Panic as Sheffield quits as arts hub boss

So says the headline for this SCMP article in Google Reader.  Clicking over to the actual article, cooler minds seem to have prevailed as the headline reads, “Arts hub boss quits after just 5 months.”   However, in the very first paragraph in the article, it seems that they can’t be arsed to print the guy’s name.  He’s gone, fuck him!

Chairman of the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) Henry Tang Yin-yen on Friday confirmed the board had accepted the resignation of chief executive, , just five months after he took up the post.

Anyway, his name is Graham Sheffield and he was once the artistic director of the Barbican Centre in London.  Citing health reasons, he is quitting just 5 months after taking up the post.  His predecessor at the West Kowloon Arts District, was Angus Cheung, who himself quit the post after only 9 days, also citing health reasons.

I have no inside track for information on this.  But my mind reels with the possibilities.  Physical health – did Albert Yeung threaten his health if he didn’t exclusively book Emperor Group artists?  Or mental health – was there a plan to reduce the theater size down to 200 seats to make sure there was enough room for Wellcome, Giordano, City Chain, Fortress and Marathon Sports?.  Was he told that he couldn’t present Shakespeare or ballet because those are not Chinese arts?   Or nothing that wasn’t already tried and true, with a guaranteed built in audience, nothing that might actually get Hong Kong’s art scene noticed globally?

Probably nothing so dramatic.  And yet, it does seem odd, doesn’t it?

And who are they going to find to lead this endeavor now?   Where can I send my CV?