A quick digest of the coolest weekend happenings in Hong Kong.
Friday, August 2
Rossi & Rossi presents: Dialogue
Tibetan contemporary artist Tenzing Rigdol’s exhibition Dialogue features paintings that draw inspiration from traditional Buddhist imagery and his own family life in Nepal. There will also be public talks and curated tours held in September. Note that this gallery is not open from Sundays to Tuesdays.
11am to 6pm at Rossi & Rossi, 3C Yally Industrial Building, 6 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang. Free.
HK Liquor Store will be hosting a free tasting of gins from Sipsmith, a London-based micro distillery that was founded in 2009 and reportedly the first copper-pot based distillery to start up in London in almost two centuries. Visitors will get to sample Sipsmith’s London Dry gin and Sipsmith Sloe Gin.
7pm to 9pm at HK Liquor Store SOHO, G/F 19 Staunton Street, Central. Free.
This unscripted and interactive play will feature real-life barristers, a judge, other legal professionals, and the audience as the jury in a trial of Hamlet (yes, that Hamlet), who stands accused of murdering Polonius. This play will be in Cantonese. Audience members must be aged 12 and over.
7pm until Saturday, August 3 at Tai Kwun JC Cube, Tai Kwun, Central. HK$300.
Clothing brand COS, which specializes in “modern, functional” clothing for women, men and kids will be launching their new collection with some gourmet popsicles courtesy of I See I See.
1pm to 5pm at COS, 74 Queen’s Road, Central. Free.
Madsaki is one of Japan’s most influential artists, and his exhibition If I Had a Dream features paintings and installations that combine inspiration from Andy Warhol with iconic scenes from Hong Kong cinematic classics like Kung Fu Hustle and In The Mood For Love.
11am to 7pm until Saturday August 17 at Perrotin Hong Kong 17/F, 50 Connaught Road Central. Free.
SummerFest is a two month-long free festival taking place at Central Harbourfront, with more than 30 large-scale activities suitable for families. There will also be a “Smartizen Park” showcasing how new technologies are being integrated into our daily lives. Other events include an exhibition of more than a hundred pieces of stone art paintings from artists around the world, a yoga party, and an outdoor playground for the kids.
10am to 3pm until Sunday, September 1 at Central Harbourfront, 9 Lung Wo Road, Central. Free.
Saturday, August 3
Film Screening: Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Sai Kung Commons will be hosting a screening of the 2016 documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City about the activist who fought to preserve urban communities and protect them from ruthless development projects that threaten to tear apart communities. After screening Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, the group will discuss the development and planning of Sai Kung in the future.
3pm to 6pm at Bakso, 9 Wan King Path, Sai Kung. Free.
Winston’s Coffee has decided that on the first Saturday of every month they will be serving up espresso martinis for HK$50 for anyone who wants one, to celebrate the first day of the first weekend of the month, or to commiserate (you know, with protests going on and all.)
9am to 11pm at Winston’s Coffee, 11 Davis Street, Kennedy Town. Free.
Colour Ink Calligraphy Workshop (dip pen)
Participants of this workshop will be taught the basics of dip pen calligraphy, and will receive one-on-one guidance before going off to create your own personally-calliagraphed cards. There are spots still available since the time of this article’s publication — could be a good one if you’re looking to do something creative this weekend.
10am-1pm at Kalo Make Art, Room 201, Ivy House, 18-20 Wyndham Street, Central. HK$950 (per person) HK$1,600 (for two).
Dragjam4: Just Because it’s 69
This weekend drag show is inspired by the “Summer of Love” year of 1969. Tickets are limited so arrive on time to reserve your space between 7:15pm to 7:30pm. Anyone arriving after this time will have to queue. There will be a bar with snacks, beer and cocktail at additional cost.
7:15pm at The Hive Spring, 3/F, Remex Centre, 42 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang. HK$150.
This vegan block party will be hosted by Big Dill, SocialVegan, Mayse Artisan Bakery, Taboocha and Tuckshop by Social Club. Tickets will cover entry and free-flow booze, and food will come at an additional cost.
7pm to 11pm at Tuckshop by Social Club, Shop 4-7, No.158A Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun. HK$80.
Sunday, August 4
Having problems with a yoga mat that always unfurls and never behaves when you put it away? Never fear, you can learn how to make a “bespoke macramé bag.” Macramé is the art of tying up strings into knots to make those decorative patterns and hangings you’ve probably seen on Pinterest or Instagram. Pre-booking is required and there are only 10 spots, so email make.and.do.hk@gmail.com to reserve your spot. The fee includes all workshop materials, yoga mat not included, but remember to bring your own mat on the day to check measurements.
2pm to 6pm at Make and Do Hong Kong, Room 906, Paramount Building, 12 Ka Yip Street, Chai Wan. HK$550.
Since January 22, 2019, Hong Kong-based artist Rachel Smith has been filling one matchbox per day with a “visual commentary of the past 24 hours” — imagine a sort of micro-diorama. The project began as a coping mechanism for her growing anxiety and the panic attacks she started experiencing around the start of the year. The project was only meant to last 30 days, but Smith soon passed that mark, and the result is a visual diary in novel form. You can check out some of the matchboxes here.
10am to 7pm until September 29 at H307, Veranda, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central. Free.
Matchbox World—Parent Child Workshops
Also coinciding with the Matchbox Days exhibition is this workshop for parents and kids to create your own miniature matchbox. There are two sessions to sign up for so check the link above for details.
2pm to 5:30pm at H307, Veranda, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central. HK$150.
Anime Impact: Digimon Adventure! Our War Game!
Tai Kwun will be screening a series of anime films produced between 1970s and the 2000s as part of their exhibition aimed at helping people understand the history and development of anime and its connections with Japanese fine art and contemporary art. The film being screened on Sunday is Digimon Adventure! Our War Game! from the franchise about a group of kids, known as the DigiDestined, stranded in a bizarre world populated by digital monsters. The film sees a deadly virus Digimon cause havoc on the Internet, and it’s up to the DigiDtestined to stop him and save Tokyo from an incoming missile attack.
1pm at Laundry Steps, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central. Free.
As Tai Kwun approaches its one year anniversary, it will be displaying 101 objects related to its previous life as the Central Police Station.
11am to 8pm until Thursday, September 22 at Duplex Studio LG1/F & LG2/F, Block 01 & Site-wide, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Rd, Central. Free.
Christopher K. Ho’s Embassy Sites
“Speculative artist” Christopher K. Ho presents this solo exhibition, which includes sculptural, sonic, architectural, and two-dimensional work that explores the perils and potentials of transnationalism. The topic is something that resonates with Ho, who since 2016 has been returning to Hong Kong regularly after having lived and worked in the States for decades, and the exhibition draws references from the political histories, transnational desires, and infrastructures that mediate our travel, and which we consciously and unconsciously experience.
11am to 9pm until Sunday, August 18 at Tomorrow Maybe, 4/F Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon. Free.
Art gallery Chez Trente presents Kakahuette, a platform that produces limited edition art prints from photographers and sells them. The gallery will present work by 10 photographers with different styles and backgrounds, some of whom you can even meet at the opening reception on Saturday. Prints on display are also for sale, but there are only a handful, so best to head down early and have a look if you’re looking for something to liven up your bare walls.
5pm to 12am on Tuesday to Thursday; 5pm to 3am on Friday to Saturday; 3pm to 12am on Sunday, until Thursday, August 15 at Chez Trente, 6 Chung Wo Lane, Soho, Central. Free.
Takashi Murakami is a Japanese artist known for blurring the line between high and low art, and blending Japanese artistic traditions with post-war Japanese culture and society. Tai Kwun Contemporary presents this exhibition which will feature over 60 paintings and sculptures, from his large-scale post-apocalyptic works to his optimistic flower pieces to his contemplative Enso paintings, offering Buddhist visions of enlightenment. This exhibition will also showcase some of Murakami’s iconic and outlandish costume designs, which visitors will experience alongside other important video works, samples from his private art collection, and Murakami’s spectacular wall and floor art, which delivers a forceful yet complex visual impact.
10:30am to 7pm until Sunday, September 1 at Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Rd, Central. HK$75 (general, walk in) HK$60 (general, advance) HK$55 (concession, walk in) HK$45 (concession, advance).
Read more of Coconuts Hong Kong’s lifestyle news here.
Reader Interactions