Wonders presenter hits back in ugly feud, faults poor pics

Stacy Shi

The organizer of "Inflatable Wonders" says it had obtained permission from the Armenian creator whose AI artwork inspired the Central Harbourfront exhibition, which she however had called "ugly."

Some local media reported that the artist, Joann, said the exhibits are "very ugly and not well proportioned" as she called on the organizer to end the exhibition.

Staged by Central Venue Management, the installation - which opened on Friday and will last until August 11 - features inflatable exhibits of five world wonders - England's Stonehenge, Moai of Easter Island in Chile, Giza Pyramids in Egypt, Tower of Pisa in Italy and Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The organizer said it did not ask for financial assistance from the government and the cost of producing the installation was reasonable.

It added the exhibition was inspired by Joann, who posted AI artworks featuring 10 "Inflatable Wonders" on Instagram last year.

According to a website, Joann is an "artist and creative director based in Yerevan, Armenia. She started her career in advertising and packaging design, bringing a fresh perspective to the blend of art and commercial advertising. Joann has put her creativity and artistic skills to work for brands like Gucci, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, BMW, Oatly, and GCDS, creating effective and eye-catching campaigns."

The Hong Kong exhibition has aroused criticism as some labeled the white exhibits as inflatable "graveyards," especially under the green illumination effects.

"I don't like that they launched it without showing the works to me before launching it," Joann told local media, adding she could have made the exhibits more appealing.

"I don't like my name on this ugly exhibition. The concept is mine. So I would love it to be stopped."

In response, the organizer said Joann gave permission to tag the exhibits as "inspired by @joooo.ann" as early as March and that they did not require preapproval.

It also said Joann was not involved in the production process but it did update her about the progress via e-mail.

"Joann expressed her happiness that everything went smoothly and asked CVM to send her videos and photos of the finished installation so that she could post the photos on her social media accounts," the organizer said.

The organizer also published four excerpted e-mails with Joann between March and June, with one saying: "I'm absolutely thrilled that the project has been approved ... I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds."

In another e-mail sent by Joann on June 21, she appeared to authorize the organizer to "use whichever you prefer" among her profile photo and a few work images for promotion.

CVM also accused the media of showing poorly taken photos of unfinished exhibits that "caused misunderstanding," adding it had e-mailed Joann the photos of the finished exhibits on opening day.

It added the free exhibition would continue as scheduled. It attracted 6,000 visitors in the first two days.

Writing on Facebook, New People's Party lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee slammed it as "costly but with poor effects."

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com