Festival Brazil
A summer showcase of Brazilian art and culture at Southbank Centre, London
Project dates: June to September 2010
Working in more than 86 countries, we see the understanding of different cultures as an essential part of building international business relationships.
This year we are celebrating the vibrancy of modern Brazil with a series of worldwide events and activities as part of our global Cultural Exchange programme. Following our focus on India in 2009 and China in 2008, it will provide insight into one of the world's rapidly growing economies.
Brazil's economic resilience and extraordinary cultural diversity makes it an exciting country on which to focus in 2010, especially as it becomes the subject of intense interest ahead of the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
At the centre is our sponsorship of Festival Brazil at Southbank Centre in London, a summer showcase of Brazilian art and culture from 19 June to 5 September 2010.
Click here to find out more
Indian Summer
A season of programming exploring Indian culture
Project date: May - October 2009
The British Museum and HSBC partnered together in 2009 for Indian Summer, a season dedicated to Indian culture featuring a unique programme of exhibitions, performances, lectures and film screenings from May to October.
HSBC was the sponsor of the season that included Garden and Cosmos: the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, an exhibition that provided a rare opportunity to view paintings of outstanding interest and variety that had never previously been seen in Europe: an India Landscape, a specially commissioned space presenting Indian biodiversity in the Museum's forecourt in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: and a rich and varied public programme.
Download the full press release
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Mongolian Arts Exhibition
An exhibition of works celebrating the Chinese Inner Mongolian grassland painters
Project date: November 2008
Hosted at HSBC's Group Headquarters in Canary Wharf, London this exhibition brought the traditional art of Inner Mongolia to the heart of the capital.
The Inner Mongolia region is a province of 24 million people located in the north of the People's Republic of China. The region is a vast 1.18 million km2. The grasslands that featured in the paintings were symbolic of the region and often appear in traditional Mongolian art, which celebrates the nomadic traditions of the local ‘Horseback People'.
This display celebrated the work of 26 contemporary grassland painters and was on display from 10 - 21 November 2008.
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Rivers of the World
Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival arts project hosted in a number of cities around the world – each year two new countries join the project (Mexico and Brazil in 2008).
Project date: Ongoing since 2007
For the second year running the HSBC Global Education Trust sponsored the Rivers of the World exhibition at the Thames Festival. In London, schools are linked with others overseas and pupils from participating cities study their river and are encouraged to share what they learn. During a programme of workshops, professional arts facilitators help pupils create large river-themed artworks for public display.
One of the aims of the project is to encourage cultural understanding and communication between young people from different countries. The vibrant artwork shows the results of dialogue between the students.
As the exhibition travels to riverside locations in the other participating cities including Kolkata, Cairo, Chongqing and Cape Town, millions have the chance to admire the creativity of young people from across the world.
The following rivers (and partnered cities) are involved in Rivers of the World
- River Thames (London, UK)
- Yangtze River (Chongqing, China)
- River Hooghly (Kolkata, India)
- River Liesbeek (Cape Town, South Africa)
- River Nile (Cairo, Egypt)
- Suzhou Creek and Huangpu River (Shanghai, China)
- River Tietê, (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- River Capibaribe (Recife, Brazil)
- River Papaloapan (Tlacotalpan, Mexico)
Find out more
Rivers of the World page
HSBC Global Education Trust
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Residency programmes
HSBC launched a series of innovative residency programmes in 2008 to facilitate Cultural Exchange, with the first taking place between the UK and China.
Project date: 2008 - 2009
International Residency Programme
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China Design Now
An exhibition of contemporary Chinese design at the V&A, London.
Project date: 2008
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CHINA NOW
The UK's largest ever festival of Chinese culture.
Project date: 2008
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Wimbledon Grass Installations
Capturing the essence of Wimbledon
Project date: June 2008
As the official banking partner of Wimbledon, HSBC celebrated the staff, fans and players who contribute to one of the greatest tennis tournaments in the world by commissioning these innovative grass installations.
With players from over 60 countries taking part and fans from many nations visiting London's SW19, the tournament brings together talent and interest from right across the globe. It is a truly international celebration.
The series of grass portraits captured the essence of the competition - as Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass - and told the stories of those people who make Wimbledon the momentous occasion that it is.
These fascinating pieces were conceived by the creative team at JWT and produced by British artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey, who used variations in light to change the colour of the grass and reproduce the photos of their subjects.
The installations were displayed at Wimbledon from 27 June to 6 July2008.
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