As all you lovely, cultured people will be aware, this month is Hong Kong’s art month. That means it’s Hong Kong’s opportunity to once again showcase its talent to the world – we’re talking everything from opera to digital media. You name it, someone in Hong Kong is giving it a go and ready to show it off.
Art Central is kicking off tomorrow for the second time and we are all eager here to see what it has in store. Art Central is basically a fair that lets Hong Kong say to the rest of the world, ‘Hey, look at us, we’re super artsy’, and as a consequence artists from all over the globe make their way to our beautiful city to say, ‘Hey, look, so are we!’ Artists all the way from Saudi Arabia to the US will be showing their faces, so maybe you should too.
This year, Art Central is hosting over 100 galleries from 21 countries over a four-day fair. For a full run-down of the list, click here. The focus this year is on “art that moves”, and no exhibit exemplifies that better than the special MEDIA X MUMM exhibition. The exhibition, put on by the fair’s official champagne sponsor G.H. Mumm, promises a dazzling mix of digital, new media and performance art (and yes, a champagne bar).
But it’s not only art that G.H. Mumm will be putting into motion. Thanks to their partnership with concierge service SpotHelp, you’ll also be able to order champagne to your very location at the fair via WhatsApp (here’s the number so that you can save it to your phone ahead of time: +852 6190 7100). So you will never be short of bubbly, which is necessary if you are to walk around looking extra sophisticated gazing at art you don’t fully understand but pretend to anyway.
Artist Ting-Tong Chang (Christine Park Gallery)
If your champagne goggles aren’t enough to make you appreciate art, perhaps you could join one of the discussions and debates hosted by the Asia Society and the 4A Centre (more info), or join some of the free educational tours offered by art and design students from the Savannah College of Art and Design. You can catch these every day between 12 and 3 at stand E12 (more info). If you didn’t understand contemporary art before, you might well walk away a pro.
Lee Ufan, From Line, 1979, Mineral pigment and oil (Gallery Hyundai, Korea)
If your legs grow tired of walking booth to booth, check out the inaugural SCREEN X EXPERIMENTA booth, which will be showing independent experimental and narrative shorts from up-and-coming filmmakers, curated by Hong Kong’s Gina Wong.
As we all know, it’s never wise to use an instant WhatsApp champagne delivery service on an empty stomach. Luckily, some of Hong Kong’s hottest bars and eats will also be making an appearance (*undoes belt buckle a few notches*). Hong Kong favourites Brickhouse, Beef & Liberty and XTC on Ice will be serving up their delicious fare on-site, while Black Sheep Restaurants (known for Ho Lee Fook and le Garçon Saigon, to name a few) will also be hosting a pop-up edition of Belon, their new neo-Parisian restaurant.
The culinary festivities continue beyond the fair’s confines: Zuma, located at Landmark, is just one of the many establishments offering special deals and dishes in honor of Art Month. Patrons that show up after 8pm with their Art Central ticket stubs can get a free second art-inspired cocktail.
And to prove to everyone that you are indeed cultured and did step foot in Art Central, you can grab some souvenirs made by G.O.D., the official Art Central merchandise partner. Delay no more and grab one of their limited-edition tees and totes designed Douglas Young, which sound totes fab to us.
What: Art Central
When: March 23-26
Where: Central Harbourfront
Price: HKD230 and up
Tickets: HKTicketing.com
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