MARK GROTJAHN Untitled (Capri 53.88), 2021 Oil on cardboard mounted on linen 55 x 68 inches 139.7 x 172.7 cm © Mark Grotjahn. Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. Courtesy Gagosian.
Cover Mark Grotjahn, Untitled, (© Mark Grotjahn. Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. Courtesy Gagosian.)
June’s Hong Kong art exhibitions defy the norms in art and society, as masters from different periods bring important social issues to the spotlight.

1. 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 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 in making the pieces.

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

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

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Salvador Dalí (1904 -1989) William Tell 1930 Oil and collage on canvas 113 x 87 cm Purchased with the help of the Heritage Fund, 2002 Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris Musée national d'art moderne / Centre de création industrielle Photo credit: © Centre Pompidou, Mnam / Cci / Jean-Claude Planchet / Dist. RMN-GP Copyright Artwork : ©  Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali / Adagp, Paris
Above Salvador Dalí (1904 -1989) (Courtesy: © Centre Pompidou, Mnam / Cci / Jean-Claude Planchet / Dist. RMN-GP Copyright Artwork : © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali / Adagp, Paris)
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René Magritte (1898-1967) The Rape 1945 Oil on canvas 65.3 x 50.4 cm Legacy of Mrs. Georgette Magritte in 1987 Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris Musée national d'art moderne / Centre de création industrielle Photo credit: © 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 the 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

3. 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

4. Asia Art Archive: Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys

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Above (Courtesy of Asia Art Archive)

Hong Kong-based artist Ha Bik Chuen (1925-2009) taught himself to sculpt and make prints. From the 1960s to the 2000s, he documented exhibitions he visited through negatives, ephemera, contact sheets and photo albums and collected illustrated magazines, which he turned into book collages. Ha left behind a vast personal archive which he called his “thinking studio”. This exhibition, comprising ten “sets” of his work, is an extension of AAA’s research into his personal archive since 2014. It demonstrates how his archive influences the practices of local artists and the history of art in Hong Kong.

Until August 1. JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central. Find out more at aaa.org.hk

5. Simon Lee Gallery: Valentina Liernur: Juro Que

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Simon Lee Gallery: Valentina Liernur: Juro Que Courtesy of the artist and Simon Lee Gallery
Above alentina 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 oil paint’s mark-making quality 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

6. Gagosian: Mark Grotjahn

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MARK GROTJAHN Untitled (Capri 53.88), 2021 Oil on cardboard mounted on linen 55 x 68 inches 139.7 x 172.7 cm © Mark Grotjahn. Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. Courtesy Gagosian.
Above Mark Grotjahn, Untitled, (Courtesy: Gagosian)

American artist Mark Grotjahn is in demand—last year Gagosian sold one of his paintings for US$5 million—so collectors will be clamouring to get their hands on works from this exhibition, which is his first in Hong Kong. Los Angeles-based Grotjahn is one of the most famous abstract painters alive, renowned for his explorations of perspective, colour, gesture and geometry.

Until August 7. 7/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. Find out more gagosian.com

7. Para Site: Curtain

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Para Site: Curtain Ho Sin Tung, Full Dark, No Stars, 2020, three-channel HD video (colour, looped). Courtesy of the artist
Above Para Site: Curtain (Courtesy the artist)

This group exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, brings together 27 artists whose work touches on the concept of “curtains”. For the purpose of this exhibition, “curtains” not only refers to material drapes but also to any physical or conceptual frontier or separation, allowing the show to explore topics such as surveillance technology, social media and propaganda.

Until July 25. 22/F, Wing Wah Industrial Building, 677 King’s Road, Quarry Bay and Para/Site Art Space, 2 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan. Find out more at para-site.art

8. Axel Vervoordt Gallery: Screenplay

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Axel Vervoordt Gallery: Screenplay
Above Screenplay (Courtesy: Axel Vervoordt Gallery)

Dutch artist Germaine Kruip’s first show in Hong Kong is an exploration of light and sound, stemming from her long-term interest in how to combine music, theatre and visual art. The interactive exhibition is lit by professional theatre lights and features sculptural percussion instruments, such as brass, silver and nickel rhombuses, which visitors are invited to play.

Until July 10. 21F, Coda Designer Building, 62 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang. Find out more at axel-vervoordt.com

9. Villepin: Myonghi Kang

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Above Myonghi Kang La maison de opticien 3, (2021) (Courtesy of Villepin and the artist)

Korean artist Myonghi Kang has been exploring ways of representing nature on paper and canvas where she combines elements of painting, poetry as well as philosophy for more than five decades. By applying oils and pastels to create abstraction and figuration, Kang reconnects urban dwellers with nature through her meditative paintings and questions the notions of perception, embodiment and understanding of nature. “Myonghi Kang has continuously sought new ways to capture our world which is in constant transformation and often threatened by extinction. Her art represents a sanctuary in which a lively dialogue is still possible between us and nature. That is why we wanted to share the ultimate experience of her creations with the people of Hong Kong,” comments Arthur de Villepin, the gallery’s co-founder.

Until October. G-2/F, 53-55 Hollywood Road, Central. Find out more at villepinart.com

10. Blue Lotus Gallery: Nude Studies

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Blue Lotus Gallery: Nude Studies Michael Kenna 'Megumi, Study 3' Japan, 2015_Courtesy of Blue Lotus Gallery.jpg
Above Nude Studies Michael Kenna 'Megumi, Study 3' Japan, (Courtesy of Blue Lotus Gallery)

In this exhibition, three film photographers explore the possibilities of representing the human body, an age-old obsession among artists. British photographer Michael Kenna, who specialises in minimal, black-and-white landscape photos, exhibits his shots of the human figure for the first time; Au Tze Long’s intimate images toy with colours and the female gaze; and Ben Felten uses a cyanotype printing technique to create double exposures that layer images of plants on top of nudes.

Until July 18. 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan. Find out more at bluelotus-gallery.com

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