Venice premiere of The Jade Walkers to showcase HK cultural soft power | Cultural Exchange | Bernard Charnwut Chan

Hong Kong’s cultural narrative reaches new heights with “The JadeWalkers,” an extraordinary performance art project transforming the city’s architectural and textile heritage into captivating, living sculptures. 

Led by former Olympic swimmer turned artist and cultural visionary Yvette Kong Man-yi, this project embodies her passion for reinventing heritage through interdisciplinary storytelling and performance. 

As the founder of Transversal Lab and a lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she seamlessly integrates creativity with social impact, celebrating Hong Kong’s rich heritage while promoting international cultural exchange.

New York-based Mexican artist Laura Anderson Barbata plays a crucial role in the creative collaboration. She is renowned for her innovative transdisciplinary works, which have been showcased in major museums, universities, and public spaces, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. 

Alongside is Hong Kong-based textile artist professor Huang Tsai-chun, a 2024 Paris Fashion Award gold winner and assistant professor at the School of Fashion and Textiles at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

He expertly blends traditional craftsmanship with advanced 3D fabrication techniques. 

The team has designed stunning creations that feature bamboo scaffolding motifs, pleats influenced by Cantonese opera, and color palettes inspired by dragons. These seamlessly merge Hong Kong’s cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation and incorporate Mexican textile traditions.

At the heart of the performance are the Brooklyn Jumbies, a renowned American stilt-dancing collective celebrated for blending traditional Caribbean and African performance art with contemporary storytelling to create visually breathtaking and culturally elaborate spectacles. 

The towering, stilt-walking “Moko Jumbies” have been reimagined to reflect Hong Kong’s iconic skyline and the legendary Yang Warriors of Chinese folklore. 

They embody diverse cultural influences, symbolizing strength and resilience, and their graceful movements are accompanied by live music performed by four students from the Conservatorio di Musica.

The JadeWalkers will premiere as a prestigious collateral event at the 19th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale on Sunday, before embarking on an international tour designed to showcase Hong Kong’s cultural soft power and solidify the city’s reputation as a global hub for creativity and innovation. 

This extraordinary international collaboration is a living archive of heritage and imagination, inviting international audiences to experience Hong Kong through a bold, visionary lens.

Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of Tai Kwun Culture & Arts Co Ltd