Photo: arthkexpo.com

Leveraging the unique cultural diversity of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the 2nd Art Hong Kong Expo is scheduled to take place at the AsiaWorld-Expo in the city on May 16.

The term "art" in the event's title does not fully reflect the breadth of items exhibited, as this year's main theme is "Digital Cultural Creativity." Details regarding the expo's opening were unveiled on Thursday in Beijing.

The expo will showcase products such as digital artworks, cutting-edge digital terminal devices like the latest headsets, as well as animated films. Many of these works were designed or manufactured in Shenzhen, highlighting the vibrant creative energy of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Another highlight of the event is the "Cultural Tourism and Trades" section, which will feature China's popular tourism cities such as Harbin in Heilongjiang Province and Zibo in Shandong Province.

Liang Tianfu, the committee chair of the 2nd Art Hong Kong Expo, said that as part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the expo will be joined by exhibitors from countries such as Russia and Iran.

Liang told the Global Times that many of the exhibitors will be artists showcasing their local artworks at the fair. These artists will find it easier to enter Hong Kong as the cultural event is "supported by the local government."

"We'll be able to see some fantastic artifacts such as sculptures brought by an African artist to Hong Kong," Liang told the Global Times.

As the main organizer of the event, Liang emphasized that the expo is different from other international art fairs such as the prestigious Art Basel that is also held annually in Hong Kong. Launched in 2003, Art Basel is one of the most established fairs for international contemporary art in Asia.

He Jiaying, an artist representative of the expo, said the show is an invitation for people to see the "status quo and developments in Chinese art today."

He said that the expo is going to be more focused on Chinese art, folk culture and the country's own creative cultural heritage.

Sang Benjie, a well-known painter of China's thangka art, told the Global Times that he will bring his team of around 100 artists to the show. A thangka painting embodies the cultural beliefs, graciousness and kindness of people in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. The art form also exhibits the cultural and ethnic diversity of China.

"It is not the only time that we have exhibited local art on an international stage. We can feel people of different cultural backgrounds have tremendous appreciation for thangka," the artist told the Global Times.

He also revealed to the Global Times that around July, his team will embark on another cultural exchange journey to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Another distinctive character of the expo is that it aims to help give cultural organizations the opportunity to earn profits and collaborate with others. In other words, the expo values the market operations in the cultural industry.

The expo is being organized by organizations such as the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd and the Shenzhen Digital Creative Industry Association. The fair spans a vast 24,000 square meters exhibition space and is set to host over 300 exhibitors, along with approximately 30,000 visitors and buyers from around the world.

The 2024 expo is scheduled to end on May 19.