On July 16, Hong Kong’s first comic-animation cum revitalisation community, the Comix Home Base (CHB) celebrated its second birthday in a revitalised building cluster in Wan Chai with an international outreach.
The CHB is the first revitalisation project under the Urban Renewal Authority and managed by the Hong Kong Arts Centre that promotes comics and animation art culture. As such, it is a model for the government, given that quangos and the government have received mixed reviews in turning heritage buildings to new uses. This one seems to be a winner.
The political stars were out in force. Financial Secretary John Tsang, who claimed to be a big fan of American superhero comics, said, “The Hong Kong Government will continue to foster local comics development and help the industry to expand in various platforms through ‘CreateHK’.”
The international community is also evidently interested by this local initiative. When asked about his presence at the event, Deputy Consul-General of Switzerland, Mr Erwin Lüthi, said, “Why not? This is a great occasion to find out what Hong Kong is doing for arts and cultural development.”
To celebrate the 2nd anniversary, the CHB will present, among other events and activities, a collaboration with HK Tramways to showcase artworks of local comic artists on trams in late July. Don’t miss out!
