Highlights for Hong Kong Art Week 2019
Exhibitions to catch
By Ian Tee
Hong Kong Art Week is soon upon us, and in addition to Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central, here are A&M's picks of noteworthy exhibitions to check out:
Huang Po-Chih, 'Production Line’, 2014-2018, installation view. Image courtesy of National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.
The Centre for Heritage, Arts & Textile (CHAT) is part of the conservation project of The Mills, one of the largest privately-initiated conservation projects in Hong Kong. Revitalising the former cotton spinning mills of Nan Fung Textiles in Tsuen Wan, CHAT's multidisciplinary programme weaves contemporary art, design, science and heritage while reflecting Hong Kong's unique textile legacy. Their inaugural exhibition 'Unfolding' brings together works and performances by 17 contemporary artists and collectives, which draws upon the sociopolitical implications of textile labour.
Centre for Heritage, Arts & Textile, 17 March to 30 June
Ming Wong, 'Rhapsody in Yellow', 2019, video still, commissioned for 'An Opera for Animals'. Image courtesy of the artist and Para Site.
'An Opera for Animals' explores how classical opera, both from the east and west, utilise devices that parallel our contemporary reality. Several works also examine the symbolic representation of animals as allegories in cultural history and the ways in which such relationships manifest today. The large-scale group exhibition features a strong line-up of international artists, with prominent Southeast Asian names such as Heri Dono, Ho Tzu Nyen, Lawrence Lek and Yee I-Lann, among others. It spans across two floors and is a prelude to Para Site's partnership with Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai.
Para Site, 23 March to 9 June
Chris Chong Chan Fui, 'Badminton Training', 2015, video installation, dimensions and duration variable. Image courtesy of the artist and Chan + Hori Contemporary.
Present Passing: South by Southeast
Curated by Patrick D. Flores and Natasha Becker, 'Present Passing' is the second iteration of Osage Art Foundation's 'South by Southeast' framework. It brings together 16 artists from Asia, South Africa and the Caribbean, seeking to expand and deepen the imagination of Southeast Asia in relation to other geographies.
Osage Gallery, 23 March to 26 May
'Performing Society: The Violence of Gender', 2019, installation view featuring works by Anne Imhof. Image courtesy of Tai Kwun Contemporary.
Performing Society: The Violence of Gender
'Performing Society' is a group exhibition which probes the contested terrain of gender. It is curated by Susanne Pfeffer, director of Museum MMK für Moderne Kunst, and features 11 artists working across a diverse array of mediums. Confronting the ways in which the body, sexuality, and identity are governed in normative constructions of gender, the artworks unpack the violence hidden within and offer counter-narratives to its framework.
Tai Kwun Contemporary, 16 February to 28 April
Natee Utarit, 'Golden', 2006, oil on canvas, signed, dated and inscribed ‘natee utarit 06 The Amusement of Dream Hope and Perfection Series’, on the reverse, 69.5 x 100cm. Image courtesy of Bonhams 1793 Ltd.
Ritual + Culture: Fine Southeast Asian Arts
If you are looking to catch some action on the auction block, Bonhams presents 'Ritual + Culture', in collaboration with Art Agenda, S.E.A., a sale of fine Southeast Asian art. Top lots include works by modern masters Cheong Soo Pieng, Le Pho and Fernando Zobel, as well as 18th century Sri Lankan bronze figures of the Buddha.
Bonhams, public viewing from 26 to 29 March
