灣仔區議員張嘉莉亦是藝術家,一直致力推動區內的藝術發展。8月7日收到街坊通知,指位於跑馬地協和里牆上,由法國藝術家 Invader 於2014年訪港時創作的「功夫狗」(Hong Kong Phooey)離奇消失,整幅被移走。
它是1970年代美國卡通人物Hong Kong Phooey 的馬賽克作品──這隻戴着面具的狗是功夫專家,由 Invader 二次創作。
路政署指署方沒有移除該牆壁上的藝術作品,認為該幅以瓷磚鋪砌的圖案並無影響斜坡安全及斜坡維修保養工作。承建商於今年6月18日為該斜坡進行例行檢查及維修工作,當時斜坡上的圖案完好。推算「功夫狗」在6月18日至8月7日期間被人拆去。
查功夫狗曾於2015年間被政府,劣評如潮,指政府不尊重藝術創作。其後在該處出現的功夫狗,已是復修之作。
Invader曾複製功夫狗作品Alias HK_58,並於2015年在蘇富比拍賣,由一名歐洲私人收藏家以196萬港元投得。
Wan Chai District Councillor Clara Cheung is also an artist and has been striving to promoting art development in the district. On August 7, she was informed that the “Hong Kong Phooey” created by French artist Invader on the wall of Hip Wo Lane in Happy Valley disappeared and the entire artwork was removed.
It is a mosaic of 1970s American cartoon character Hong Kong Phooey — a mask-wearing dog who is an expert in kung fu — resurrected by Invader.
The Highways Department stated that they did not remove the artwork on the wall and believed that the tiled pattern did not affect slope safety and slope maintenance work. The contractor carried out routine inspections and repairs for the slope on June 18. At that time, the artwork on the slope were intact. It is estimated that the “Kung Fu Dog” was removed between June 18 and August 7.
It was reported that the original Hong Kong Phooey was removed in 2015 by the government, who was widely criticized for not respecting artistic creation. The artwork that appeared there later was a work of restoration.
Invader once copied the Hong Kong Phooey artwork as Alias HK_58 and auctioned it at Sotheby’s in 2015. It was bought by a European private collector for HK$1.96 million.
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