Following is the speech by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale today (May 11, Venice time) in Venice, Italy:

Minister Counselor Zheng (Minister Counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Italy, Ms Zheng Xuan), Wilfred (Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Dr Wilfred Wong), Victor (Chairman of the M+ Board, Dr Victor Lo), Duncan (Chief Executive Officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mr Duncan Pescod), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Welcome to the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale jointly presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and M+ of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.

     Following the successful collaborations in 2013 and 2015, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and M+ are happy to join hands for the third time to showcase the work of a Hong Kong artist at the Venice Art Biennale, the world's most prestigious contemporary art exhibition. This year, we are proud to present Mr Samson Young, an award-winning emerging artist and composer, who would bring us a new body of work and promise a unique audio-visual experience.

     The exhibition, "Songs for Disaster Relief", is a series of drawings, objects, videos and installations. It takes a fresh look into iconic songs made by popular artists for charitable causes, with a view to exploring their social, political and philosophical implications. Samson has expanded his presence around the world and his work has gained international recognition. We are grateful for his dedication to make our arts and culture known to the world.

     The participation of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in the Venice Art Biennale can be traced back to 2001. In the past eight editions, the exhibitions attracted over half a million visitors. Our artists have benefited as much from these exhibition opportunities as from the support given by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

     The Hong Kong Government has all along been working with the stakeholders to promote the arts and culture and celebrate the achievements of our artists. We endeavour to create an environment which is conducive to developing Hong Kong into an international cultural metropolis.

     We are excited about the commissioning of various arts and cultural landmarks in the next few years. The first batch of major arts and cultural facilities in the West Kowloon Cultural District will come into operation in the next two years, namely the Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera, the Art Park including the Freespace with a black box theatre and an outdoor stage, and the M+ museum.

     As an integral part of the West Kowloon Cultural District, M+ is a 60,000-square-metre museum for 20th and 21st century international visual art and culture, design and architecture, and moving image. While the museum is scheduled to open in 2019, the M+ Pavilion was inaugurated last year to serve as a primary site for exhibitions in the run-up to the M+ opening.

     The arts scene in Hong Kong is flourishing and we have one of the world's largest art markets. I welcome you all to visit Hong Kong in the near future to experience the vitality of our arts and culture and find inspiration from where the East meets the West.

     Last but not least, I would like to thank all of you for coming to our ceremony and hope you would enjoy the exhibition. Thank you.

Ends/Thursday, May 11, 2017
Issued at HKT 23:34

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