A Laugh at the World: James Wong

EVENT DESCRIPTION

This exhibition is organised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of James Wong’s passing. The exhibition link various chapters of James Wong’s life with four of his songs: from the beginning of his journey “Below the Lion Rock” to the heyday of Hong Kong’s pop culture epitomised in “It’s him, you and me”. Around 140 sets of exhibits, including selected museum collections from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department as well as loan exhibits, illustrate his contributions to music, movie, television, advertising, literature and more, as well as demonstrate the cultural integration of James Wong’s works, how he translated traditional contents into contemporary pop culture creations.

Exhibition summary

James Wong, a renowned cultural figure in Hong Kong, was good at writing lyrics, composing music, writing columns, making movies, advertising creations and stage performances. His life coincided with several important stages in the development of Hong Kong after the war, and had a significant impact on the formation of and changes in Hong Kong’s popular culture.

From a diverse range of his music flavour like western classical music, European and American pop music, Indian music and modern avant-garde music, James Wong took an eclectic approach in adopting the various musical styles, while passing on traditional Chinese opera culture. He tried to “present the vicissitudes of life to the audience through words, images and sounds.”

The exhibition is one of the programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024.