Through interactive art experiences and a metaverse gallery, HSBC intends to turn Hong Kong from a busy financial hub into an open canvas.
The popular Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier in Hong Kong has been transformed into an immersive 3D digital billboard thanks to a partnership between the global financial brand and new media innovator Henry Chu.
Chu’s work will be featured in a rotating exhibition of artists’ works on the site. Some of Chu’s previous exhibitions include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the M+ Museum in Hong Kong.
Additionally, HSBC will direct visitors to its metaverse Gallery, a venue for regional artists to display their inventions and home to works by Flyingpig, Wong Ping, and Yeung Hok Tak. Traditional art is also transformed into immersive experiences through the “Open to Art” metaverse effort.
To modernize access to art and transform how people in Hong Kong see art and culture, HSBC’s agency MSL Hong Kong developed the campaign.
According to HSBC’s Brian Hui, who oversees customer propositions and marketing, “Open to Art seeks to alter how individuals access art and how the public can enjoy art. In the end, this makes contemporary visual culture more accessible to everyone while bringing wonderful art and cultural experiences to the Hong Kong people. This will also serve as a long-term platform where HSBC hopes to open up the community to more things, like Open to Sports, Open to Tech, and beyond. This stems from our HSBC brand promise of “Open up a world of opportunity”.
The programme will be a part of an ongoing brand strategy to revamp the local art scene in Hong Kong and change the way the art market operates. In terms of sales, Hong Kong is the second-largest art market in the world after New York and before London. In an effort to alter how people perceive art and the city, HSBC is making significant investments in both local artists and works of art.
To demystify the realm of NFT art by democratizing access to it, the bank opened the largest NFT exhibition in the world in June of last year, which was displayed on the facade of HSBC Hong Kong’s main building. Additionally, the company worked with new media artist Victor Wong to produce a piece of art that changes in response to stock market volatility.