City As Studio, K11 MUSEA’s Art Karnival 2023
K11 MUSEA’s highly-anticipated Art Karnival makes its return! This year, the cultural retail destination kicks off Hong Kong’s Art Month with its annual artistic extravaganza, which features over 160 works from all over the globe alongside pop-ups and live performances. Headlining the 2023 Karnival is China’s most extensive graffiti and street art exhibition, City As Studio. Curated by art veteran Jeffrey Deitch, the show is a visual feast that traces the evolution of graffiti and street art since its emergence in 1970s New York through interweaving pieces from legendary art figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring with those from emerging cultural icons like KAWS. Art enthusiasts can also try their hand at creating a personalised graffiti tag or spraying their dream graffiti creations on the walls in a VR game.
Outside of City As Studio, K11 visitors can continue to embark on an artistic adventure: marvel at late veteran sculptor Phyllida Barlow’s untitled: folly; baubles installation, or let the imagination run wild with Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s Hot Dog Bus, a surrealist reflection on consumer culture.
When: March 24 – May 14, 2023
Where: 6F Kunsthalle, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, K11 MUSEA, 18 Salisbury Road
Escape To B-Roll by Stacy Leigh, Woaw Gallery
Escape To B-Roll marks New York-based artist Stacy Leigh’s first ever showcase in the city. A visual culmination of much time spent fantasising about a quiet life in the middle of nowhere, Leigh’s vivid paintings offer a form of escapism sure to strike a chord with Hong Kong’s cityfolk. The artist’s latest series was born out of a distasteful experience with her housing board and offers a feeling of suburban calm with subtle references to Leigh’s campy sense of humour. Set against the backdrop of slow-burning sunset skies and densely-packed forests, placid roads are embellished with expensive cars, while quaint houses sit with their front doors ajar, warm inviting lights visible through the gaps.
When: March 20 – April 19, 2023
Where: G07, The Galleria, 9 Queen’s Road Central
Running on Fumes by Andrés Lozano, SENS Gallery
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Immerse yourself in the vibrant works of Andrés Lozano at his first solo show in Asia, Running on Fumes. Through globular swipes of a rainbow palette, Lozano’s oil and spray paintings are semi-autobiographical in nature, pulling from his lived experiences to reflect on a life in solitude. The Spanish painter’s approach to his works are best described as spontaneous, often leading to depictions of technicoloured chaos that are held in place by simple moments of stillness. Though in large part due to his jubilant use of colour, it’s familiar scenes like the clutter of a home office desk, or the entrance of a floral shop that evoke a sense of comfort within Lozano’s body of work.
When: until March 25, 2023
Where: 1908 Landmark South, Wong Chuk Hang
It’s a Dog’s World by J.30000, Asterisk
Canadian artist J.30000 debuts his first-ever solo exhibition in Hong Kong. Presented by retail project ASTERISK, It’s a Dog’s World is a celebration of self-care and slowing down in a world of people and things that are constantly in motion. Soothing scenes of ordinary leisure activities like a cycle through the park or reading during the daily commute, are recreated in the artist’s endearingly simplistic style. The exhibition also offers a range of merchandise, including J.30000’s Peace Dog vinyl figure, a line-up of exclusive graphic t-shirts airbrushed by the artist himself, and an assortment of key tags with an uplifting reminder to help reset a frantic mind.
When: until March 18, 2023
Where: B/F Belowground, Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central
Silent Shadows by Deborah Brown, Bonhams
In a new solo exhibition with Bonhams, American contemporary artist Deborah Brown grants us a space to bask in the beauty of everyday life. Titled Silent Shadows, Brown’s latest paintings are inspired by her daily walks with her dog, taking us through the streets of Brooklyn and the Southern California neighbourhood where she spent her childhood. Brought to life with saturated hues and thick gestural strokes of paint, these intimate landscapes place its audience in a unique viewing position as the protagonist. Shadows that belong to the artist and her canine companion stretch out across the canvas; standing in front of Brown’s works, it’s an invitation to step into her shoes and enter her inner world.
When: March 16 – April 6, 2023
Where: 20/F, One Pacific Place, Admiralty
My Little Planet by Kanako Ozawa, Yee Society
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Awaken your inner child at Kanako Ozawa’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, My Little Planet. Teeming with childlike purity, Ozawa’s works revolve around the artist’s singular motif and signature character, Marshmallow Man. The figure is an encapsulation of the Japanese artist’s fond memories of childhood and relishing time spent at home bundled up on futons, which are coupled with feelings of security, joy and comfort – emotions that undoubtedly shape the viewing experience of her art. My Little Planet features a wide range of Ozawa’s works, from mixed media two dimensional pieces to adorably rotund ceramic sculptures.
When: until April 16, 2023
Where: G/F, 24 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan
ArtisTree Selects: Urban Rocks by Polo Bourieau, ArtisTree
For their latest instalment of ArtisTree Selects, a series of commissioned and curated programmes, ArtisTree presents Urban Rocks. The exhibition debuts a total of 12 new sculptures by renowned Hong Kong-based French artist, Polo Bourieau, and is his largest solo showcase to date. Crafted from various stones hailing from France, Spain, Italy and the Kurdistan region, the sculptures are inspired by gongshi (also known as Chinese scholar’s rocks or viewing stones). While the latter are a naturally occurring force of nature, it is through Bourieau’s exquisite craftsmanship that the stone sculptures take their shape. Drawing contrasts between contemporary tools and their transformative impact on historic source materials, Bourieau’s sculptures invite us to reflect on our human existence in the age of Anthropocene.
When: March 16 – April 9, 2023
Where: 1/F, Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
A/S/L by Wang Jiajia, de Sarthe Gallery
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Internet slang of the early aughts, A/S/L stands for Age/Sex/Location — three essential pieces of information asked for upon entry into a chatroom, hoping to better visualise the anonymous user on the other side of the screen. Reflecting on an age of technology where cyberspace governs an overwhelming portion of our daily interactions, Wang Jiajia’s latest mixed media works depict a certain state of disarray. A pair of piercing nonhuman eyes is a recurring motif throughout the series; often glaring through an impasto clutter of swirling colours, they allude to our “digital modes of seeing”. Like many internet culture-inspired elements across Wang’s body of work, the eyes appear to be influenced by video game visuals, bringing to mind The Legend of Zelda’s Majora and other menacing antagonists.
When: March 18 – April 29, 2023
Where: 26/F, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Road
BE@RBRICK Worldwide Tour 3, Artelli
A must-see for all discerning art toy collectors, the BE@RBRICK Worldwide Tour 3 finally lands in Hong Kong. Brought to you by Forward Fashion and MEDICOM TOY, the exhibition marks its first international appearance outside of Japan, and coincides with the opening of multi-dimensional premium art space, Artelli. Set within a verdant BE@RBRICK garden, the showcase features exclusive BE@RBRICK 1000% pieces designed by 100 internationally acclaimed creators, as well as a special series made in collaboration with luxury French trunks and high-end leather goods brand Pinel et Pinel, and graffiti virtuoso Cyril Kongo.
When: March 21 – May 10, 2023
Where: Shop 18, G/F & LG/F New World Tower, 16-18 Queen’s Road Central
Ticketing: Standard at HK$120, VIP at HK$1,080 at klook.com
Art Central
You can’t have Hong Kong art month without Art Central. Among the city’s most anticipated art events of all time, this year, it runs alongside art month’s other headliner, Art Basel. Art Central will return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, creating a platform for hundreds of rising talents and distinguished artists alike, to showcase their works to an incredibly diverse audience. Over 70 galleries will participate across Art Central’s usual range of programmes. Among the booths, each is appropriately labelled to highlight what exactly is on view. The Chung Dim central galleries exhibit museum-quality installations for established leading artists from around the world, while Yi Tai Sculpture & Installation Projects are for ambitious larger-than-life contemporary masterpieces scattered across the fair, such as Bev Butkow’s soft sculptures, titled reflective connections.
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Meanwhile, the Duk Dak presentations feature solo projects from both emerging and established artists through their representing galleries. This year, we’re looking out for the stylistic airbrush portraits of Japanese-Filipino artist NKSIN, and Sara Tse’s ceramic sculptures made to challenge the artistic medium. Lastly, the Gwo Wai curated booths exhibit up to three artists’ work based on a unique concept conceived especially for Art Central. For Malaysian gallery Artemis Art, a dialogue about the impact of modern technologies on our information processing blossoms from a collaboration between two Indonesian artists.
Art Central also boasts a range of educational workshops and museum tours, as well as the Gok Dou LIVE by Asia Society Hong Kong Center four-part programme consisting of panel discussions, video art screenings and other performances.
When: March 22–25, 2023
Where: Hall 3FG, 3/F (Old Wing), Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai
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Alyanna Raissa J. Payos and Kaitlyn LaiCredit
Lead image: Scholes (2021) by Deborah Brown. Courtesy of the artist and Bonhams
