“Dreamchasers Stories of Hong Kong Art”, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

“Dreamchasers: Stories of Hong Kong Art” curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, reviews more than six decades of local artistic development. The exhibition weaves together artists, institutions, and cultural events into a rich tapestry of Hong Kong’s art scene. The challenge lay in transforming this vast history into a visitor experience where audiences could not only immerse themselves in six decades of narratives, but also sense the persistence of artists in their lifelong pursuit of dreams. AaaM Architects sought design responses within the “The Attic,” a compact gallery marked by its stepped seating.

From hundreds of events and figures, curators distilled key moments, which the design team translated into a “walkable timeline.” Circular graphic markers embedded with texts and QR codes were placed throughout the space, enabling audiences to engage in dialogue and reconstruct art history step by step. Through the acts of sitting, walking, pausing, and looking back, visitors moved beyond passive observation to become companions in Hong Kong’s sixty years of artistic journey.

The spatial palette was kept in black, white, and grey, evoking the openness of dreams and leaving color to the artworks and the audience’s imagination. Circular motifs permeated the exhibition, symbolizing both infinite possibilities and the openness of dialogue—there is never only one answer in art or history. Four representative works served as anchor points: Tong King-sum’s Ball, with its rounded form placed near the seating steps; Ha Bik-chuen’s Lone Commander, elevated and paired with graphic backdrops; Li Wei-han, Rosanna’s The Ceremony, which created a sense of collective atmosphere; and Gaylord Chan’s digital print Open, bridging past and future.

The exhibition was not only a retrospective of history but also a practice of public dialogue. Through interaction and participation, visitors experienced both the diversity and continuity of Hong Kong art, while taking away dreams of their own. AaaM envisions architecture and design not merely as form, but as a way of empowering communities and nurturing belonging. When sixty years of art are transformed into a space for dialogue, what is truly activated is the connection between people and the city.