Cover Grand Lisboa (2017) by Enoc Perez. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

September's new art exhibitions in hotels, public spaces and galleries offer a fresh take on Hong Kong's urban landscape and identity.

September’s Hong Kong art exhibitions explore the relationship between cities, nature and their inhabitants.

1. White Cube: Unbuilt

Tatler Asia
Above Minoru Nomata, Square Drawing-190 (2014). Pencil on paper. Image size: 5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. (15 x 15 cm). Paper size: 11 7/8 x 9 1/8 in. (30.1 x 23.2 cm) © the artist. Courtesy White Cube

Japanese painter Minoru Nomata grew up in Tokyo’s industrial Meguro district at a time when the country was undergoing rapid economic growth, which is reflected in his art, where he explores the aesthetics of machinery and structural designs. For the past four decades, he has created a rich visual vocabulary of imaginary buildings, monoliths, and “eco-scapes”. His architecture may not be functional, but it encourages conversations about the sense of time and space.

From 2 September to November 13. 50 Connaught Road Central, Central. Find out more at whitecube.com

See also: 5 Hong Kong Events You Can't Miss in September 2021

2. Flowers Gallery: Into a Carpet Made of Water

Tatler Asia
Above The Open Wounds of White Clouds by Aida Tomescu. Courtesy of the artist and Flowers Gallery.

Sydney-based painter Aida Tomescu’s exhibition is inspired by Thomas Bernhard’s Under the Iron of the Moon, which poems explored mortality and nature. Tomescu applies layers of paint, then scrapes and repositions them to depict natural elements. This process of continued modification contributes to what she calls the “living structure in the painting”.

From September 16 to November 13. 49 Tung Street, Sheung Wan. Find out more at flowersgallery.com

3. David Zwirner: Sherrie Levine: Hong Kong Dominoes

Tatler Asia
Above Sherrie Levine, Hong Kong Dominoes: 1-12, (2017). Twelve tempera on mahogany panels. © Sherrie Levine. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner.

Sherrie Levine, a member of the Pictures Generation who were known for works that analysed the relation between art, popular culture and mass media in the late 1970s and 1980s, presents 12 paintings on mahogany. Replicating the surfaces of the dominoes Levine bought on a trip to Hong Kong in 2012, they explore notions of originality and authenticity.

From September 8 to October 13. 5-6/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Find out more at davidzwirner.com.hk

See also: 5 Things To Know About The Mid-Autumn Festival 2021

4. Hauser & Wirth: Henry Moore

Tatler Asia
Circus Rider 1975HMF 75(49)Relating to TAP 15
Above Circus Rider (1975) by Henry Moore, photo by Sarah Mercer, courtesy of the Henry Moore Family Collection and Hauser & Wirth.

British artist Henry Moore was known for his sculptures suggestive of the female body as well as drawings of Londoners sheltering from the Blitz during the Second World War. From the late 1970s, weavers from Britain’s West Dean Tapestry Studio interpreted some of his paintings and drawings as life-sized tapestries, retaining the details of the texture of the originals, such as the fading chalk lines, using dyed wool. The pieces were first put on public display in 1980 at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum; the Hong Kong exhibition is the first public showing in more than a decade.

From September 23 to November 27. 16-15/F, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Find out more at hauserwirth.com

See also: Hong Kong Art Fair Unscheduled Returns This September

5. Alisan Fine Arts: Pop Rock

Tatler Asia
Above Skeleton Rock by Dong Wensheng. Courtesy of the artist and Alisan Fine Arts.

Fourteen artists from Hong Kong and mainland China were inspired by scholar’s rocks to create works of ink, photography, oil, sculpture, installation, and video. The rocks are regarded as objects of mystical natural beauty and used in meditation. The artists interpret the symbol differently according to their personal influences and experiences, resulting in a playful, approachable take on these traditional objects.

Until November 6. 21/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Find out more at alisan.com.hk

6. Gallery Exit: Don’t Leave the Dark Alone

Tatler Asia
Above Tobe KAN, Awake 6 甦生 六, 2020, oil pastel on wood panel , 40 x 60 cm, 40 x 19 cm, 2 panel_Courtesy to Gallery Exit and the Artist.

In Oscar Chan Yik Long’s first solo exhibition with Gallery Exit, the Hong Kong artist finds levity in our fear of darkness. Chan takes inspiration from popular culture, especially horror movies, and distils his interpretations into black-and-white images with a hearty dose of irony. As well as drawings and paintings, the exhibition includes pieces created from everyday objects including cotton curtains and emptied-out cigarettes.

Until September 18. 3/F, Blue Box Factory Building, 25 Hing Wo Street, Aberdeen. Find out more at galleryexit.com

7. East Hotel and Taikoo Park: City Symphony

Tatler Asia
Above Sound Monsters by The Collective, KaCaMa Design Lab, Edmund Leung, and Screw Up Studio. Courtesy of East.

This exhibition is made up of five interactive installations in a collaboration between interactive design and technology studio The Collective, eco-design studio KaCaMa Design Lab, independent music producer Edmund Leung, and woodwork artists from Screw Up Studio. Known as “sound monsters”, these installations are sculptures of animals and machines that play a collection of sounds recorded from the Tai Koo Shing neighbourhood, such as the squeaky noises made by exercise machines. Visitors can activate the sound monsters individually to listen to the individual soundscapes, or play them together for a full “city symphony”. The artists want to inspire visitors to explore the city through urban sounds, elements which say a lot about the city but which are often overshadowed by the visual landscape.

Until September 29. East Hotel, 29 Tai Koo Shing Road, Quarry Bay. Find out more at easthotels.com

8. Karin Weber Gallery: Day or Night

Tatler Asia
Above Frontier by Tsang Chui Mei. Courtesy of the artist and Karin Weber Gallery.

Hong Kong painter Tsang Chui Mei blends traditional Chinese painting techniques and Western expressionist styles to arrive at semi-abstractness. Inspired by an ancient Confucian Chinese expression which means oblivion to the passage of time, Day or Night explores the concept of time through dreamy backdrops and the portrayal of timeless natural elements such as mountains and clouds.

September 18 to October 30. G/F, 20 Aberdeen Street, Soho, Central. Find out more at karinwebergallery.com

9. Ben Brown: More Than This

Tatler Asia
Above Grand Lisboa (2017) by Enoc Perez. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Puerto Rican, New York-based artist Enoc Perez’s first solo show at Ben Brown’s Hong Kong gallery features oil paintings that demonstrate his interest in architectural spaces, his signature and long-time inspiration. He is influenced by pop culture and utopian social ideals, the impact of which leads to his highly imaginative portrayal of classic architecture and striking modern interiors of actual buildings and spaces, such as his vision of the futuristic geometry of southern France’s district La Grande-Motte.

From September 7 to October 13. 202, The Factory, 1 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang. Find out more at benbrownfinearts.com

10. Para Site: Liquid Ground

Tatler Asia
Above Installation view of ‘Liquid Ground’. Courtesy of Para Site, Hong Kong, 2021. Photo: Samson Cheung Choi Sang.

In collaboration with Beijing’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Para Site presents 11 newly commissioned artworks by 15 artists who imagine the uncertain future of coastal cities, including Hong Kong, being submerged in water due to climate change and aggressive land reclamation projects. Curated by Shanghainese writers and artists Alvin Li and Junyuan Feng, the island—which is both a dwelling place and a biological unit—is used as a motif throughout the exhibition. The artists explore subjects such as the thoughtless extraction of natural resources, the change of urban landscapes and modern predicament[KC1] .

Until November 14. Para Site, 22/F, Wing Wah Industrial Building, 677 King’s Road, Quarry Bay. Find out more at www.para-site.art

See Also: Digital Art Fair Asia Edition 2021 Launches in Hong Kong This September

Topics