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Although cross-border travel is still largely restricted in Asia, galleries are introducing a number of international artists to audiences in Hong Kong—and for many artists it is their debut in the region. Heading into Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central this week, here’s ArtAsiaPacific’s selection of shows in Central, Soho, and other parts of Hong Kong.
Detail of JOSH SPERLING’s Spectrum D, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 232.4 × 567.2 cm. Photo by Farzad Owrang. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin, New York / Paris / Hong Kong / Seoul / Tokyo / Shanghai.
Josh Sperling: “Spectrum”
May 8–Jun 12
“Spectrum” showcases New York-based artist Josh Sperling’s sculptural paintings, which blend both mediums through his playful riffs on the minimal, 1960s and ’70s paintings by Frank Stella. Sperling’s large installation features his signature “squiggles” forms that cover the gallery walls and shift in color as viewers move and observe from different perspectives.
CHU TEH-CHUN, Untitled/Sans Titre, 1969, gouache on paper, 50 × 64.7 cm. Courtesy Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong.
“Chu Teh-Chun’s Symphony”
Alisan Fine Arts, Central
May 12–Jul 10
To celebrate the centenary of Chu Teh-Chun’s birth, Alisan Fine Arts has curated a selection of 16 iconic works by the Chinese-French modernist, in association with French May Arts Festival. Works on view spotlight Chu’s synthesis of abstract compositions and calligraphy, and an 80-minute-long documentary about the artist will premiere at the film sector of Art Basel Hong Kong.
MINOUK LIM, Antigone, 2015, FRP mannequin, faux fur, steel stand plate, reflector, buoy, infrared lamp, thorn, latex cord, Arduino relay device. Courtesy the artist and Tina Kim Gallery, New York.
“Curtain”
May 15–Jul 25
Para Site’s second collaboration with Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, “Curtain” experiments with different artistic and conceptual references to passages, frontiers, connections, cultures, localities, and occupations. The show features multimedia works by 25 international artists, including Australian artist Leigh Bowery’s 1988 video-performance at Anthony d’Offay gallery and Korean artist Minouk Lim’s sculptural mannequin, Antigone (2015).
MYONGHI KANG, La maison de opticien 3, 2021, oil on canvas, 130 × 160 cm. Courtesy the artist and Villepin, Hong Kong.
Myonghi Kang
May 17–Nov 17
On view at Villepin gallery, Korean artist Myonghi Kang’s solo exhibition features her poetic canvases of nature, which encompass her sensibility through the skillful use of colors. A peer of Zao Wou-ki, she explores notions of time and space, capturing moments of tranquility and intimacy between human and nature in her abstract and figurative depictions.
DONALD MOFFETT, Lot 090307/20 (O, drop), 2007/20, oil, cotton, aluminum, rabbit skin size, poly vinyl, acetate on linen, 61 × 50.8 cm. Copyright the artist. Photo by Lance Brewer. Courtesy the artist; Marianne Bosky Gallery, New York; and Aspen, Colorado.
Donald Moffett: “Nature Cult”
May 18–Jun 26
American artist Donald Moffett’s first solo show in Asia, “Nature Cult” highlights the artist’s ongoing experiments with natural materials such as resin surfaces and plywood canvases, which delve into the relationship between human body and nature. On view at Whitestone, his signature series Fleisch (2007/20), comprising raw linen stained with rabbit-skin glue, examines the notion of violence in a deadly romance.
DAVID ADJAYE, Khufu, 2021, Nero Marquina Marble, honed, 274 × 274 × 61 cm. Copyright the artist. Courtesy Pace Gallery, London / Palo Alto / Seoul / Hong Kong / Geneva / New York / Palm Beach.
David Adjaye / Adam Pendleton
May 18–Jun 30
Pace Gallery’s dual exhibition explores the shared visions of American artist Adam Pendleton and Ghanaian-British artist and architect David Adjaye. The collaborative show presents Pendleton’s new text-based painting series (WE ARE NOT) (2020), which is realized by layers of spray paint, adjacent to Adjaye’s geometric, sculptural pyramids Khufu (2021) to create a conversation around broader ideas of language, identity, and monumentality.
ZHAO ZHAO, The Buddha, 2021, mixed media on canvas, 174 × 124 × 10 cm. Courtesy the artist and Massimo de Carlo, Milan / London / Hong Kong / Paris.
Zhao Zhao: “The Buddha”
May 18–Jul 3
In the solo exhibition “The Buddha,” Chinese artist Zhao Zhao debuts a new series of paintings about the lost kingdoms along the Silk Road, based on the cave murals and scripture found in western China. Resembling palimpsests with layers of faded imageries, Zhao’s paintings highlight the erasure of ancient iconography and languages. Additionally, Zhao has installed a series of textile works about his experience as a laborer in the cotton industry in Xinjiang at a pop-up space in K11 Musea.
CHRISTINE AY TJOE, Large Space of Shoots #2, 2020, oil on canvas, 180 × 200 cm. Copyright the artist. Courtesy White Cube, London / Hong Kong / New York / Paris.
Christine Ay Tjoe: “Spinning in the Desert”
May 18–Aug 28
For her first Hong Kong solo exhibition, Indonesian artist Christine Ay Tjoe is showcasing a new series of paintings made in response to Covid-19 and the impact it had on her everyday life. “Spinning in the Desert” explores Tjoe’s prominent themes of philosophy and spirituality, focusing on the human condition as an attempt to connect with our most powerful emotions and fears.
PAULINA OLOWSKA, 30 Minutes Before Midnight, 2021, oil on canvas, 65 × 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery, New York / London / Hong Kong.
Paulina Olowska: “30 Minutes Before Midnight”
May 19–Jun 19
Informed by an investigation into stereotypical representations of women throughout art history, Polish artist Paulina Olowska’s paintings reinforce the female gaze through the heroines that inhabit her idealistic compositions. Her new body of oil paintings on view pays tribute to female figures in films such as The Witch of Positano (1965), which documents the life of the spiritual artist Vali Myers.
Installation view of RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA’s untitled 1990 (pad thai), 1990, performance at Paula Allen Gallery, New York, 1990. Copyright the artist. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York / London / Hong Kong / Paris.
“The Real World”
May 18–Jul 31
A group exhibition, “The Real World” assembles a series of paintings, sculptures, and installations created in the late ’90s by renowned artists Félix González-Torres, Raymond Pettibon, Jason Rhoades, Diana Thater, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Lisa Yuskavage, all of which critically examine the status of materials and the injection of art into everyday life. This is Tiravanija’s first presentation at the gallery in Hong Kong, with his performance untitled 1990 (pad thai) (1990), which famously featured the artist cooking noodles for the crowd.
For a list of shows that opened on May 15 in Hong Kong’s South Island District, click here.
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