A quick digest of the coolest weekend happenings in Hong Kong.
Friday, March 29
Been living under a rock? That’s okay. You’ve still got a week left to see what’s on offer for Hong Kong Arts Month. The last big event for Arts Month is Art Central, an exhibition that will feature 107 galleries from 22 countries. Over 30 exhibitors will be making their debut at the show this year, and there will also be art-related talks and large-scale installations by some of the leading names in contemporary art.
12pm to 9pm (Friday), 11am to 7pm (Saturday) and 11am to 5pm (Sunday) until Sunday, March 31 at, Central Harbourfront. HK$220 to HK$350 (Adult) HK$155 to HK$175 (Concessions).
Dozens of book publishers, artists, and photographers will be selling copies of books and also signing copies at the Hong Kong Photobook Fair, which is returning for its fifth year. Highlights include Living History by Jo Farrell, who documents the last remaining women with bound feet in China; Adrian Bradshaw’s The Door Opened: 1980s China, which reflects on the last 40 years of reform in China; and Austin Tang’s Stuff I Saw Yesterday which captures objects and textures that make up Hong Kong.
12pm to 8pm until Sunday, March 31 at, Eric Hotung Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Free.
Steps Through Time: Old Photo Exhibition
Pottinger Hong Kong will be celebrating its fifth year with this exhibition featuring more than 30 rare prints of old Hong Kong. The main hotel entrance is located on 21 Stanley Street.
6am to 11:30pm until Sunday, May 5 at, Hotel Lobby, The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Free.
Barefoot Love Co x Bymamalaterre: Spread the Love Workshop
Thai watercolor artist Roong Suchinunkul will be hosting this class where you can paint your very own Hong Kong-style mailbox. Profits from the class will go towards sponsoring education programs for ethnic minority youth in the Jordan area. Spaces are limited; email barefootloveco@gmail.com, or kthosts@thehive.com.hk, to reserve a spot.
7pm to 9pm at, MakerHive Hong Kong, Cheung Hing Industrial Building, 10F, 12P Smithfield Road, Kennedy Town. HK$580.
Hong Kong artist Hon Chi-fun wowed the art world with his blend of the traditional East with the modern West in his art work. Born in 1922, Hon was a postal inspector by trade and a self-taught artist who rose to prominence with art works. He passed away in February at the age of 96, and this exhibition at the Asia Society features 30 pieces of work by Hon that examine his fascination with light as a material and subject with his use of various media and cultural influences.
10am to 8pm until Sunday, June 9 at, Asia Society, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty. Free.
EAST presents “Vertical Dreams” solo exhibition by Desmond Lo
Chic boutique hotel EAST Hong Kong will be presenting this new art exhibition by local artist Desmond Lo, who is known for neo-noir and cyberpunk-inspired photos of Hong Kong. His new exhibition will use SCI renders to create “a new sensation of the city,” and take viewers on a visual and colorful journey of Hong Kong.
Always open until Tuesday, April 30 at, EAST, Hong Kong, 29 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing. Free.
Moments in Limbo by Jimi Tsang: Photo Exhibition
Photographer Jimi Tsang explores the theme of transitions through his commute in Hong Kong, a city that’s caught in a limbo between its post-British colonial era existence with the “peaceful development” of China. The term “limbo” can be interpreted as the commute from home to work, and also the uncertain period between Hong Kong’s past and future. Made with 35mm film between 2015-2018.
6pm to 9pm at, We3Art, Room 603 , 6/F., Cheung Lee Commercial building, 25 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Free.
If you fancy a night of punk and alternative rock, head down to the Aftermath Bar for performances from Ball of Snakes, Two Finger salute, and The Mongcocks. Ball of Snakes and Two Finger Salute will both be releasing albums at this event. No dress code, but Docs and Fred’s welcome.
9pm to 11:30pm at, The Aftermath Bar, L/G, 57-59 Wyndham Street, Central. Free.
More than 2,000 works of art will be on display at this event. Standout artists at this event include Gao Yi, who uses Chinese ink painting and calligraphy techniques to deliver a strong visual impact; and Chuang Teng-Shiang who makes sculptures using stainless steel.
1pm to 8pm (Saturday and Sunday) and 11am to 6pm (Monday) until Monday, April 1 at, Conrad Hotel, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong, Central. HK$270.
Saturday, March 30
Hong Kong Shax Theatre Group is made up of a group of University of Hong Kong students, united by a love for Shakespeare, who perform one of the Bard’s plays every year. This year they’ll be taking on the romantic comedy The Taming of the Shrew, about a group of men trying to pursue the angelic Bianca — whose father won’t allow any man to ask for his youngest daughter’s hand until his eldest daughter Katherina is married. Recognize this plot? Yes, it’s the same one used in the teen movie 10 Things I Hate About You. The production will be in English.
3:30pm and 7:45pm at, Yuet Ming Auditorium, 5/F, Chong Yuet Ming Cultural Centre, University of Hong Kong. HK$200 (standard) HK$150 (students).
Asian fusion (mostly Chinese) restaurant Ho Lee Fook holds some pretty legendary karaoke parties that take place on the last Saturday of every month. There will be free-flow drinks and tunes. Dinner is available starting from 5pm, though the actual karaoke bit doesn’t get started until around 10:30pm. Email events@blacksheeprestaurants.com to book a spot.
5pm to 2:30am at, Ho Lee Fook, 1-5 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central. HK$388.
BYOB with a Ballroomin’ Social Demo
If you have the blues (and some booze), bring them along to this event where you’ll learn to do a bit of dancing. The beginners class will begin at 8:30pm to 9pm, then 9pm to 12am. Remember to bring snacks and booze.
8:30pm to 1am at, Chit Chat Studio, 22-24 Tak Cheung Building, Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan. HK$50.
HKwalls X Limits with Paint.one battles HK preliminary
Two artists. Twenty minutes. One winner. The preliminary for the competitive digital art battle LIMITS World Grand Prix will be taking place in Hong Kong. The competitors will be given a two-word theme just before the start of the battle and have 20 minutes to produce something. The World Grand Prix is held in Shibuya, Tokyo every year.
7pm at, Paint.One, 6 Stewart Road, Wan Chai. Free.
PLAY to Proliferate: Sign City
As Coconuts HK discovered last year, as the government ramps up efforts to take down many of the city’s iconic neon signs, some groups have been working to save some of these signs from the landfill. One such group is Streetsign HK, an NGO which works to draw attention to the disappearing legacy of the city’s unique signboards, including neon signs and other types of overhanging signs.
The main installation features rescued pieces of Chinese characters from actual abandoned signboards, combine with lighting and a series of mirror walls and floor to recreate and “proliferate” an infinity signboards effect, similar to the old street photos of Hong Kong when signboards filled up the sky on the street.
The exhibition would also encourage visitors to “play” or interact and create part of the exhibit by selecting their preferred authentic Hong Kong style signboard, represented as graphic combination on transparencies and to project them into the signboard installation area by the overhead projector.
10am to 8pm until Sunday, May 5 at, Oil Street Art Space, 12 Oil Street, Fortress Hill. Free.
Portrait of Hong Kong by Fan Ho
This exhibition features photographs of old Hong Kong taken by the late Shanghainese photographer and film director Fan Ho. The images take you on a journey from the boat people of west to east of Hong Kong Island, moving across Victoria Harbour into the bustling and modern Kowloon, and then ending in the quiet waters of the New Territories. The exhibition will feature about 40 works including some rare vintage pieces, and a book of Ho’s photos, also with the same title, will be on sale for HK$780. There will be a preview tonight from 6pm to 9pm, and a formal opening on Monday, March 25.
11am to 6pm until Sunday, April 28 at, 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Free.
Sunday, March 31
BeCandle Candle Making Workshop
BeCandle, an artisan candle and scented products brand based in Hong Kong, will be hosting a workshop on how to make your own candle. There are only six slots per session, and the cost includes materials.
2pm to 4pm at, Kapok, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central. HK$440.
Wontonmeen presents jazz performance
Wontonmeen is a hostel that’s hosted a slew of small and intimate jazz nights, and this weekend they’re back with another session. Taking to the stage will be vocalist Yukako Yamano, Vincent Lau on guitar, Samuel Chan on drums, and Ming Chan on bass.
8:15pm at XS, G/F 135 Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon. Free.
Stephanie Teng: A Body of Work
Hong Kong-based photographer Stephanie Teng will have her first solo photography exhibition at Eaton HK. A Body of Work was born out of a frustration at the lack of diverse representation of body shapes in mainstream media, particularly in weight-conscious city like Hong Kong where being small and slim is seen as the ideal body type. Teng uses her exhibition to dismantle “the oppression and discomfort of the ideal corporeal” by focusing the lens on women of all shapes and sizes.
10am to 8:30pm until Sunday, April 7 at, Eaton House, 4/F, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon. Free.
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