{"id":38877,"date":"2026-03-24T14:15:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=38877"},"modified":"2026-03-24T14:15:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:15:36","slug":"what-is-hong-kongs-n-museum-and-why-is-it-calling-out-the-cringe-nostalgia-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=38877","title":{"rendered":"What is Hong Kong\u2019s N+ Museum? And why is it calling out the \u2018cringe\u2019 nostalgia trend?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
Neon signs on a Mong Kok street, \u201cding ding\u201d trams sounding their bells, milk tea at traditional cha chaan teng<\/span> cafes \u2013 images such as these are what usually come to mind when one thinks of Hong Kong culture.<\/div>\n
During this year\u2019s Hong Kong art week<\/span>, indie collective N+ Museum are confronting how the city is increasingly caricatured by nostalgic tropes in \u201cHong Kong Nostalgia-Bait\u201d, an exhibition that asks: what gets left when memory is treated as a commodity and turned into visual souvenirs? The show, featuring 19 local artists, runs until March 29.<\/div>\n
\u201cNostalgia is not cringe in itself. But what\u2019s cringe is people trying to use nostalgia to make it consumable \u2026 trying to just get as much money as they can with nostalgia,\u201d says Renee Lui, an independent curator and a co-founder of N+ Museum.<\/p>\n
N+ co-founder Louie Jaubere, a pseudonymous painter who hides behind a mask, says: \u201cWe\u2019re commenting on the exploitation of memories. [The exhibition is] also about \u2026 the lack of effort in conservation. They keep demolishing things without having careful consideration, while cashing in on fake old stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\n\n
<\/div>Lui and Jaubere\u2019s new exhibition \u201cHong Kong Nostalgia-Bait\u201d challenges the city\u2019s commodification of nostalgia. Photo: Sun Yeung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The name N+ not only satirises M+<\/span> \u2013 one of the largest museums in the city, owned and funded by the Hong Kong government \u2013 but is also meant to stand for \u201cnew\u201d, emphasising their mission to spotlight young, up-and-coming artists.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Lui](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/24\/b7a13fb5-cadf-4c71-9258-af694202d4b0_3f7d3a20.jpg\" "\\"Lui")
<\/div>