Cover Lov-Lov's "Blossoms of Spring" (2024) on view for "Everything is Unreal Until It's Not" at De Sarthe Gallery, March 23 - April 27, 26/F, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Wong Chuk Hang (Photo: courtesy the artist and De Sarthe Gallery)
Lov-Lov's "Blossoms of Spring" (2024) on view for "Everything is Unreal Until It's Not" at De Sarthe Gallery, March 23 - April 27, 26/F, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Wong Chuk Hang (Photo: courtesy the artist and De Sarthe Gallery)
1 / 1
Here are all the artworks and exhibitions to see at galleries around Island South in Hong Kong
No wonder March is fondly referred to as art month in Hong Kong. For a city that never runs out of cultural offerings, the city saves the best for March, putting on the most stimulating, thought-provoking and aesthetic exhibitions.
And this time it’s all happening on a larger scale. Not only is Art Basel scaling up to its pre-pandemic size with over 240 galleries participating, but also homegrown arts fair Art Central is moving back to its original big events site at Central Harbourfront. New events this year include Supper Club, a night-time exploration of art and culture, and an alternative art fair titled 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Christie’s.
‘Le Contre-Ciel’, Empty Gallery
Above Richard Hawkin’s “Ankoku 12 (Index Infected Flower)” (2012) on view as part of “Le Contre-Ciel” exhibition (Photo: Fredrik Nilsen, courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali, New York)
Richard Hawkin’s “Ankoku 12 (Index Infected Flower)” (2012) on view as part of “Le Contre-Ciel” exhibition (Photo: Fredrik Nilsen, courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali, New York)
1 / 1
Curated by New York-based art curator Olivia Shao, Le Contre-Ciel is an exhibition that explores spirituality and mysticism. The exhibition draws its title from a book by René Daumal, Le Contre-Ciel—roughly translated as “Against The Heavens” or “The Counter Heaven”. It brings together artworks by an eclectic group of local and international artists such as Francis Alÿs, Kong Chun Hei, Wucius Wong, and Richard Hawkins—all of whom seemingly have divergent practices but there’s a common thread in all their works: an appreciation for chance. The exhibition strives to re-ascribe the status of traditional Chinese aesthetics within modern art history while also challenging its historical and contemporary entanglement with power.
Dates: March 24-May 25
Address: Empty Gallery, 19/F, Grand Marine Center, 3 Yue Fung Street, Aberdeen
Renato Nicolodi, ‘Concealment and Disclosure’, Axel Vervoordt Gallery
Above Renato Nicolodi’s “Domus Vacuitatis II”, (2024) on view as part of “Concealment and Disclosure” exhibition (Photo: courtesy of the artist and Axel Vervoordt Gallery)
Renato Nicolodi’s “Domus Vacuitatis II”, (2024) on view as part of “Concealment and Disclosure” exhibition (Photo: courtesy of the artist and Axel Vervoordt Gallery)
1 / 1
Axel Vervoordt’s stunning space is worth visiting with or without an exhibition, but this season, it’s presenting sculptures, videos and paintings featuring Belgian visual artist Renato Nicolodi’s meditations on architecture and space. The artist is interested in how we perceive our heritage and collective history through space and architecture. He illustrates the opposing effect of light and darkness in his depiction of architectural elements such as staircases, corridors and columns, highlighting the void surrounding these these structures. Notably, the body of work on view includes new sculptural reliefs made from paper, contrasting the contrast between the delicate material and rigid architectural structures.
Dates: March 23-May 18
Address: 21/F, Coda Designer Building, 62 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang
‘Weirding Worlds’, Podium Gallery
Above A still from Shuyi Cao’s “Begin with the End of What Comes Before” (2024) on view as part of “Weirding Worlds” (Photo: © Shuyi Cao, courtesy of Podium Gallery)
A still from Shuyi Cao’s “Begin with the End of What Comes Before” (2024) on view as part of “Weirding Worlds” (Photo: © Shuyi Cao, courtesy of Podium Gallery)
1 / 1
Podium Gallery is set to open its brand-new space with Weirding Worlds, an exhibition featuring works by three contemporary female artists: Shuyi Cao, Anastasia Komar and So Young Park. The artists use Donna Haraway’s Chthulucene theory (a theory which says people are not the most important protagonists in the world) as a source of inspiration to create works that challenge, through a queer lens, the largely western cultural frameworks favouring human-centric world views.
For this exhibition, Cao has created a new moving image work by re-adapting her original Hyundai Art Lab commission piece; Komar has made four new abstract paintings that she has fused with sculptures that recall organic forms; and Park has created six liquid shiny, metallic sci-fi-inspired paintings.
Dates: March 23-May 4
Address: Unit 9D, E. Tat Factory Building, 4 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang
Other shows to see in Island South
Scroll through to check out what else is on in the area.
Xiyadie’s “Train” (1986) on view as part of “Butterfly Dream” at Blindspot Gallery, March 23-May 11, 15/F, Po Chai Industrial Building, 28 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang (Photo: courtesy of Xiyadie and Blindspot Gallery)
1 / 12
Aaina was the Arts and Culture Editor of Tatler Asia. A passion for history and all things visual led her in the pursuit of art history. With extensive experience in the art world working for a range of art institutions, she combined her passion and expertise in the form of art and culture journalism. Prior to Tatler, Aaina worked as a culture reporter for South China Morning Post and editor at the online art platform Cobo Social. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of prestigious art publications including Art Review, The Art Newspaper, Ocula, Art Agenda, Artsy, Design Anthology, and Artomity. Follow her on Instagram.
