Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Seen throughout the “Marginalia (Notes from the Peripheries)” art exhibition were 24 giant mahjong tiles made from discarded styrofoam boxes and coloured tape. Each tile showed an artist whose work was featured.
The exhibition at Current Plans in Wong Chuk Hang in June showcased pieces from 18 migrant artists and groups.
The mahjong installation, created by the local design studio Pop & Zebra, refers to how players discard tiles in the Chinese game.
“Many ethnic minorities in Hong Kong started from migrant work or labour,” said Nicole Nepomuceno, a 25-year-old Filipino curator who moved to the city at age 11.
“Marginalia” is a play on the word “margin”. Nepomuceno said the name addresses how migrants feel left out of society in Hong Kong.
But she also pointed out how people write notes in the margins, or edges, of books. She felt that “margin” was a good way to describe the exhibition, filled with stories from Hong Kong’s minority groups.
Freedom in art
Nepomuceno invited her 25-year-old secondary school friend Faith Monsod, also Filipino, to work on the exhibition.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Monsod said it was often challenging to find a sense of belonging growing up. But she said art helped her embrace herself.
“There is such freedom [in art] – you are so much more than what people will try to perceive you as ... because you don’t just exist in a box,” said Monsod, who graduated with a degree in creative media from City University of Hong Kong.
The event appealed to Hongkongers of all backgrounds.
In fact, the first visitor to the exhibit was a Cantonese-speaking Hongkonger who wanted to learn more about the languages used in some of the pieces.
“She was asking me to explain the different words, as she truly wanted to understand the meaning,” Monsod said.
“At the end of the day, this is a Hong Kong exhibition,” Nepomuceno said, adding how everyone feels marginalised in some way.
“Art is just something that slowly connects and introduces these stories that already exist.”
Sample answers
Stop and think: Marginalia sounds like the word “margin”, which is meant to highlight migrants’ feelings of otherness.
Read and answer: The discarded tiles represent how many migrants feel about their place in society.
Consider: Art helped Monsod embrace her identity and help her find a sense of belonging.
