Forty years before
Banksy tagged London and 25 years before
Dondi “burned” New York’s subway trains, Tsang Tsou-choi brought Chinese calligraphy to the streets of Hong Kong as the “King of Kowloon.” Today the vast majority of his 55,000 works survive only as photographs; the originals destroyed by time, weather and Hong Kong’s perpetual redevelopment.
You can now explore this cultural icon’s work through the Google Cultural Institute’s new
King of Kowloon collection covering Tsang’s life, times and art through 170 works and
a virtual tour of the electrical boxes, pillars, scaffolding poles, and walls that Tsang literally claimed as his domain. Here’s how Jehan Chu, director and founder of Art Research Institute describes Tsang’s writing:
Described as an “urban poet” by curator Hans Ulrich-Obrist, Tsang writing includes dates, locations, family’s ancestry, curses, and most often, his claim as the King of Kowloon. The language is fragmented, omits punctuation, and typically repeats the same themes and phrases across writings.
There are some traces of the king left. Here's a pillar at Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui with Tsang’s artwork still preserved:
Street artists have always made a tough trade. What they gain in high exposure, often comes at the expense of their legacy, as their art gets washed away by city councils or the natural elements. We hope that this collection preserves the legacy of a Hong Kong icon, and gives the people of Hong Kong and around the world a way to explore and appreciate this pioneer’s work with a sense of its original context away from pristine and quiet gallery walls.
Posted by Lauren Nemroff, Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute
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