Quirky quokka on a quest

Crystal Wu

Even though travel bubbles between cities are beginning to be put in place, traveling during the summer still feels like a distant dream in the midst of the pandemic.

However, a few happy visitors got the chance to come and explore the city.

Gallery by the Harbour is currently hosting Quokka in Town!, featuring the Australian marsupial and its friends, marshmallow Marsh and gummy bear Bobo, from the Korean brand Dinotaeng and illustrator Kim Tae Eun.

"Most of my artworks were created through communication with Dinotaeng's Instagram followers. We chat through Instagram Stories - for example: what kind of story will be given to the characters, what these characters did today and what they're going to do next," said Kim on the genesis of the characters.

In fact, the happiest animal in the world was not meant to be the main character in Dinotaeng, said the illustrator, and it was through communicating with Dinotaeng's followers on Instagram that Marshville, the world of Quokka, Marsh and Bobo, was created.

In Kim's illustrations, we follow the marsupial as he prepares for his trip - overfilling his luggage with Bobo in Pack for Trip, and sitting inside his suitcase in I don't have a passport. While we all had the fantasy of traveling for free by hiding in luggages, Kim realizes Quokka's plan in her work, Baggage Scan.

"I wish people would laugh and say: 'I imagined that too, I did that too.' Everyone has a childhood," said the artist.

How long has it been since we got on a plane?

Reminisce about those days as you follow Quokka and Bobo to the airport in Waiting for Plane, choosing what in-flight meal to have in Beef or Fish? and looking out at the clouds through the oval plane porthole in First Flight.

Clumsy Quokka also falls off the escalator with his luggage in Riding escalator for the very first time! - something that is sure to be in the back of all of our minds when have to navigate an unfamiliar airport with our bulky carry-ons.

"Since Covid, it has become difficult to travel as freely as before, and many people miss the excitement of preparing for a trip," Kim said.

"In this exhibition, I want people to feel how much joy, excitement and anticipation were given to us by everyday things that seemed like little things - like packing your luggage, waiting for your flight and thinking about what to eat on board."

The exhibition space in Harbour City is also adorned with decorations documenting Quokka and Bobo's departure, from saying goodbye to friends and family at the boarding gate to sitting on the plane with the seatbelt signs on.

"The biggest attraction of Dinotaeng is that all the stories can be developed in accordance with the concept of the exhibition, reflecting the real-time situation or the environment," she said.

"Just as in this exhibition, these characters lived only in the environment of Marshville but they were able to expand into a new environment through the concept of traveling to Hong Kong,"

Upon touching down in Hong Kong, Quokka, Bobo and Marsh, like many tourists, can be seen enjoying the view of Victoria Harbour in Quokka in Town!, taking a sightseeing tram tour in City Tour, and shopping in Buy 2 Get 1 Free.

Fans of Quokka, Bobo and Marsh can also pick up merchandise based on the characters near the entrance to the exhibition space.

"Always joyful and sometimes clumsy, Quokka resolves obstacles with humor and originality, treating every occasion as gleeful experiments of life's possibilities. I believe the characters can inject some humor into the audience's life, reminding them of the little treasures in their surroundings. To me, this is the greatest joy," said Kim.

Quokka in Town! will run until August 29 at Gallery by the Harbour.