During Art Basel Hong Kong 2019, M+ organised a human library, where staff members acted as ‘books’ that could be borrowed by the public for short conversations. Anyone passing by could submit questions for staff to answer during these exchanges.

Here are the five most asked visitor questions, along with responses from five different human books:

What skills are required for your work? How did you develop them?

Answered by Kenji Wong (Video Producer, Digital Programme)

Art and visual culture are ways of seeing the world and the self. How can we present the thought-provoking nature of art using video as a medium? As a video producer, this is what I want to explore at M+.

We can tell stories not just through words, but also through video and moving image. In fact, video can help people understand things in different ways than text. It can help our audiences feel closer to the stories of artists and makers, the works in the M+ Collections, and the team at our museum.

As a video producer, you need a few skills to achieve this. First of all, you have to learn how to patiently observe the subjects of the story. You need to talk to artists, makers, curators, and colleagues to comprehend the topic. And you have to understand the nature of video and be familiar with the language of film. For example, what angle do you choose to use to tell these stories, and for whom are you telling them? These are the observational and introspective skills necessary in my job, developed through research, talking with others, and practice.

Who decides what a work means—the artist/maker, the critic, the historian, the curator, or the audience?

Answered by Karman Wong (Head, Visitor Services)

To me, it’s relatively simple. You may have heard the famous quote from kung fu master and movie star Bruce Lee in a television interview: ‘Be water, my friend’. This is my answer to the question.

Each of us has a flexible and fluid identity or form, just like water. When we see a work, we might take on multiple roles simultaneously. We can only decide what the work means through the identity we embody in that moment, and through the ‘self’ we have in mind.

The individual thoughts and emotions sparked by the work are more important in creating meaning than any directive from an authority, whether they be a critic, curator, or historian. We the audience also create the meaning of a work in collaboration with one another, by exchanging and building upon our thoughts and emotions.

How do museums make themselves sustainable?

Answered by Moody Tang (Associate Registrar)

Museums in the twenty-first century need to engage with three major streams of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. They must protect natural and cultural environments, build relationships with audiences and local communities, make sound decisions about collections management, and secure long-term financial stability. The main goal is to serve future generations.

What is the best museum experience you have ever had?

Answered by Ashton Cheung (Senior Executive Assistant)

My visit to Touching Art: Louvre’s Sculptures in Movement at the Hong Kong Museum of Art back in 2011 was an interesting experience. The exhibition featured a number of replicas of some of the most precious sculptures and reliefs from the musée du Louvre, the originals of which date from between 200 BCE and the nineteenth century. In addition to being able to look closely at the artworks, visitors were encouraged to touch them. The pleasure I found in the exhibition was not limited to the visual; it encompassed the feel of the shape and texture (and of course the slight coolness) of these works as well.

Speaking of physical interaction with artwork, I also have fond memories of Mobile M+: Inflation! in 2013. Six larger-than-life inflatable sculptures by local, regional, and internationally renowned artists were presented, and a breathtaking performance piece by Tomás Saraceno was staged. Audiences were able to appreciate the works not only from a distance but also through up-close interaction: jumping inside a huge bouncy Stonehenge, sitting inside a barbecued pig to escape from the sun and rain, and daydreaming in a giant’s garden while contemplating Paul McCarthy’s Complex Pile.

What are the most important skills of an artist or maker?

Answered by Hester Chan (Curator, Collections):

Growing up in a Chinese household, I had the benefit of parents who took great care to emphasise the joy of mastering new skills and, more important, of putting those skills into practice. They were very pragmatic people!

Often when we think of an artist, we imagine the creative process as an act of inspiration by a gifted or talented individual, while other attributes, like having a practical outlook and a sense of purpose, rarely enter the mind. And yet, to have an enduring art practice requires a great deal of determination. The late and great Hon Chi-fun (1922-2019), one of Hong Kong’s leading artists and one of the pioneers of abstract painting, combined his prolific painting with a full-time job at the Hong Kong Post Office, sculptor Richard Serra (American, 1938) ran a low-cost moving company to afford to make artworks, and respected ink artist Yuan Jai (Taiwanese, born China, 1941) absorbed her encounters with classical pieces while first working as a conservator at the National Palace Museum in Taipei—not to mention the many makers and artists who take on teaching roles to share their knowledge with younger peers.

Like Yuan Jai, some artists may begin their careers later in the game—Gaylord Chan (Hong Kong, born 1925) did not start painting until the age of forty-two—but seldom do we hear of an artist retiring. On the contrary, we have some very strong characters in our collections, including Etel Adnan (American, born Lebanon, 1925), Yayoi Kusama (Japan, born 1929), and Wang Chiu-Hwa (Taiwanese, born China 1925); women who have been pushing boundaries since the 1960s and remain active now. Their strength of purpose cannot be ascribed to anything other than sheer passion for the creative process.