While last year’s edition of the prestigious Hong Kong edition of Art Basel faced the brunt of the pandemic, this year, it’s back with a strong Indian collaboration in the form of A Memory of the Future. Presented by Marriott Bonvoy (Marriott International’s travel programme) and conceived by Mumbai-based non-profit The Plated Project, the collaboration brings to fore the dual ideas of honouring local traditions but bringing a new perspective to it for a global audience. Indian designer-artist Suket Dhir, Pakistani-American multidisciplinary artist Anila Agha, architect-designer Sahiba Madan and Insane 51 from Greece have each interpreted an art form local to Hong Kong and translated them on to a ceramic plate that will be showcased at Art Basel, Hong Kong, till May 23. In a The Telegraph chat, Suket, Sahiba and Chitresh Sinha of The Plated Project talk more about what they are presenting:

Sahiba Madan of Kalakaari Haath

What is the inspiration behind the artwork and how was it translated from your mind on to the plate that is your canvas?

Through our practice, we are consistently working within diverse design disciplines as a medium of collaborative storytelling. Mah-jong originated in China during the Qing Dynasty and then spread across the world. While electronic mah-jong tables and digital games have helped with the popularity of the game, the craft of hand-carved mah-jong tiles has slowly disappeared. While working on this project, we got the opportunity to research and explore the transition of this traditional game through various geographies and cultures. We have attempted to convey this story through a plate design that captures this journey.

What does revival of dying art practices mean to you? According to you, why is it important and how is this issue best addressed?

The idea of visual storytelling is deep rooted in most traditional cultures. For most part of historic archiving, visual documentation has been a crucial starting point for origination of most traditional art forms. Our work at the studio is a constant effort to make traditional forms of art more relevant to the context of today, usually in the form of a good story. While working on this, we got the opportunity to research not only the trajectory of mah-jong, but also various Indian art forms that originated from a similar thought.
Today is meaningless without the presence of yesterday, much like contemporary is irrelevant without tradition or history. To us, evolution comes from bridging the gap between the two by making traditional practices relevant to a context of today.

Mah-jong tiles by Sahiba Madan

How has the pandemic affected your art practice and what sort of larger effect do you think it will have on the art world?

Over the years, digital platforms have become ideal spaces to discover art/artists or be discovered, in the last two years of the pandemic especially, where physical interaction has been so limited. On one hand, I believe it has made it easier to connect with people but on the other, I miss the physical process of creating. At the studio a large part of our work is originally hand illustrated/painted and many of our artworks are created using multiple mediums and layers. While we are still able to achieve most of it remotely, the actual experience of sampling, discussions, creating with the team and finally showcasing for others to touch and feel these details is when these digital platforms feel limited.

Suket Dhir

Neon Signs by Insane 5

What is the inspiration behind the artwork and how was it translated from your mind on to the plate that is your canvas?

The subject Cantonese Opera was a part of the broad brief given to us by The Plated Project team. This interpretation is something that evolved over a period of time.

I started with looking at traditional art/ paintings of Hong Kong and then studied the Cantonese opera very closely. I had to first learn and then unlearn.

The majestic ‘Memory of the Future’ is coming together of tradition and technology. It’s a contemporary take on the heritage.

Chitresh Sinha, founder of The Plated Project

How did you create the concept of ‘A Memory of the Future’?Marriott International approached us with a very interesting brief of using art and Art Basel as a platform to raise awareness about the intangible heritage of Hong Kong. When we did our research, we realised that Hong Kong has always been a melting point of culture for decades but there were some art forms that were intrinsically Hong Kong. Sadly, a lot of them had just one-two practitioners left. We picked four of these to be featured in the project. To build a narrative about the future of Hong Kong, we needed to celebrate the memories of Hong Kong’s past and stitch them seamlessly into the future we wish to create. That became the genesis for ‘A Memory of the Future’.

Cantonese Opera by Suket Dhir

How did you go about curating the artists and the art?

We first identified the art forms that we wanted to raise awareness about and then for each, we consciously went about finding an artist who shares the basic skills related to the art form but is doing something dramatically different using those skills. We wanted to fuse the ‘future’ with the ‘past’ to create something unique that re-ignites interest in the traditional art forms featured. For each art form, we did a lot of research and the unique insights were given to each creator and then we let them work their magic.

Was it difficult for a team from India to gain deep cultural knowledge about Hong Kong?\We spent over 1.5 years working on the project and the cultural learnings we had were fabulous. After interacting with various artisans in Hong Kong, we realised that at the core, art forms across any culture have a lot of similarities. They are essentially doorways that allow us to visit the past. It was an experience of a lifetime to work on a project like this.

Handmade stencils by Anila Agha

Why did you choose to use plates as a canvas?

We started The Plated Project as a way of using art to fight hunger. Hunger is a multi-dimensional issue, and we focus on using art to firstly spark conversations around social issues that are directly or indirectly linked to hunger. We also donate funds from our sales to sponsor meals via various global hunger-related charities. In this project, we clearly wanted to focus on raising awareness about the fading art forms of Hong Kong but in a very interesting way

We are delighted to team up with Art Basel, Hong Kong to bring an exquisite art experience to guests and our Marriott Bonvoy members. Through our global portfolio of more than 7,600 properties and our Marriott Bonvoy MomentsTM platform, we are able to provide endless inspiration for members to pursue their passions through the pillars of culinary, lifestyle, entertainment and sports. I am particularly pleased to bring back Marriott Bonvoy Moments to the region where our members can enjoy exclusive VIP access in Hong Kong or virtually from anywhere in the world together with Art Basel, Hong Kong 2021”

— Bart Buiring, chief sales and marketing officer of Asia Pacific for Marriott International