Topic

Arti

News and insight on trends in fine art, art auctions and leading artists

Advertisement

Having lived in Hong Kong from the 1990s until recently, our columnist shares his collection of paintings gathered during his time in a city often derisively referred to as a cultural desert.

Without Hong Kong’s thriving entertainment industry and open culture, the genius and creativity of the literary giant and his martial arts epics would have no chance to shine.

While Hong Kong’s creative industries are not quite the ‘Oriental Hollywood’ they once were, it is important to invest in this key economic pillar and foster cultural identity.

Nearly 30 overseas arts and cultural institutions are expected to sign agreements with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in March, with more art exhibits and performances to follow.

  • Alexie Glass-Kantor’s Encounters section includes a Daniel Boyd installation at Pacific Place, a woven three-piece work from Haegue Yang, and ‘drawings’ by Jitish Kallat created with fire, wind, smoke and ink
  • Showcasing groundbreaking works by established and emerging creators, Li Zhenhua’s film sector includes an External History programme, with work from Luka Yuanyuan Yang, among others

Manila-born Filipino-Chinese artist MM Yu didn’t fit in growing up, and turned to art to document everyday life. In her first Hong Kong solo exhibition, she recreates her past to explore her identity.

Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi broke auction records when it sold at Christie’s – but it wouldn’t hold a candle to estimates of the Mona Lisa, which is part of the Louvre Museum in Paris, and not for sale

Advertisement
Advertisement

From Martin Scorsese as Vincent van Gogh in Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, to Kenji Sawada-led Yumeji and The Pillow Book by Peter Greenaway, 10 of the best films made in Asia about artists and their art.

videocam

In 2022, CEO Jean-Marc Loubier chanced upon Bosmans’ striking visuals inspired by historic emblems and imagery, then the brand invited him to create a collection with Delvaux

The city is alive with art! Don’t miss the public artworks around the harbour, from those giant ovoids floating in Victoria Harbour to the Harbour Wonder installations by the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront

British sculptor Henry Moore’s life and work was celebrated in an exhibition in Hong Kong in 1986, opened by the Duchess of Kent, and an extensive catalogue published in Chinese and English in 1987.

With Art Basel Hong Kong in full swing, we look at some of the world’s richest artists – Jeff Bezos reportedly bought an artwork by Edward Ruscha for US$52.5 million in 2020

Impressionism is 150 years old and to celebrate, the Orsay Museum in Paris invites visitors to travel back to the year the art movement began by putting on virtual-reality headsets.

Performance art catches the eye at Art Central 2024, from a scarlet dress visitors crawl under to make their own art, to a multisensory dance involving chocolate. Galeries with art to sell are back in force too.

Insights features ‘exceptional historical material’, Encounters includes an off-site installation at Pacific Place by Daniel Boyd, while Kabinett has more galleries than ever before

Beyond the Singularity, hosted by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, saw artists experiment with artificial intelligence to write art reviews, pen song lyrics and more, with some interesting results.

Artist’s Night at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun heritage arts centre spotlights three Asian artists, as well as one South African, in an eclectic programme featuring sonic and visual installations.

More international VIPs than in 2023 attend opening day of the fair, which in scale is back to what it was before pandemic. Galleries report strong sales.

videocam

The city’s biggest art fair returns for an 11th edition, hosting a total of 242 galleries from 40 countries, which organisers hail as a bounceback to full strength

Leading Hong Kong painter Stephen Wong talks about his exhibition The Star Ferry Tale, in which he shows the city from space, being compared to painter David Hockney, and why he doesn’t fear AI in art.

Italian custom luxury yacht builder Sanlorenzo sets sail on a new cultural venture with its future cultural HQ, Casa Sanlorenzo in Venice, with new details presented at Art Basel Hong Kong this year

The Hong Kong artist known for using shredded magazine paper to knit clothes tells Kate Whitehead how her unusual medium has helped her make a world of friends, and why she still writes love letters.

Yes, there’s the Sistine Chapel at The Vatican, but there’s more dazzling ceiling art to admire elsewhere, from Edinburgh to Kathmandu, in churches, a temple, a monastery, a mosque, a mansion and a museum.

From Art Basel and Art Central to smaller fairs, exhibitions and screenings, these are the must-sees in Hong Kong Art Week. If they look like a lot, don’t worry – some of them run all month and beyond.