As we begin to slow down from the whirlwind Hong Kong Arts Month this year, here’s an in-depth look at 8 of the many standout galleries at Art Central 2024.
On day one, we explored the works of Takashi Hara at A2Z Gallery, Nobody Here at Square Street Gallery, Hansaem Kim at ThisWeekendRoom, and Lee Namlee at An Inc. For day two, Fer Francés walked us through picks from Madrid-based gallery VETA and Sovereign Art Foundation‘s Marketing Director Tiffany Pinkstone unveiled the booth’s special concept.
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A2Z Gallery
Highlighted at A2Z Gallery were the works of Japanese artist Takashi Hara. Seeing himself as a journeyman of sorts, moving around from the U.S. to Paris to Okinawa, and various other locations, Hara began to wonder who he really was. The character in his drawings, a black silhouette with a bright red dot in the middle, is a mix between a pig, a dog, and a human. Stemming from chapters in his life when he struggled with identity, his paintings and sculptures offer encouragement and a feeling of home away from home through art.
Square Street Gallery
Square Street Gallery presented a solo exhibition from the anonymous Hong Kong-based artist Nobody Here. The pieces in the booth tell a cohesive story based on writer Yōichi Takahashi’s popular Japanese football manga Captain Tsubasa. Inspired by the visual language used in paintings of supernatural gods and goddesses in the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, the anime characters from Captain Tsubasa are painted to resemble supreme beings. The paintings feature Nobody Here’s signature burn marks which stretch over the eyes and faces of the football characters and sculptures are made of paper tie referencing the tradition of burning gifts for the departed during Qingming Festival.
ThisWeekendRoom
Seoul-based gallery ThisWeekendRoom represents emerging South Korean artist Hansaem Kim. The selection of new works blends classic stories, including scenes of Inferno by Italian writer Dante Alighieri, with computer-generated visuals inspired by comic books and video games. Using gold, stone, jewellery, glass, and statuary, the works are wrapped in intricate frames which tie into the narratives.
An Inc.
Presented at Booth D2 by An Inc. gallery were digital pieces by Leenam Lee. Originally trained as a sculptor, Lee Nam Lee believed that video could better express the human imagination more thoroughly and moved to clay animations. Over many decades, he transitioned to media art which are showcased at the booth on LED TV monitors. His works often adapt well-known works such as European old master paintings as well as traditional Asian Art with visuals corresponding to today’s reality. The work in focus brought Edward Hopper’s 1942 oil-on-canvas painting “Nighthawks” to life.
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VETA by Fer Francés
Madrid-based gallery VETA by Fer Francés presented various eye-catching pieces from some of the most exciting contemporary artists around the world including Devan Shimoyama, Dis Berlin, Theresa Chromati, Matías Sánchez, and Erik Parker. Particularly striking was “Crackdown,” an acrylic and collage piece on shaped canvas that featured cameos from various recognisable characters from Eminem to Bill Clinton. We were also struck by Chromati’s abstract self-portraits which feature sculptural 3D elements.
Sovereign Art Foundation
Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) is a charity that was established in Hong Kong in 2003 which brings the therapeutic benefits of art to disadvantaged children. The foundation runs both an annual art prize and an art prize for secondary school students in Hong Kong. For Art Central, the foundation invited the alumni of both events to paint 25 cm by 25 cm works. All of the pieces are priced the same at HK2,500 and the artist is kept anonymous until the work is bought, forcing visitors to choose based on the art alone.
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Aaron Chow
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Aaron is an editor currently based in Hong Kong focused on music, fashion, F&B, tech, art, and culture.
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