A quick digest of the coolest weekend happenings in Hong Kong.
Friday, May 24
This themed exhibition is the third installment of Pace Gallery’s Chewing Gum series, following Chewing Gum (2015) and Chewing Gum II (2017). The exhibit looks at the individual creative states of contemporary artists from different regional and cultural backgrounds, with a special focus on the relationships between people and objects. The exhibition will include work by Lee Ufan, Louise Nevelson, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, and Song Dong, among others, opening to the public with a reception on Friday, May 24, from 6-8pm, and remain on view through 4 July.
6pm to 8pm (opening reception) and 11am to 7pm until Thursday July 4 at, Pace Gallery, 12/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Free.
Local alt-rock and shoegaze band The Glass Choir will be performing its first ever gig as a three-piece band at the Aftermath. They’ll be also accompanied by a roster of other local favorites such as Brendan Sheridan, who will be performing on a solo synth and drum machine, the Magic Moon Band, and Hong Kong “folk punk pirates” Ballychunder.
8pm to 12am at, The Aftermath Bar, L/G, 57-59 Wyndham Street, Central. Free.
The National Theatre of Great Britain has brought its Tony Award-winning production War Horse to Hong Kong, which first premiered in London’s West End, in which a young Kit Harrington got his first big break years before he became Jon Snow. Steven Spielberg later adapted the story into a 2011 film that starred Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Based on the 1982 novel by British author Michael Morpurgo, the play follows the experiences of Joey, a horse that’s sold to the British army to fight in World War I and is shipped from England to France. Meanwhile, Joey’s owner, Albert, who is too young to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to bring him home. Key to the success of the play is the use of life-sized puppets by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa — who made the 23 puppets that appear in the show — Tony Sedgewick’s “horse choreography,” and the three puppeteers who convincingly bring Joey to life.
The play is two hours and 45 minutes long, with an intermission.
1pm, 2pm, 6pm and 7:45pm until Sunday, June 2 at, Lyric Theatre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai. HK$1,245 (War Horse West End Package) HK$395 to HK$1,045 (standard) HK$1,320 to HK$3,488 (family package for two adults and two children under 18), HK$795 (wheelchair) HK$395 (restricted view).
Jazz club Gecko will be closing its doors for good this week, so as a last hurrah, it will be hosting its last ever jazz night, featuring famous local jazz guitarist Eugene Pao, pianist Ted Lo, drummer Samuel Chan and bassist Scott Dodd.
9pm at Gecko Lounge, LG/F, Ezra Lane, Lower Hollywood Road, Central. Free.
Wontonmeen is a hostel that’s hosted a slew of small and intimate jazz nights, and they’ll be kicking off the weekend with music from jazz guitarists Alan Kwan and Wilson Lam.
8:15pm at XS, G/F 135 Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon. Free.
Chen Danqing: Disguise and Paintings from Life Opening Reception
Tang Contemporary Art will present the opening reception for a solo exhibition by Chinese-American artist Chen Danqing. The Shanghai-born artist who started his trajectory as an artist creating propaganda posters depicting Mao Zedong’s feats was later inspired by the realist paintings of western artists like Jean Francois Millet — and it’s this combination of Western aesthetics and Chinese culture that makes his portraits so visually striking. This exhibition will mark Chen’s first major solo presentation in Hong Kong, and features a series of oil paintings of live models.
6pm to 8pm until Saturday, June 29 at, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central. Free.
Both Sides Now V: Queer — Screening
This series of selected video artwork from the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and China — under the theme “queer” — will explore aspects of LGBTQ life and reflect upon the power dynamics of queerness and contemporary society. Video artworks presented at this event include Anson Mak’s Differences Do Matter, Fan Popo’s The Drum Tower, Charlotte Prodger’s Handclap/Punchhole and others. This is part of a long-term project by contemporary art platforms Videotage (HK) and Videoclub (UK) called Both Sides Now, which is now in its fifth edition, and will run from May 13 to June 30.
8pm to 10pm at, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon. Free.
Hikkomori, The Shelter by Joris Mathieu
Hikkomori, The Shelter is a futuristic play that follows a teenager called Nils who decides to withdraw from the world. Incidentally, hikikomori is the Japanese word for “withdrawal.” The play uses innovative and original sound design, and tells the stories from the viewpoints of three characters; the mother, the father, and Nils, and the audience can choose which perspective they want to experience the story through.
8pm (Friday) and 4pm (Saturday and Sunday) until Sunday, May 26 at, Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. HK$200 (standard A seats) HK$140 (standard B seats).
Saturday, May 25
Hong Kong House of Stories and Viva Blue House presents a documentary screening of Finding Kukan, a 2016 documentary about the seven-year search for a documentary called Kukan made by Chinese-American film producer Li Ling-ai, and photojournalist Rey Scott. The documentary, filmed in 16mm Kodachrome color film, which was new at the time, captured the lives of Chinese citizens suffering under Japanese occupation during World War II, and won the Academy Award for feature documentary in 1942, and then suddenly, like Li, copies of the documentary vanished. Entrance is free but advanced sign up is required.
7:30pm to 9pm at, Blue House, 72A Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai. Free.
Conspiracy’s Chocolate Experience
If you’re a chocolate lover and have always wondered how to go about making it yourself, Hong Kong-based boutique chocolate company Conspiracy Chocolate will be hosting this chocolate-making workshop so that you can make your own at home. Campfire members should contact their community leaders for the discount code. Workshop is limited to 15 signups.
2pm to 5:30pm at, 4/F, Cheung Hing Industrial Building, 12P Smithfield, Kennedy Town. HK$250 (Campfire members) HK$380 (non-Campfire members).
Vegan baked goods will be on sale at this charity event coordinated by ProVeg International, and all proceeds from the bake sale will go to Hong Kong Pig Save, and local NGO aimed at raising awareness of the city’s meat industry. Baked goods will be provided by I Love Babycakes, Bake to Basics HK, Mayse Artisan Bakery, Raw Bean Bites, and T.u.p(the unique peace)
2pm to 5pm at, Drip by Social Club, 4/F Beverly House, 93 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai. Free.
Got a dog? …or just want to see a lot of them? Hong Kong Dog Rescue will be hosting this free outdoor event at Repulse Bay where you can grab a drink and chill out with your furry best friend while looking at the sea view. There’ll also be dog trails where you can walk your dog, a charity dog market with pet-friendly vendors, and HKDR will also be hosting a puppy adoption stand for those thinking about adopting your own pup.
2pm to 7pm at The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay. Free.
Hong Kong Spoken Word Festival: Storytelling Workshops
If you fancy yourself a storyteller of sorts but aren’t quite sure how to narrate it the right way, let the performers from Hong Kong Stories, a group of people that hosts regular story-telling nights, give you a hand. They’ve got sessions covering storytelling for the stage, at dinner parties, or even at meetings.
2pm to 4pm at Hong Kong Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central. HK$150 (standard) HK$120 (Fringe Club members).
Live entertainment venue Grappa’s Cellar is set to close in July. But before that happens, Hong Kong ska band and Clockenflap favorites The Red Stripes will be ending Saturday night with an evening of ska, reggae, rock steady, soul and R&B. They’ll also be joined by Sybil Thomas, the daughter Soul and Stax Records legend Rufus Thomas, and Dave “Wobbly” Ross will be spinning soul and vibes. Entrance is free.
8pm to 11pm at Grappa’s Cellar, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central. Free.
Local indie music band Teenage Riot be holding a release part for their new album Mother Father Peace and Love. The group first started out as a Sonic Youth cover band, and took their name from one of their songs Teenage Riot. Now they pen their own hits such as Laika, and The Revenge.
7:30pm to 10:30pm at MOM Livehouse B39, Seven Seas Shopping Centre, 117-121 Kings Road, North Point. HK$220 (online) HK$250 (at the door).
Sunday, May 26
Free community yoga class in Tamar Park — yoga instructor Marcel will be guiding students through a Hatha-Vinyasa practice “aimed to cultivate our inner resilience.” All levels of experience are cool, and participants should bring their own mats, towels, and water bottles. Note, the event may be cancelled if it rains.
9am to 10:15am at, Tamar Park, Admiralty. Free.
Concert in Celebration of the Bicentenary of Jacques Offenbach’s Birth
Hong Kong operatic society Musica Viva will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Jacques Offenbach’s Birth with a night of vocal and choral works by the composer. Offenbach is a German-French operatic composer known for penning operas such as the Tales of Hoffman and Orpheus and the Underworld (which culminates with the famous can can). There is a 10 percent discount for each purchase of 10 to 18 standard tickets, and 15 percent discount for bundles of 19 to 40 tickets. Concert running time is approximately one hour and 45 minutes with a 10 minute intermission.
7:30pm to 9:30pm at, Hong Kong City Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central. HK$200 (standard) HK$150 (concessions).
This exhibition will for the first time display drawings, paintings, and notes by artist Lee Wen dating from 1978 to 2014. Lee is a Singaporean performance artist often credited with being the man who shaped the development of performance art in Asia and introducing contemporary art to Singapore. One of Lee’s most notable works is The Journey of a Yellow Man, a series of installations and performances that evolved from a critique of Orientalism into a mediation on freedom, climate change, humility, and religious practices. This exhibition is in memory of Lee, who died last month.
10am to 6pm until Saturday, June 29 at, Asia Art Archive, 11/F Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan. Free.
The exhibition “Van Gogh Alive” has traveled to many corners of the globe, from Anchorage t0 Alaska to Singapore, and it’s now in Hong Kong. Running until July, this immersive exhibition will display more than 3,000 artworks on LED screens, floors, ceilings, and walls, set to a classical music score that will take visitors on a journey through Arles, where he painted his famous bedroom; Saint-Rémy, where he entered the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum and painted his famous Starry Night, depicting the view from his window at night; and to Auvers-sur-Oise where he painted Wheatfield With Crows and many other works until his death in 1890.
10am to 9pm (Mon-Thurs) and 10am to 10pm (Fri-Sun and public holidays) until Sunday, July 7 at, 1/F, FTLife Tower, 18 Sheung Yuet Road, Kowloon Bay. Free (children under the age of 4), HK$190 (children aged 4-15, full-time students and concessions) HK$230 (aged 15 years and over) HK$550 (family tickets for two adults and one child).
Picturing Bauhaus: Erich Consemüller’s Photography of the World’s most famous Design School
This exhibition, by Germany’s Klassik Stiftung Weimar, will display photos by Bauhaus artist Erich Consemüller to celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus. The exhibition will provide insight into the world of the influential design school’s teachers, students, and output. Consemüller documented the early years of the institution in about 300 photos taken in 1926 and 1927, here on loan from a private Berlin collection.
10am to 8:30pm (Monday to Friday) 10am to 6pm (Saturday) until Friday, May 31 at, Goethe-Institut Hongkong, 14/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Free.
Caméra-stylo As Such: A solo exhibition by Anson Mak
This solo exhibition by moving image and sound artist Anson Mak presents two sets of works called One Place, Two Systems, Ten Years, and Never Cross A River Twice. One Place, Two Systems, Ten Years is a lens0based media installation that explores the everyday lives of people who live in Kwun Ton and how it has changed through the years, while Never Cross A River Twice is a single channel film that explores the notion of disappearance and memory. This exhibition will also feature outdoor screenings and talks by the artist.
12pm to 7pm until Thursday, May 30 at, Videotage, Unit 13, Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, Kowloon. Free.
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most famous Hollywood icons of all time, and Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby made a name for himself capturing candid photos of stars. To mark the 90th anniversary of Hepburn’s birth, and the 10th anniversary of Willoughby’s death, F11 Foto Museum will be holding an exhibition presenting 90 of Willoughby’s photos of Hepburn. Each photo — one from each year since Audrey’s birth — features a number of behind the scenes shots of some of her most well-known movies, to rare candid photos of Hepburn as a mother. This exhibition has been curated by F11’s founder and director Douglas So with the help of Willoughby’s son Christopher. Guided tours will also take place on Saturday (2:30pm for English, 4:30pm for Cantonese).
2pm to 7pm until Saturday, July 27 at, F11 Foto Museum, 11 Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley. HK$100 (adults) HK$50 (students and seniors aged 65 and above) Free (children aged 11 and under, and disabled).
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