Art Basel Hong Kong invites artists with intellectual disabilities for ‘Being and Belonging’ show

“It was something unimaginable, that his paintings were liked and were bought by people,” she said. “I never dreamed that this could become his career, that he could have a job in something he loved.”

Chow also expressed his happiness over working at Hong Chi Winifred Mary Cheung Morninghope School.

“I am very happy to be able to help students in art class, to be able to demonstrate what they need to do,” he said.

Ko Mei-yee, who has taught Chow, described art as an excellent window for expressing emotions and helping those with intellectual disabilities to be better understood.

Chow is among the artists who attended Art Basel as part of the Hong Chi Association, one of the city’s most established charities dedicated to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Works created by artists linked to the charity were displayed at the contemporary art fair. The fair has shown pieces from 242 galleries spanning 40 countries and territories in its return to its pre-pandemic size.

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The association’s involvement marks the first time a non-art platform has taken part in Art Basel. It brought together 12 artists to showcase 13 works for an exhibition titled “Being and Belonging”.

The exhibition, running from Thursday until Saturday, explores the themes of identity, existence, connection and acceptance.

Association chairman Edward Yau Tang-wah said the collaboration with Art Basel had unlocked the chance for the artists to exhibit their works and have their lives understood.

“Attendees to the exhibition told me they can’t tell whether the works were created by those who are intellectually challenged, which highlights the ability of art to transcend boundaries,” he said.

Yau, who served as secretary for commerce and economic development from 2017 to 2022, said digital art was a possible career path for those with intellectual disabilities.

About 40 per cent of the works in the association’s exhibition were digital art pieces.

“They can work from home, create art by themselves or partner with others, which gives them more job opportunities or room for further development,” Yau said.

The association supports 9,200 people of all ages and their families. It runs 14 special needs schools, around one-third of the city’s total, as well as other service centres.

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Hong Chi Lions Morninghill School teacher Alison Hui Bik-ki said mobile tablets were a good tool for her students, as many of them stayed in small living spaces.

“A painting can have different layers, in which painters can extract one or two as background for another piece of work,” she said.

Another artist showcasing her work for the exhibition was Basa Ria Sirait, who said she used her iPad to create pieces that often featured herself, her mother and her brother.

“I want to be a chef and a painter,” the 16-year-old said.

One of her paintings, titled My Dream City, shows Hong Kong’s towering skyline under a starry and colourful sky. The work is on display at Art Basel.

Artist Chan Chau-hung, who has a mild intellectual disability, showcased a large ceramic container she created that pays tribute to one of her favourite fruits, the strawberry.

“It’s a work that shows its ripening process with the different gradient of hues,” the 40-year-old award-winning ceramicist said.

“The most difficult part is that larger works take longer which might lead to inconsistency in the dampness of the clay that could cause cracks in the firing process.”

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Chan said she fell in love with pottery back in 2002. Her works have gone on sale and she also earned a trip to India on an exchange programme.

Her teacher, Josephine Tsui Tze-kwan, described the cracks in the process as the difficult moments when Chan’s perseverance shone through.

“She wouldn’t give up despite multiple failures. She will keep trying. Her character has made her dream of being a ceramicist come true,” Tsui said.