Planning Problems When Holding Cross-Cultural Art Events
Planning is always needed in organizing events, and is definitely more important when holding cross-cultural art events. Problems often arise on different issues in the stage of planning, such as logistic problems or cultural differences. According to a report on Hong Kong Cultural exchange in Mainland by Hong Kong Art Development Council, cultural clashes and unfamiliarity execution of rules and the unfamiliarity with endorsement procedures and ineffectual publicity are major difficulties apart from insufficient fund.
I have had many problems with the different practices of artists from different countries, and they seriously affect the budget required for the exhibition. A major problem often arises in logistic planning as suggested by several interviewees in my research. First, the cost of shipping is often high when it comes to international shipping. “Importing and exporting forms offer a steep learning curve for most new dealers, and incorrectly completed forms can cause extremely frustrating delays, especially in shipping artwork to or from an international art fair.”
The process of handling shipping is complicated and it costs a lot. “Which forms or documents your particular shipping needs require will also be determined by whether the work has already been sold or is being shipped with the intent of selling it at the destination, such as during an art fair.” (Winkleman, 2010) The preparation of paperwork and supporting documents depends on the purpose of use of the artwork and it requires effort in preparing.
In the cross-border art fair organized by Koreans, the government would usually arrange a company for the shipping of artwork with sponsorship as a financial support to the artists or organizations. However it arises another problem that it requires to send the same amount of artwork back to the origin as the number sent to the other countries after the event. In other words, all artworks sent must return to Korean once after the event in Hong Kong, even if they are bought in the auction in Hong Kong. It causes trouble in time cost and extra fee to ship the artwork back to the buyers. Therefore it requires detailed planning before handling the shipping problem, including taking notice on the total time and cost needed, as well as the procedures required.
Second, there is sometimes delay in some cases. In the previous experience in one of the interviewees, there was a delay in the delivery of artworks, causing the paintings to arrive later than the opening of the exhibition. It would be a big problem if the artworks are not delivered on time, so there is a must to plan carefully with the consideration of any accidents that may occur. Third, the expensive storage cost can be another concern in the logistic aspect. Hong Kong is a small city, with limited space for storing large items. Sometimes there is the need to keep the artworks after the event depending on the shipping plan.
Moreover, as the size of the artworks are usually large, it would be difficult for the artists to carry them to the other countries, which leaves them no choice but to rely on shipping. However, they need a local partner to receive the artworks and to help arranging the details, like shipping schedule. It might be hard for some individual artists or some small-sized company. In some cases, if the artists would like to extend the period of exhibition or sell the artworks, it is crucial to have a local partner to store the artworks and to make arrangement. It is important to choose a art handler that suits one’s needs as different art handlers might provide different services.
“......many of the larger art handlers offer short-or long-term art storage as well as crating and shipping. Many offer regular or climatized storage, the latter, of course, being important for more delicate artwork.” (Winkleman, 2010) Therefore finding a suitable local partner that suits the needs and ensuring constant and effective communication would be a very important part in making the planning beforehand.
“...nonprofit organizations (NPOs), institutions that are legally prohibited from distributing a monetary residual and must therefore spend all their resources on organizational activities.” (James, 1989) As the art exhibitions, especially the two case studies in this research, are usually organized as non-profit event, it is a must to spend all the sponsorship in the event without remaining even one dollar. Thus, it requires detailed planning in how to spend the sum of money in appropriate areas beforehand.
Theme decision is also a very important part in the stage of planning. Problem may arise if the theme of events is not set in earlier. Themes set might affect the approach of the following decisions made in the event, including whom to invite. In a cross-cultural context, artists need to be invited to go overseas, which gives another reason why theme decision needs to be made in the early stage of planning. There may be problems in finding artists who are having relevant works in the targeted field and much time may also needed to find the ones.
In art events with cross-cultural contexts, cultural differences are commonly seen issues that troubles the people involved. “The violence between nations and the foreign policies of countries has been constructed. The international exhibitions and other cultural events of today are playing a great role... As soon as an exhibition is organised in relation to national identities and cultural differences, it positions itself within these power struggle patterns.” (Mendolicchio & Huleileh, 2015) In other words, it is a must to have the consideration of cultural differences and political issues before having the artworks shown in other countries.
Without careful consideration, it might cause big troubles. Cultural differences may include sensitive topics, for instance, different colors may imply political issues that should be avoided. Using the personal experience as an example, Hong Kong, with Chinese culture embedded, intends to use the color red as it represents fortune and blessings. Meanwhile in Korea, red color may refer to communism. The misuse of color without consideration may arise cultural conflicts and this factor must be in concern in the stage of planning.
Another important factor needs to be considered would be translation involved as communication barrier can be a huge problem when holding international art events. First, there is always a must to have translators, maybe for guided tours, but would certainly be necessary for the communication between the overseas artists and the local partners. For example, Hong Kong, as a society with pluralistic culture, has good ability in speaking English, but it may not be the same situation in other countries, for example, Korea.
Some of the interviewees reflected that in some cases, it is hard for the Koreans to read and understand the English manuals. Therefore the plan must include translators in order to avoid having communication barriers in the cross-cultural cooperation. A relevant problem of translating ideas of artwork might also arise in holding art events, mainly in those artworks with idioms in their themes. Idiom is a difficult topic even in translation studies, but is commonly used in expressing the theme of artworks. Therefore the way of translation needs to be discussed beforehand to avoid mistranslation or misinterpretation of artworks.
Lastly, problem may arise due to different workplace culture. In this research, one of the interviewees suggested that embarrassment is caused in the communication between Hong Kong staffs and Korean artists due to different workplace culture. For instance, Korean artists expresses anger and emotions directly to Hong Kong staff but it seldom happens in workplace in Hong Kong. Explanation needs to be made to comfort the Hong Kong staff and it needs communication to both sides. Therefore the difference in workplace culture should be put in considerations as well when planning cross-cultural events.
