18 Shows to See in Hong Kong

In mid-March, the contemporary art world heads to Hong Kong to experience Art Basel’s third international fair. As in Basel and Miami, Art Basel Hong Kong attracts a number of gallery, museum, and not-for-profit exhibitions, and Whitewaller recommends visitors try and check out as many as possible. Below is a list of 18 shows not to miss.

MUSEUMS

“All Are Guests-Homecoming” at the Hong Kong Museum of Art
Ongoing
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Through different media, the artists examine their own sense of self in relation to the city in the light of the intricate yet subtle host-guest dynamic of the contemporary world. Artists include Leung Mee-ping, Chow Chun-fai, and art group CoLAB X SLOW.

GALLERIES

“Dinh Q. Lê : Tropicana Migration”at 10 Chancery Lane
March 13–April 18
Opening: March 12, 6:00-10:00PM
10 Chancery Lane, SoHo, Central
Taking Danang Beach as the focus locale, Vietnamese artist Dinh Q. Lê analyzes the migrational patterns of both Westerners from Europe and the U.S., as well as North Asians who seek out warmer countries during the winter.

“Coming by Hazard” at Galerie Perrotin
March 12–April 25
50 Connaught Road Central, 17th Floor
Contemporary Berlin-based artist Gregor Hildebrandt is known for his two-dimensional works and installations that incorporate pre-recorded cassette tapes.

“Ghosts of Ellis Island” at Galerie Perrotin
March 12–April 25
50 Connaught Road Central, 17th Floor
French artist JR is best known for his large-scale black and white urban interventions, and graffiti work that shift common perceptions of the social environment.

“Rudolf Stingel” at Gagosian Gallery
March 12–May 9
Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, 7th floor, Central
Italian-Born, U.S.-based artist Rudolf Stingel is known for his challenging explorations of, and about, painting.

“Stars” at Pace Gallery
March 13–April 25
15C Entertainment Building, 30 Queens Road, Central
Yoshitomo Nara’s second exhibition at Pace following his 2013 New York show, “Stars,” features recent works that combine his adolescent figures with star imagery and his work with burlap.

“Xu Longsen” at Hanart TZ Gallery
March 6–28
Opening reception: March 12
401 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central
This major solo exhibition showcases Xu Longsen’s recent shanshui (landscape) paintings, including the new, monumental six-meter horizontal scroll Contemplating Purity that will have its first public viewing at the gallery.

“Alex Prager” at Lehmann Maupin
March 12–May 16
407 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central
Alex Prager’s debut Hong Kong exhibition continues her exploration of the psychological experiences of crowds and the individuals within them. Prager exhibits five new, large-scale photographs as well as video work.

“Michelangelo Pistoletto” at Simon Lee Gallery
March 13–April 25
304, 3/F Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central
Michelangelo Pistoletto is a founding member of the Arte Povera movement. His ongoing iconic series of “Mirror Paintings,” comprise figurative, graphic or sculptural images applied to the surface of polished stainless steel.

“Simon Birch: The Inevitable” at Ben Brown Fine Arts
March 12–April 29
301 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central
While still a committed figurative painter, Simon Birch has shifted towards abstract representation. In recent works, his chaotic and nonfigurative impressions are created by inserting vertical strips of magnified detail from past paintings.

“Beatriz Milhazes” at White Cube
March 13–May 30
Opening: March 12, 6:00-8:30PM
50 Connaught Road, Central
For her first Hong Kong exhibition, Beatriz Milhazes has produced a new series of collages and painting that continue the artist’s unique pictorial language, combining the dual influences of Brazilian and European Modernist abstraction with the vibrant, hybrid culture of her personal heritage.

“Zao Wou-Ki: Ink and Watercolor” at de Sarthe Gallery
March 12–April 11
8/F Club Lusitano building, 16 Ice House Street, Central
This solo exhibition of major Chinese artist Zao Wou-Ki features 14 ink masterpieces and 6 watercolors dated as early as 1950.

“Imagined Geographies” at Gallery EXIT
March 9–19
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
“Imagined Geographies” is a group show featuring paintings, photographs and drawings by Chris Huen, Gabriel Leung, Ivy Ma and Lulu Ngie.

“Forces of Nature: Annie Leibovitz and Hiroshi Senju” at Sundaram Tagore Gallery
March 10–May 10
57-59 Hollywood Road, Central
View portraits by renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz and canvases by one of Japan’s celebrated contemporary painter, Hiroshi Senju. Both bodies of work revolve around the notion of power—Leibovitz explores power through images of iconic public figures, and Senju addresses power through sublime waterfall images.

“Two Rooms” at Edouard Malingue Gallery
March 12–April 15
33 Des Voeux Road, 6th Floor, Central
“Two Rooms” is an immersive installation that situates artifice in the context of everyday life, and builds upon the artist, Wang Wei’s, interest in the Beijing Zoo.

NOT FOR PROFITS

“Days push off into nights” at Spring Workshop
February 28–April 26
3/F, Remex Centre, 42 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen
Evoking a suspended period at the intersection of writing, solitude, and self-reflection, the artworks in this exhibition are born from, and point to, the necessary recesses often buried in our hurried lives. Includes artists Olga Chernyshevya, Moyra Davey, Elmgreen & Dragset, and more.

“ICA Off-Site: Hong Kongese” at Duddell’s
March 12–June 22
1 Duddell Street, Central
This exhibition features work inspired by our ever-changing world and the cosmopolitan centers in which the artists live. Includes work by Michelle Abeles, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Martin Soto Climent, and more.

“Papay Gyro Nights 2015 Hong Kong” at Videotage
March 6-20
Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, Unit 13, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon
Independent artist-run projects from Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Scotland showcase a unique selection of Video and Sound Art, Experimental Film and Music, Theater, and Architecture. Includes work by Bertrand Mandico, Katrin Olafsdottir, Juha van Ingen, and more.