of her artwork is sold in auctions at very high prices. And she felt that she wanted more people to be able to bring her art home. So she does these little art events where more people are able to come and see her work, touch her work, feel her work, and to be able to bring this artwork home and enjoy her art. So this is important for us because her art is accessible and easy to understand. And to bring this joy and to see the smiles on everyone's faces at this Flower Market is exactly what we wanted. Because to be able to see these little kids go home with these flowers and present it to the grandma, to give it to the mom, it's just a show of love. And I think simple art form like that is the most powerful. Right.
Cathy, I had the privilege of visiting the Flower Market. And the one that you've just held is the, I think it's a Bauhinia one, isn't it? I think there are over 26 sort of styles that have been brought to Hong Kong, over even more than 150,000 sort of flowers. Can you tell us, I understand there are two special ones, so maybe you can tell the viewers, I mean, why they're so special?
Well, these two are the most special ones because they're designed for our Hong Kong audience. This is, of course, our local Bauhinia flower. And then this one is an Allium flower. And this is our Henderson color, Henderson Green. And it's a limited edition, which she created for us. And we chose Allium because we feel the spirit of Allium, the perseverance of this flower, no matter under what kind of environment and weather conditions, it still lives on, is the spirit of my late father-in-law. So we wanted to create this special flower for our 50th anniversary.
I'm sure many Hong Kong people will sort of miss Dr. Lee because he has been a wonderful person to many in Hong Kong and he has touched a lot of hearts. So when you sort of do this in March, we know we call Hong Kong, this is called Art Month because we're going to have Art Basel and Art Central coming up. So is there specifically any reason why you chose it in this time before the Art Month?
We wanted to create a different sort of art scene compared to the other art events that are on offer during the Art Month. A lot of the art events that are being offered during Art Month, you have to pay to get in. You have to pay an entrance fee and the type of art being sold or being shown rather expensive. And so we wanted to create a free-for-all Flower Market so anyone can come and enjoy this. And everyone brings home a little flower with them so they could bring this artwork home. And to be able to do it in Central Harbourfront is especially meaningful for us because it's the most beautiful place in the world. We have the horizon stretched across the Hong Kong skyline, the harbour right in front of us, - but everyone in Central is so busy. - Indeed. We walk around every day without stopping and we don't take time to look around us or even look at the flowers. So we wanted to create a space where people could just pause, come in, breathe and look around and enjoy the colors, enjoy the flowers. And so we wanted to do something that is free for all, accessible and touchable.
The Edible Art Fair you could enjoy is an art fair where you could enjoy art while you taste little tapas and little canapes that matches the artwork that you're seeing. So it's very dynamic, sensory, which is very different to traditional museum way of viewing art, where you're standing there and behind the glass, in front of the glass, admiring from afar. We want you to touch and feel the art, to engage all your senses and to immerse into the art world with all your senses.
Well Cathy, I believe that when the registration was sent out for people to register, basically it was all out nearly instantly. Were you surprised with the sort of overwhelming response or you were expecting this?
I was expecting it because we love free things in Hong Kong. We always line up for free things. No, that's a joke. No, I knew it was going to be popular because it's a concept that everyone will understand, no matter your demographic, whether your age, your background, your education, your gender. It's something that everyone can relate to. So when there are no boundaries, I know a lot of people would like to participate. Right.
Cathy, you know, when you mentioned the Harbourfront just now, because I also work in Central, I serve in Central as well as a District Councillor. I mean, Hong Kong often is described as sort of fast-paced and transactional. And these sort of spaces like this give people time to slow down and reconnect, - isn't it?
Yes, for sure. I think a lot of times we're walking around on our phones, on our devices, and art is so important for us to sometimes just to take a break and to reconnect with ourselves and reconnect with others and just as humankind as a whole. It's how we process our emotions and a lot of times when you're seeing things digitally, it's too fast-paced. You don't have that patience to try to understand the story behind it. But art, when you try to understand the reason behind the artist's work, it brings you a lot more emotion and you engage more and you want to interact more and explore more, explore further. Whereas when you're on digital device, everything goes by too quickly and you don't really take time to truly understand the meaning behind it. Right.
Cathy, let's take a short break now. We'll be right back.
We are back on Straight Talk with philanthropist Mrs. Cathy Chui Lee and has been talking about the vision behind the Flower Market, a crossover of Henderson Land and C.J. Hendry, and its wider impact on art and the community in Hong Kong. Cathy, in the first half, one thing that sort of really catches my attention is that you make art so accessible to the general public. So do you believe art can function as sort of a... what I call a social equalizer, meaning something accessible regardless of background or income?
For sure. That's what art should be, I think, because art doesn't belong to a small, narrow group of people. Art belongs to everyone. When we were young, we just took a pen and a notebook and we drew whatever pictures we wanted to. We scribbled. In the olden times, people just drew on leaves, drew on rocks, drew on stones. Art should be shared, should be lived, should be communal. It shouldn't be exclusive. It should be inclusive. But unfortunately, a lot of times, there is a strange belief that art is only meaningful when it is priced at a ridiculous amount of price. And that sort of art is meaningful. But no, all sorts of art is meaningful. I work with a lot of children's charities. And a lot of times what I've experienced is children go through trauma or experiences that is hard for them to process. And they cannot speak for months, for months, not even days, for months. And even if our counselor, our psychiatrist try to talk to them, it's too painful for them to speak out and tell us their experiences. So we use art therapy. And through drawings, through art, they draw out what they're feeling inside. It's their way of talking to us, expressing to us. So for me, art is not just about making life more bright or vibrant or creative. Art connects people. Art heals people. Art is so much more powerful than something that you just see and enjoy. It actually heals and connects and creates hope for people. And so through my experiences with these charities, I see art so much more than just exhibitions or galleries or auctions. So for me, to be able to make art accessible to people is like telling them, actually, we're walking alongside you. It's okay. You're not alone. And just to create a little smile on the face. I remember when I was studying in London during university, every day I walk to school from my home, and there is this little graffiti on the wall on my way walk to school. And it's a naughty graffiti. But every day when I walked past, for three years, I smiled. And I used to think, "oh, so naughty, but so smart". And it's just that little moment that gets you thinking. And so, yeah, art doesn't need to be at an art fair. It could be anything on the street. And it could be someone playing music, someone busking. And so all sorts of art should be accessible. And that's not only for the audience, also for the performers. A lot of performers are finding it difficult to find space or stage or places to perform. So making it accessible not only for the audience but also for the performers, for the artists themselves is very important.
Right, so from what you're saying, it can sort of give me a new perspective of what actually a property firm can do because in the past you see that the skylines are shaped by sort of a nice development. But nowadays, what you're saying is you can play a role in shaping a city's sort of cultural life and sort of community experience that makes people connect and want to be in those buildings that you build.
Yes, exactly. That's our hope, our plan, our vision for what we want to try to do in Central. Because Central, of course, is an international financial center. But for us, it's so much more than just commerce. We wanted to weave this art into the fabric of the district through all our different projects. For example, at The Henderson, when we were building the building, we wanted to create an art park so that people can actually sit and enjoy and have lunches there or just sit down during the lunch time or after they get off work to enjoy the nature, to stop, take a breath, look around. And so in the park we combine nature with art. We put in a lot of art that has meaning that makes you think about the environment. So we used a sculpture from an artist called Ned Kahn. And the sculpture creates steam, which makes you think of humidity. Because you can't really see humidity, but then it creates a sort of steam coming out of the sculpture, so you see the humidity. And then on top of the Breathing Tree, we call it the Breathing Tree, there are fins that move around to make you see the wind, because usually visually you can't see the wind. So it's to make you more aware of the environment and the climates around you. And hopefully everyone would love their environment more and be more aware of global warming and the little things we could do to try to make a difference.
Right, Cathy, apart from the Flower Market, I believe Henderson Land also bring in the Edible Art Fair. So what exactly is that as well?
Edible Art Fair is we create an event where we are inspired by different masters, different artists, and we work with different chefs where they create food inspired by that particular artist, whether it's the taste, whether it's a color, whether it's a shape and form. And as you're going through each room dedicated to different artists, you get to taste the food created by the chefs. So you immerse yourself into the art world through your sensory and your taste buds. Which is great because usually in museums they're like no food, no drinks. It's very restricted. But now you feel more free and you can physically engage and immerse yourself into the artwork.
Right, Cathy, so thank you for sharing a lot of beautiful sort of art work for us. I'm sure all the viewers will feel that you're very passionate about promoting art and you see the goodness of it to connect people. Is there a special reason behind all this? What makes you so passionate?
I'm passionate because when I work with different charities, I see how art therapy could heal and could connect people. And so art for me is so much more powerful than just engaging with the artists or that particular piece of artwork. It's connecting with humankind as a whole. And art is a discipline where it actually could work with a lot of other disciplines. It's very interdisciplinary. And so it's a way of telling a story. And it's a great way to use for other disciplines, which is harder to engage the audience, to use art as a form to tell the story. So I think art is a great way to communicate as well.
So Cathy, I think it comes to the last part of the show. I'm going to ask a very direct question because you're able to at least convince me art is something that's really valuable for the community, it's good for development of the city. So what would be the plans that actually commercial companies can do to put this into action? I mean, you just mentioned you have an Art Park right beside the Henderson Building. I believe you have other projects. So are you going to use the same concept to making sure your belief will come into reality?
Yes, so apart from the Art Park at the Henderson, our next project, which is by Central Harbourfront, we are creating the first private theater in Hong Kong. And that gives us a lot of liberty to act as a bridge to connect Hong Kong with the international art scene and bring in a lot of different programs, a lot of different shows that find it hard to find time and space in Hong Kong because although there are quite a few theaters in Hong Kong, it's very difficult to try to get a time slot. So with our theater coming next year, yes, it's 1,200 seats. It's got the most top-notch acoustic system, sound system, and LED screens. We are able to do a variety of different shows because a lot of the theaters in Hong Kong can be restricted to a certain sort of performance. And our theater is multi-purpose, so we have much more variety, different types of shows that we could bring in and share with the audience here.
Cathy, I'm sure we can keep going, but we have to leave it there for now. And thank you for sharing all your insights about art and people and how it sort of benefits our Hong Kong community. Tonight's conversation shows that beyond the skyline and the pace of city life, moments of art and generosity can reconnect us with one another and with our shared humanity. So, "where have all the flowers gone?" Maybe they were never lost, only waiting for us to notice them again. Have a good evening and see you next week.