Unveiled on Valentine’s Day, the ‘Chubby Hearts Hong Kong’ project has received mixed reviews since its revealment on Friday that the government funded HK$7.8 million for the project.
Embracing the season of love, the Chubby Hearts project is designed by the renowned British designer Anya Hindmarch, in partnership with the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC). Hindmarch has previously launched the Chubby Hearts project successfully in London back in 2018.
People taking photos in front of Giant Chubby Heart at Statue Square Gardens Central. Photo: Jimin Park
Hong Kong’s version of Chubby Heart at Statue Square Gardens in Central is 12 meters wide, which is four times larger than the London version. In addition to the centerpiece installation at Central, the 3-meter-wide pop-up chubby hearts have been floating around various landmarks in Hong Kong, such as the Kennedy Town promenade, flower market in Mong Kok, and Ngong Ping Village in Lantau Island. The pop-ups are planned to take place until the 24th, Saturday, with the daily pop-up location posted on its website every morning at 7 am.
When the daily pop-up at PMQ was visited at noon, today, it was quite empty, with only a few workers stationed at the site. Staff members from the Chubby Heart team are stationed to conduct surveys from the visitors, to hear feedback like if they are satisfied with the Chubby Heart, if they are willing to recommend it to others, and how much they are willing to spend for the venue and in the area.
Janet Poon, staff of Chubby Hearts team said, “I think the number of visitors depends on the location. For instance, for the central Giant Chubby Heart or the recent one in the central market, more people are likely to visit because they can pass by easily. For PMQ, maybe more locals will come here.”
Susan Chen, a corporate worker who works in Central, said, “I was just passing by and thought the heart is cute, so I decided to take a picture of it. I really like how bright the color is.”
The HK$7.8 million comes from the government’s Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) funding. The ACE funding was established in 2022 by Chief Executive John Lee in hopes of “promoting the staging of more international arts and cultural events in Hong Kong,” developing Hong Kong’s arts and cultural industries with the ultimate goal of attracting more tourists to the city.
In hopes of revitalizing Hong Kong’s economy since Covid-19, the government has planned over 80 ‘mega-events’ and the Chubby Hearts project is the first of many to take place. Some of the mega-events include the international pop culture event ComplexCon, Art Central, Art Basel, and Kung Fu Carnival.
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Chubby Hearts Project has attracted more than 200k visitors in the first three days, 14, 15, and 16th of February, among which 20% are tourists. It has particularly attracted more attention on Valentine’s Day, with 65,524 visitors as lovers, friends, and family were rushing to get Instagrammable pictures in front of the Giant Chubby Heart in Central, and three pop-up locations at the Flower Market in Mong Kok, Belcher Promenade in Kennedy Town, and the Lam Tsuen Wishing Square in Tai Po.
The $7.8 million has been decided as an appropriate amount by the government to “cover curation, exhibit production, and display, creation by local designers and artists, staff and security, market research, local and overseas promotion expenses.” However, some have been questioning if the spending of the government is rational, as mega-events are sponsored by taxpayers. ACE’s maximum funding amount for each project is HK$15 million, but there is no transparency of how the budget was allocated.
A local resident in Hong Kong, who asked not to disclose his name, expressed some concerns about how the money was spent. The resident said, “I do think the expenditure is a bit too high. While I understand that it has to take into consideration safety, and paying all the staff, I do think some sort of transparency in this situation would be helpful. I think people have the right to know how it was spent.”
“I think it would be a lot more useful if it was spent on social welfare, like for the elderly in Hong Kong, he added.
Denis Tang, a student from the University of Hong Kong also said, “Although I like the idea of the project, I don’t think the execution of the project is smooth. They could have added more interactive elements to it. I think one suggestion is to support local artists in the creative industries. I get that the international collaboration is important to attract more tourists, but it would be a lot more useful if the government could start by giving more support to the local artists here.”
Reported by: Jimin Park
Edited by: Coey Fung and Katie Tse