NY Met-Hong Kong exhibit highlights cultural diplomacy amid geopolitical tensions
Original framing: “New York Met exhibit in Hong Kong ‘underscores importance of cultural exchanges’” — South China Morning Post
The use of cultural exhibitions as diplomatic tools dates back to the Cold War, when the U.S. and USSR used art and culture to project soft power. This exhibit echoes those historical patterns, using art to manage tensions in a new geopolitical era.
The New York Met exhibition in Hong Kong is a microcosm of the broader geopolitical and cultural dynamics between the U.S. and China.
While it is framed as a neutral cultural exchange, it is embedded in a history of cultural diplomacy used to manage tensions and project soft power. The exhibit’s lack of Indigenous and marginalized voices, combined with its strategic timing, reveals the limitations of such initiatives in fostering genuine cross-cultural understanding. To move beyond symbolic gestures, future exhibitions must adopt inclusive, ethical, and participatory models that center the voices of source communities and address historical injustices. Only then can cultural diplomacy serve as a meaningful tool for global solidarity rather than a tool of geopolitical strategy.