Enfilade

Opening this month at the Hong Kong Museum of Art:

Shopping in Canton: China Trade Art in the 18th and 19th Centuries (Phase II) / 廣州購物誌──18至19世紀外銷藝術（第二期）
Hong Kong Museum of Art, 13 January — 15 November 2024

Barber’s basin with floral design in painted enamel, mid 18th century, copper, 36 × 28 × 7 cm (Hong Kong Art Museum, C1987.0010).

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Canton (Guangzhou) was the centre of foreign trade in China. There were some busy shopping streets near the Thirteen Factories district in the southwest suburbs of the Canton city along the Pearl River, with rows of stores selling various crafts and curiosities, tea leaves, local products, snacks and drinks. The target customers were mostly foreign merchants. This exhibition showcases a wide variety of China trade art collections to reconstruct scenes of the bustling shopping paradise in Canton. Visitors will immerse themselves in the interactive animations created by local animators the Tsui Brothers, as they go window-shopping down the memory lane while discovering the art and history of this thriving neighbourhood.