Florentijn Hofman: Double Ducks

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Do you still remember the joyous moments you had with the Rubber Duck at Victoria Harbour in 2013? The Rubber Duck has missed Hong Kong so much and is finally returning this summer and reuniting with us all.

Since 2007, Florentijn Hofman, the Dutch artist has taken his monumental Rubber Duck on a world tour and visited Hong Kong in 2013 – curated by the creative brand AllRightsReserved (ARR). The arrival of this happiness icon attracted an enormous crowd to come visit at Victoria Harbour.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Rubber Duck’s visit to Hong Kong. As part of the celebration, AllRightsReserved has invited Rubber Duck to return as “DOUBLE DUCKS”. This large-scale public art exhibition will showcase at Victoria Harbour starting from 10 June with the support of Hong Kong Tourism Board. The Rubber Duck will make a comeback to Hong Kong, accompanied by another Rubber Duck. Both 18m-tall ducks will be stationed near Tamar Park, Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section), making this decade-awaited project beyond happiness.

In Chinese saying, good things come in pairs. This grand return as “DOUBLE DUCKS” is inspired by symmetrical characters “囍”（happiness) and “朋” (friends), symbolizing a symbiotic prosperity in partnership, friendship, and doubling the happiness of coming together as one. In the imminent transformation of Victoria Harbour into a colossal bathtub, the “DOUBLE DUCKS” will be juxtaposed amusingly with the vibrant skyline of the harbour, constructing a fascinating panorama.

Hofman was inspired by a world map and a rubber duck to create a giant inflatable rubber duck installation, which he took on a world tour. Starting from the Netherlands in 2007, it traveled to twelve locations across four continents before making its way to Hong Kong in 2013, becoming Hofman’s most prominent exhibition to date. Hofman’s freewheeling imagination of childlike wonder has gained notice from the public, inspiring people to take a break from their mundane daily life and connect with one another.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman (1977) aims to challenge the audience’s comfortableness by recasting the simply perspective on quotidian objects. The familiarity and positivity from the artwork allows the public to explore art in an affable way. Subsequently he crafts these into clear and iconic images; oddly oversize “toy” that alienate and unsettle through their sheer size and use of materials, such as Rubber Duck (2007): an inflatable giant-sized representation of a rubber duck bath-toy that has been seen in harbors across the world, from France to Brazil, New Zealand to Hong Kong, and from Pittsburgh to even Santiago in Chili. They are immediately identifiable and have an instant appeal.

Florentijn Hofman is known for playful, larger-than-life installations. His works include the giant Rubber Duck, large bunny sculptures, and other awe-inspiring pieces. These works of art have been exhibited in more than 20 global destinations and become one of the world’s most recognisable urban art to date.

Hofman attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Kampen, The Netherlands in 2000; then followed his MFA from the Kunsthochschule Weissensee in Berlin, Germany.

AllRightsReserved is a creative brand which has curated numerous projects in Hong Kong and across the globe. A few momentous mentions included KAWS:HOLIDAY by American artist KAWS, which has been touring around the world since 2018; “100 years before the birth of DORAEMON” exhibition in 2012, which was the largest-number-ever Doraemon exhibition in Hong Kong; "Yayoi Kusama: Dot Obsessions" by avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in 2007 and last but not least, a gigantic, 15 meters tall, weighed 13 tons panda sculpture aptly named "I am Here", in collaboration with British artist Lawrence Argent in 2014.