HK, Uzbek museums plan co-curated exhibitions in 2028
Hong Kong Palace Museum and the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan have begun discussions on co-curating exhibitions in late 2028, with plans to bring each other's collections to Hong Kong and Tashkent, according to Hong Kong Palace Museum director Louis Ng. Speaking during Chief Executive John Leeโs visit to Central Asia, Ng said the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, covering cooperation in research, exhibitions, education and talent training. Ng added that preliminary talks on the exhibition exchange have already taken place. โWe will bring collections from the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan to Hong Kong,โ he said. โOn the other hand, we will bring our collections from the Hong Kong Palace Museum โ including our ancient gold artefacts and textiles โ to exhibit here in Uzbekistan.โ He said the timeline is still subject to further negotiations between the two museum teams and depends on their respective schedules, as well as any other exhibition commitments for the Uzbek artefacts. Ng described Uzbekistan as an ancient civilisation and a โcultural hubโ along the historic Silk Road and said the collaboration aims to bring Central Asian history to Hong Kong audiences. โWe hope to take this opportunity to present the history of Central Asia, the history of Uzbekistan and the history of the Silk Road through an exhibition in Hong Kong,โ he said. He also emphasised that the initiative supports both the Belt and Road Initiative and Hong Kongโs development into a centre for Chinese and international cultural and artistic exchanges. He said this marks the first time a Hong Kong museum has cooperated with a Central Asian counterpart. โCentral Asian museums donโt know much about Hong Kongโs museums either,โ Ng said, adding that he has invited Uzbek museum directors to visit Hong Kong in the coming year to share experiences and expertise. โTogether, we can advance the development of our respective cultural and museum sectors more prosperously,โ Ng said. Edited by Thomas McAlinden