Greg Bogin, olé, 2021. Acrylic and urethane on canvas. 78.7 x 217.2 cm. 31 x 85 ½ x 2 in. (Courtesy of the artist and Over the Influence. Photo: the artist)
Cover We're listing the art exhibitions not to miss in Hong Kong this month. (Courtesy of the artist and Over the Influence. Photo: the artist)
July’s must-visit Hong Kong art exhibitions transcend the boundary of time to explore identities and cities in the past, present and future.

1. Pearl Lam Galleries: Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness)

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Pearl Lam Gallery_Zanele Muholi b. 1972, Bester, New York,2019, Gelatin silver print in frame, Edition 1:8 (Courtesy of the artist and Muholi Arts Projects (BaMu))
Above Zanele Muholi b. 1972, Bester, New York ,2019, Gelatin silver print in frame, Edition 1:8 (Courtesy of the artist and Muholi Arts Projects (BaMu))

Following her show at London’s Tate Modern, South Africa-based visual activist and photographer Zanele Muholi brings the exhibition to Hong Kong, where she showcases more than 50 autobiographical and highly personal portraits. Muholi has celebrated the lives of South Africa’s Black lesbian, gay, trans, queer, and intersex communities through her work since the early 2000s. In this exhibition, Muholi explores, in her own words, “the journey, self-image, and possibilities of a Black person in today's global society” through a series of works, which she started producing back in 2012.

Until August 15. Pearl Lam Galleries, 6/F Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. Find out more at pearllam.com

2. Over the Influence: Today

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Greg Bogin, olé, 2021. Acrylic and urethane on canvas. 78.7 x 217.2 cm. 31 x 85 ½ x 2 in. (Courtesy of the artist and Over the Influence. Photo: the artist)
Above Greg Bogin, olé, 2021. Acrylic and urethane on canvas. 78.7 x 217.2 cm. 31 x 85 ½ x 2 in. (Courtesy of the artist and Over the Influence. Photo: the artist)

American abstract painter Greg Bogin’s debut art exhibition in Hong Kong presents works that he specifically created for the city. Bogin’s style is a combination of Minimalism and pop, and he is known for incorporating cut-outs on custom-shaped canvases in gradient shapes of colours. He calls these the “holes in the works, so viewers can see the wall or parts of the perimeter missing”. By intentionally creating simple shapes with ambiguous meanings, Bogin toys with the viewer’s desire to add meaning to shapes or symbols.

Until August 12. G/F and 1/F, 159 Hollywood Road, Central. Find out more at overtheinfluence.com

3. Liang Yi Museum: Family Silver: Highlights from the Liang Yi Collection

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A Silver Incense Burner (koro) Tsuneaki Japan Meiji period Silver, shakudo and copper (Courtesy of Liang Yi Museum)
Above A Silver Incense Burner (koro) Tsuneaki Japan Meiji period Silver, shakudo and copper (Courtesy of Liang Yi Museum)

Selected from Hong Kong’s largest private museum's permanent collection, this new exhibition features 150 sets of historic silver––including family heirlooms, trophies and furniture, produced between the 18th and 20th centuries. It showcases the design and craftsmanship of various brands and types of silver metal—some of which even come in gold colour—and explores the lineages of generations of silversmiths.

From June 16. 181-199 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan. Find out more at liangyimuseum.com

See also: Liang Yi Museum Launches Liang Yi Arts Corridor, A New Cultural Solidarity Initiative

4. Angela Li Contemporary: The Future of the Past

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2020 06 08 HK 22.303522, 114.180368, Cheung Ho Keung Edward, Pigment and water colour on wood, 122 x 198 cm, 2021
Above 2020 06 08 HK 22.303522, 114.180368, Cheung Ho Keung Edward, Pigment and water colour on wood, 122 x 198 cm, 2021

The pandemic has, to a certain extent, frozen time as activities and events in the city have been stalled. This group exhibition––curated by Leung Shiu Kee Eric––features works by seven Hong Kong artists who, varied in styles and practices, explore the understanding of time, memories and history. For example, artist Cheung Ho Keung imagines himself in the future as he “looks back” at present Hong Kong and paints illusory historical sites.

From July 2 to August 7. G/F, 248 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan. Find out more at cbal.com.hk/art

5. Duddell’s: Inspired by Ink

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Gu Mei (Carrie Koo Mei) (b. 1929) Dusky Landscape, Undated Ink & colour on paper 75 x 186 cm. (Courtesy of the M K Lau Collection)
Above Gu Mei (Carrie Koo Mei) (b. 1929) Dusky Landscape, Undated Ink & colour on paper 75 x 186 cm. (Courtesy of the M K Lau Collection)

The MK Lau Collection, which is owned by tycoon Victor Lo, is one of Asia’s most comprehensive private collections of 19th and 20th-century Chinese brush-and-ink paintings and calligraphy, as well as contemporary ink paintings. Co-curated by art historian Catherine Maudsley, this exhibition showcases 36 works from the MK Lau Collection by 13 Hong Kong ink artists, including pioneering painter Lui Shou-kwan.

Until September 27. 1 Duddell Street, Central. Find out more at duddells.co

 

6. Ben Brown: Ze/Ro

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Flood (2018) by Christy Chow, (Courtesy of the artist and Ben Brown Fine Arts)
Above Flood (2018) by Christy Chow, (Courtesy of the artist and Ben Brown Fine Arts)

The use of pronouns is a topic of discussion around the world right now, with the Oxford English Dictionary now listing the pronoun “ze” as a gender-neutral alternative to “he” or “she”. Ze/Ro at Ben Brown Fine Arts, an exhibition organised by Hong Kong-based curator Shirky Chan and featuring five local female artists, references this pronoun and explores the female body, gender identity and belonging. Among the works on show are paintings, embroidery, sculptures and video installations.

Until August 26. 202, The Factory, 1 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang. Find out more at benbrownfinearts.com

See also: 10 Places In Hong Kong To Learn About Local Heritage And Culture

7. Simon Lee Gallery: Valentina Liernur: Juro Que

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Valentina Liernur: Juro Que (Courtesy of the artist and Simon Lee Gallery)
Above Valentina Liernur: Juro Que (Courtesy of the artist and Simon Lee Gallery)

Argentinian artist Valentina Liernur explores how materials can be used to achieve new effects in paintings. She often works with denim and gabardine and shifts between abstraction and figuration to play with the mark-making quality of oil paint on unconventional canvases. This exhibition is her debut show with the gallery and her first presentation in Asia. It showcases a new series in which she depicts female figures in mundane, everyday situations.

Until August 7. 304, 3/F, The Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. Find out more at simonleegallery.com

 

8. Crafts on Peel: Creations Enlivened: Metal

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Ping Kee Copperware in collaboration with Dimple Yuen and Ivan Chang, Alembic Copper Still, 2020. (Photo: Courtesy of Crafts on Peel)
Above Ping Kee Copperware in collaboration with Dimple Yuen and Ivan Chang, Alembic Copper Still, 2020. (Photo: Courtesy of Crafts on Peel)

This art exhibition––by Hong Kong’s only gallery dedicated to Asian craftsmanship––focuses on metal. Contemporary artists and traditional craftsmen from Hong Kong and Japan have worked with metals such as copper, brass, silver and galvanised iron to create pieces that combine traditional craft skills with contemporary aesthetics. On show are incense burners, doorknobs, sake cups, alembic copper stills and musical instruments, as well as a selection of tools that the artisans used to make the pieces.

Until July 24. 11 Peel Street, Peel Street, Central. Find out more at craftsonpeel.com

See also: 5 Artists Who Have Been Inspired By Hong Kong

 

9. David Zwirner: The Real World

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Lisa Yuskavage Big Marie, 1993 Oil on linen 162.6 x 127 cm © Lisa Yuskavage (Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner)
Above Lisa Yuskavage Big Marie, 1993 Oil on linen 162.6 x 127 cm © Lisa Yuskavage (Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner)

This exhibition brings together Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Raymond Pettibon, Jason Rhoades, Diana Thater, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Lisa Yuskavage, all of whom are from or based in the US and shook up the art scenes in New York and Los Angeles in the 1990s and 2000s. By incorporating unconventional subjects into their video installations, paintings and sculptures, they all address social concerns such as consumerism, gender, sexuality, identity and the destruction of the natural world.

Until July 31. 5-6/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Find out more at davidzwirner.com.hk

10. Hong Kong Museum of Art: Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond—Masterpieces from Centre Pompidou

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René Magritte (1898-1967) (Courtesy: © Centre Pompidou, Mnam / Cci / Philippe Migeat/Dist. RMN-GP Copyright Artwork: © Adagp, Paris)
Above René Magritte (1898-1967) (Courtesy: © Centre Pompidou, Mnam / Cci / Philippe Migeat/Dist. RMN-GP Copyright Artwork: © Adagp, Paris)

More than 100 pieces by surrealist masters such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Joan Miró and Man Ray have been brought to Hong Kong all the way from the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The exhibition is part of Le French May arts festival and has been curated by Didier Ottinger, the deputy director of the Centre Pompidou. It explores how surrealist artists aimed to delve into the unconscious mind and how various cultural and social movements went on to influence the movement.

Until September 15. 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Find out more at hk.art.museum

 

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