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Connor Mycroft

Russia hopes to show off more of its rich arts heritage in Hong Kong, according to its top diplomat in the city, as the country shifts its cultural focus from Europe to Asia in the wake of the Ukraine war.
Consul General Anatoly Kargapolov said leading Russian museums were “ready to share” their artworks with top Hong Kong institutions, including M+, the Palace Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of History.
“The negotiation process is under way, and I am sure we are going to have some projects,” he told the Post in an exclusive interview.
Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Theatre, renowned for its ballet and opera performances, could also put on shows in Hong Kong, he said.
The war in Ukraine affected the circulation of Russian art and performances as some overseas museums and cultural institutions limited or cancelled events as a form of protest.
Kargapolov said that before February 2022, Moscow worked mostly with European museums and cultural institutions. Now it was shifting its focus to Asia, for both economics and culture.

“Our thriving relationship with China lays the foundation for the development of our ties with Hong Kong across various spheres,” he added.
He said Moscow hoped to strengthen collaboration with Hong Kong in the arts, tourism and education.
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum last hosted an exhibition featuring artefacts from the Moscow Kremlin Museums in 2021.
Russia’s performers have also faced a wave of cancellations amid a cultural boycott following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Acclaimed Russian-Austrian opera soprano Anna Netrebko performed at last year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival with her husband, Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov, but her appearances in New York, Prague and Taiwan were cancelled.
The state-owned Bolshoi Theatre has been barred from putting on shows in the United States and the European Union.
Its opera and ballet companies last came to the city in 2015 for the Arts Festival.
“I am confident that if Bolshoi Theatre comes, it can compete with Coldplay,” Kargapolov said, referring to the British rock band performing in Hong Kong next April.
Kargapolov said he had observed growing interest in Russian films among Hong Kong cinema fans and that was why the consulate was organising screenings of acclaimed movies in November.

The consulate was also taking part in the ongoing Asia+ Festival, showcasing national costumes, ballroom dance performances and traditional folk workshops.
Kargapolov said some airlines were considering more direct flights between Hong Kong and Russian cities, including locations in its vast Siberian region, coinciding with a post-pandemic rebound in tourism.
Nearly 77,000 Russian visitors arrived in the city in the first eight months of this year, up from around 56,000 for the whole of 2023, according to Hong Kong Tourism Board statistics.
While the latest figures were still well below the 161,000 who visited in 2018, Kargapolov said he had been working to rebuild tourism ties.
Last December, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot restarted direct flights between Hong Kong and Moscow.
To attract more Russians to visit the city, he suggested that local museums consider adding signage and summaries in Russian, as not all visitors had a good command of English.


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Envoy Anatoly Kargapolov says Moscow hopes to strengthen collaboration with Hong Kong in the arts, tourism and education


Envoy Anatoly Kargapolov says Moscow hopes to strengthen collaboration with Hong Kong in the arts, tourism and education.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Envoy Anatoly Kargapolov says Moscow hopes to strengthen collaboration with Hong Kong in the arts, tourism and education

Envoy Anatoly Kargapolov says Moscow hopes to strengthen collaboration with Hong Kong in the arts, tourism and education