Cover Wing Po So’s ‘Sea Ear Hi-hat’ (2020) on view at ‘Signals’ exhibition at Para Site (Photo: courtesy of Blindspot Gallery)
Wing Po So’s ‘Sea Ear Hi-hat’ (2020) on view at ‘Signals’ exhibition at Para Site (Photo: courtesy of Blindspot Gallery)
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This month’s arts events celebrate the traditions and legacies of different cultures around the world
Though not quite as art-filled as March, May is always an artsy month, filled with a range of cultural activities to indulge in. From classical music to contemporary art, here our top picks for this month.
1. Hong Kong Orchestra
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is collaborating with Refiner Drums, a local team of young percussionist, in a performance that showcases the multiple types and distinct sounds of Chinese percussion instruments including the yunluo (a set of gongs), the snare drum, the timpani drum and the paigu (a row of drums). The performance, arranged by the orchestra’s principal percussionist Luk Kin Bun, features the premiere of two new pieces, Tears of Time and Unstoppable Waves, alongside existing pieces from the percussion repertoire.
May 6. Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Above Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s collaboration with Refiner Drums (Photo: courtesy of Refiner Drums)
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s collaboration with Refiner Drums (Photo: courtesy of Refiner Drums)
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2. City Contemporary Dance Company
Themed around journeys, the dance company’s new season explores human relationships and life cycles. It begins with a double bill this month, Travel of Soul Time After Time and Echo in the Mirror, for which former CCDC dancer Terry Tsang and current resident artist Noel Pong have created original choreography that references Taoist funeral rituals and the afterlife.
From May 12 to 14. Kwai Tsing Theatre
Above City Contemporary Dance Company is set to present “Travel of Soul Time After Time” and “Echo in the Mirror” (photo: courtesy of City Contemporary Dance Company)
City Contemporary Dance Company is set to present “Travel of Soul Time After Time” and “Echo in the Mirror” (photo: courtesy of City Contemporary Dance Company)
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3. Para Site
Signals...瞬息 is the first exhibition that Para Site’s new director Billy Tang has put together, along with curator Celia Ho. Participating artists include Christine Sun Kim, Candice Lin and P Staff, Wing Po So and Tang Kwok Hin. The exhibition explores the concept of “signals” as a mode of communication through kinetic art, and works which use actions, and interventions that are created from a chain of reactions. As such, the artists incorporate sensory cues such as sound and smell in their artworks to allude to and explore complex issues related to dispersed communities and migration patterns, as well as issues at the intersection of technology, science and architecture.
Until September 29. 22/F, Wing Wah Industrial Building, 677 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
4. David Zwirner
This month, David Zwirner presents a new selection of American artist Katherine Bernhardt’s vibrant paintings, the artist’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. Bernhardt derives inspiration from popular culture and her own life to create her own distinctive lexicon. Her new works focus on characters from the popular game Pokemon.
From May 20 to August 11, 5-6/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central
Above A new work by Katherine Bernhardt on view at David Zwirner (Photo: courtesy of David Zwiner)
A new work by Katherine Bernhardt on view at David Zwirner (Photo: courtesy of David Zwiner)
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5. Le French May
French May Arts Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year by bringing to Hong Kong more than 100 French visual artists and performers. It offers a long list of dance, music, theatre, film, exhibitions and even food programmes that showcase French artists and culture. Key events include an interactive exhibition of the Palace of Versailles—involving a life-sized projection—at the Heritage Museum; and concerts celebrating music by Romantic composers Gabriel Fauré, Henri Duparc and Maurice Ravel. A highlight is the Tana Quartet, who won the prestigious Union of Belgian Composers’ Fuga Prize, and who will perform Philip Glass’s String Quartet No 9, of which they performed the world premiere in January 2022.
Until July 9. Various locations.
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