Cover Artist Awol Erizku in front of “Gravity” in Pacific Place (Photo: Courtesy of Pacific Place)
Artist Awol Erizku in front of “Gravity” in Pacific Place (Photo: Courtesy of Pacific Place)
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From Central to Kowloon, these are the displays across the city you should check out if Art Basel and Art Central have reignited your love for the arts
You’ll find art everywhere in Hong Kong this month.
While galleries, museums, art spaces and other private venues are kicking off new exhibitions, you can also discover art in unlikely places. And by unlikely, we mean places where you might pass by everyday on your way to work or running errands.
From the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui and malls in Admiralty to the Ocean Terminal Deck in Harbour City, here are six public installations you can visit—or stumble upon—during art month.
You might also like: Art month 2023: Tatler’s ultimate guide to exhibitions across Hong Kong during Art Basel
‘Gravity’, Pacific Place
When: Until April 2, 2023
Where: Level 1, Park Court, Pacific Place, Admiralty
What: This 10-metre-tall model of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun at Pacific Place is hard to miss, and will certainly cause shoppers and visitors to take a detour to appreciate it up close. The golden inflatable artwork, titled Gravity, was created by renowned Los Angeles-based conceptual artist Awol Erizku to symbolise divine omniscience and ancestral wisdom, and is one of Art Basel Hong Kong’s public installations beyond the confines of the fair.
Read more: Art Basel Hong Kong’s first offsite art installation ‘Gravity’ takes centre stage at Pacific Place
‘GIANTS: Rising Up’, Harbour City
When: Until April 23, 2023
Where: Ocean Terminal Deck, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
What: Renowned French photographer and street artist JR is back in Hong Kong for the first time since 2012 with a monumental public art installation called GIANTS: Rising Up. This 12-metre-high and 12-metre-wide artwork cleverly interacts with Hong Kong’s skyline by showing a high jumper in midair jumping across a structure with traditional bamboo scaffolding. The immense installation also incorporates JR’s signature black and white style.
‘untitled: folly; baubles’, K11 Musea Opera Theatre
When: Until March 28, 2023
Where: K11 Musea Opera Theatre, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, Tsim Sha Tsui
What: British visual artist Phyllida Barlow’s untitled: folly; baubles sculptures add colour to the K11 Musea’s Opera Theatre. The 30 brightly coloured giant baubles, made of cardboard, fabric, plywood and cement, invite visitors to reflect on life’s obstacles as they traverse through the labyrinth of densely packed towering columns. To accompany the exhibition, docent-led tours are available for those who wish to learn more about Barlow, who passed away earlier this month, and her artwork.
‘Some of us are looking at the stars’, Harbour Wonder exhibition, HKMoA
When: March 24, 2023-March 24, 2024
Where: Art Square, Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA), Tsim Sha Tsui
What: Hong Kong contemporary artist Chan Wai-lap has always found inspiration in swimming pools. Apart from being a site for water activities, they are also sanctuaries, spaces in which to meditate and introspect. In his new installation, the artist “unboxes” his work by the Victoria Harbour, inviting the audience to step into the 4-metre high, 5.5-metre wide and 11-metre long swimming pool that he has constructed there.
‘Double Technical’, Belowground, Landmark Atrium, Central
When: Until March 31, 2023
Where: Belowground, Landmark Atrium, Landmark, Central
What: Double Technical is American contemporary artist Tyrell Winston’s first exhibition in Hong Kong. Winston has transformed the Landmark Atrium’s basement, Belowground, into an interactive installation featuring a basketball court and an immersive locker room.
‘City As Studio’, K11 Musea
When: Until May 14, 2023
Where: 6F, Kunsthalle, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, K11 Musea, and Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui
What: Last week, more than 200 people created a record-breaking 60-metre-long chalk drawing on the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui, to promote inclusivity and diversity. It celebrates the roots of street art by democratising the access and creation of art, while connecting communities and the youth through common values.
Meanwhile, in the art gallery on the sixth floor of K11 Musea, the exhibition also showcases more than 100 works by genre-defining graffiti artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fab 5 Freddy, Keith Haring, Lady Pink and Lee Quiñones.
Salomé Grouard was Digital Editor and Front & Female Content Lead at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on managing Tatler Hong Kong’s digital platform and content, she also covers gender equality, the music scene and sports through interviews with industry leaders, experts and trendsetters.
Interview highlights include renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Korean actor Park Seo Jun, singer Jorja Smith, Chinese TV host Yue-Sai Kan, YouTuber Kimono Mom, Japanese rapper Awich, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mikey Musumeci.
She has also produced stories on revolutionising sexual wellness in Asia, activism within the surfing community, Asian trans musicians reclaiming their narratives through music and looked at the toxicity of gym culture through the lens of the plus-size community. She also covers music festivals, such as Hong Kong’s Clockenflap and Bali’s Suara.
