Hong Kong art installation organiser and creator clash over ‘very ugly’ pieces – Technologist

The team behind a Hong Kong art installation mocked by some online users has said it will press ahead with the exhibition despite the artist who inspired the inflatable works saying she wanted the “very ugly” pieces to be removed.

Armenian artist Joann, who uses the handle @joooo.an on social media, on Saturday said the “Inflatable Wonders” exhibition was “very ugly”, “not well proportionated” and looked “like an inflatable graveyard”.

“They also did not send me anything for approval, before the exhibition [started],” she told local media. “I don’t like that they launched it without showing the works to me before launching it.”

The installation, which features five large-scale inflatable replicas of world-famous landmarks originally created using artificial intelligence by Joann, is part of “SummerFest@Central”, which runs July 5 to August 11.

The landmarks included the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Stonehenge in England and the Tower of Pisa in Italy.

But they quickly triggered online criticism, with some social media users saying they looked like tombstones erected by the Central harbourfront.

In response to Joann’s comments, organiser Central Venue Management (CVM) on Saturday said the artist had acknowledged that the exhibition was inspired by her work as early as March and that she also approved the concept.

“CVM has been reporting the progress of the activity to Joann via email,” a spokesman said. “Joann expressed that she was happy to see everything going smoothly and asked CVM to send her videos and photos after the installation.

“CVM has kept in contact with Joann throughout the process, and she has given CVM permission to use her personal photos for promotional purposes.”

Joann had told local media that if she had seen the works, she would have helped to make them “more appealing because these ugly lights are making it even worse”.

“I don’t like my name on this ugly exhibition,” she said. “The concept is mine. So I would love it to be [stopped].”

The organiser published what appeared to be excerpts from four emails sent to Joann dated March 27 to June 21. In the first, Joann reportedly said the organisers could tag the display as inspired by her.

In the last email, Joann appeared to have sent CVM two of her profile photos and asked the organiser to “feel free to use whichever” it preferred and that she was thrilled that the project had been approved and was “moving forward smoothly”.

“I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds,” she reportedly said.

The organiser’s spokesman said Joann was not involved in the production process and did not ask CVM to obtain her approval before the exhibition.

He added that SummerFest@Central and the Inflatable Wonders exhibition would be held as scheduled.

The organiser has been appointed by the Hong Kong government through a public tender since 2016 to exclusively operate and manage the event space by the Central harbourfront.

It has hosted a string of large-scale events, including Art Central 2023 and 2024 sponsored by the government’s Mega Cultural and Arts Events Fund, the Clockenflap music festival and the Formula E motorsport championship.

Joann is known for her collaborations with luxury brands such as Gucci, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Valentino and BMW.