HKAGA x Ferragamo Collaboration Revitalises Sheung Wan District with Art and Creativity
Central West Hong Kong
13 – 18 March 2021
Salvatore Ferragamo (Ferragamo), the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association (HKAGA) and Central West Hong Kong (CWHK) galleries will partner up in a creative collaboration to spotlight cultural sustainability in Hong Kong’s traditions, featuring a pop-up display truck, a treasure hunt and an exciting line-up of gallery programmes from 12 March to 18 March 2021.
Sustainability – with an emphasis on social and cultural engagement – has been the backbone of Ferragamo’s brand value. Launched with the Pre-Spring 2021 season, Ferragamo breathes new life into the classic Gancini monogram and introduces the Gancini Iconic in a series of black-and-white graphic patterns featured on footwear, bags, small leather goods, silk and ready-to-wear items. 2021 marks the start of a creative multimedia journey for the brand and its dedication to promoting creativity and diversity, highlighted in its collaboration with local artists and communities to connect art, culture and fashion.
Coinciding with the launch of the Gancini Iconic in Hong Kong as part of its global campaign, Ferragamo will be partnering up with HKAGA in a one-week cultural event to engage the public in rediscovering local traditions, artists and galleries that are woven into the creative fabric of the Sheung Wan district.
Over the weekend on 13 and 14 March, HKAGA will also be organising a special treasure hunt with Ferragamo which promotes visits to CWHK galleries from Sheung Wan to Sai Ying Pun. Following a treasure hunt map, visitors have to collect stamps from four galleries and the pop-up truck to win an exclusive Salvatore Ferragamo Gancini product. Please find the programme of individual galleries below:
Blue Lotus Gallery
The City Poetry of Hong Kong by Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze
Exhibition Period: 12 March to 18 March
Meet the Artist: Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze
Date: 13 March
Time: 11am
Venue: Blue Lotus Gallery, G/F 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan
As an extension of the ‘City Poetry’ artworks selected for the Ferragamo ‘Bing Sutt’ truck, Blue Lotus Gallery is pleased to showcase a series of unique views on Hong Kong by the French artist Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze. The photographs have been shot over the last 10 years since the artist moved to the city he now calls home and will be accompanied by a friendly ‘Meet the Artist’ session where people can have books, prints and tiles signed by him in person.
Contemporary by Angela Li
Exhibition Opening: (Art)Work from Home
Date: 13 March
Time: 2 – 8pm
Venue: Contemporary by Angela Li, G/F, 248 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Contemporary by Angela Li is pleased to present “(Art)Work from Home”, a group exhibition of 4 young Hong Kong artists: Hector Chan, Cheung Tsz Hin, Ling Pui Sze and Mindy Lui Yan Yi. The common theme of the works featured in this exhibition unfolds the artistic practice of a certain generation’s response to the ever-changing outside world, a group which has often been described as “Otaku” (宅) : loves staying home, distinctly prefers solitary to social activities, yet full of imagination and creativity. Each artist, who steps back from the crowd but still closely connects with our time, explores the possibilities and boundaries in the aesthetic values of daily objects, their surroundings and living experiences, hence giving birth to an endless dialogue in new visual languages.
Taking part in the 4th edition of Central West HK x Ferragamo, this exhibition opens on 13th March, 2021 from 2pm to 8pm and remains on view through to 24 April, 2021.
Karin Weber Gallery
Exhibition Tour: Windows
Date: 13 March (Cantonese tour); 14 March (English tour)
Time: 3:30 – 4:30pm
Venue: Karin Weber Gallery, G/F, 20 Aberdeen Street
In this one-hour long tour organised by the art gallery, participants will not only be able to find out the technical side of the exhibition but also open up on the artist’s personal matters which have never been made public. Plus trivia quiz and top selfie spots as recommended by the curator.
RSVP via art@karinwebergallery.com is a must. Maximum 8 people per tour.
La Galerie Paris 1839
Meet the Artist: Anat Givon
Date: 13 March to 14 March
Time: 2 – 5pm
Venue: La Galerie Paris 1839, G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central
Born in Israel, Anat Given came to Hong Kong as a press photographer to cover the 1997 Handover. She now lives and works in Hong Kong.
From photojournalism to artistic creations, Anat wants to capture images further to convey her strong feelings of her intimate personal observations to the viewer. That’s where she departs from the objectivity of photojournalism and the use of digital tools enters her pictures.
Combining and manipulating images through digital art, Anat gives a surrealistic twist to her distinctive work whilst still relying on basic photographic aesthetics of proportions within a set frame, play of light and shadow, saturated colours and monochromes, to transform images into unique art pieces.
Group Exhibition: ‘Women Gaze’ by Anat Givon, Catherine Henriette, Kayee C and Lau Wai
Date: 4 March to 25 April
Venue: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central
Opening reception: 4 March, 6.30 – 9pm *RSVP only
*Artist present: Anat Givon, Lau Wai
Women
La Galerie chooses to exhibit works by four women photographers.
LAU Wai and Kayee C express the unique viewpoints of the new generation. They were both born in Hong Kong and with international experience. Anat Givon and Catherine Henriette were born in Israel and France respectively, and lived in Asia for years. Both nourished their artworks with their former experiences as reporters.
Perspectives
The works by LAU Wai and Kayee C show a very personal perspective on our society, questioning both self and social identities. Both artists construct narratives of oneself and the connection with our surroundings through familiar yet uncanny scenarios.
While LAU Wai mixes reality with fictional heroes or past images with reinvented present, Kayee C plays with her own images by setting up fictional scenarios inspired by historical paintings. Both reveal a contemporary questioning: Who are we in our society? What do we expect? And who we are being expected to be? Catherine Henriette and Anat Givon find the inner beauty of our environment and transform our present moment into art pieces, revealing its inner value. Catherine Henriette questions our modern changes and enhances the beauty of China, while Anat Givon researches pure aesthetic emotion immersed in the vibrant city of Hong Kong.
The field of photography has long been dominated by men. As reporters and artists, these four women show their engagement in our contemporary questioning.
Leo Gallery
Exhibition Opening: Supernova
Exhibition Date: 13 March to 5 May
Time: 11am – 7pm
Venue: Leo Gallery, 189 Queen’s Road West, Sheung Wan
Kai Chen’s abstract works explore ideas of colour theory, abstraction and minimalism. Through laborious and meditative hatching marks or stippling, the layering of colours and the modelling of tones, Chen attempts to complicate the relationship between gestural mark-making and notions of masculinity as dictated by the mid-20th century Abstract Expressionists. His practice and distinct visual language aims to expand and transcend restrictive definitions of masculinity to include a broader expression and spiritual contemplation of the sublime.
Ora-Ora
Kapok20
Exhibition Period: March 13 – April 17, 2021
Opening Reception: March 13 & March 14, 2021, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Ora-Ora is delighted to present Kapok20, a solo exhibition by Halley Cheng. The exhibition opens on March 13 until April 17, 2021. The artist will be present at the opening reception as part of the celebration of Central West Hong Kong (CWHK) x Ferragamo.
Centred on Cheng’s new Kapok Series, the resonating dichotomy of kapok tree flowers takes form in an emblem of his emotional journey over the course of the past year to present day. Of deciduous nature, kapok flowers with their transient presence, appear after rainy periods, and with some luck, only a few would fully bloom, reaching their peak blossoming pinks and blood-reds. The red hue forms a symbolic thread across Cheng’s narratives – touching upon societal combat and strife that innately becomes a daily reminder of his experiences. Raw, lying splattered on the pavement, tread upon – such unidentifiable kapok forms incite the artist’s own introspection and nostalgia. A familiar icon to the people of Hong Kong, Cheng manipulates the subject to delineate personal reflection, collective experience, the pandemic, and the political underpinnings. With the diffusion of these trampled florets, it is a therapeutic revelation on Cheng’s part; one is encouraged to heuristically survey our world and our social relationships within it.
Over The Influence
Exhibition Closing Tours: Meta Universe & Go Figure
Date: 13 March to 14 March
Time: 11am – 7pm
Venue: Over The Influence, G/F & 1/F, 159 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Over the Influence is pleased to welcome you to the exhibition tours at the gallery, as we celebrate the closing of Meta Universe, a solo exhibition of paintings by Seoul-based artist Hongmin Lee, and Go Figure, a group exhibition curated by New York-based artist Todd James.
Gallery 1: Lee Hongmin Solo Exhibition
Bulging muscles, vibrant colour and graphic, visceral metamorphoses characterize Hongmin Lee’s compositions. His subjects transform into monsters; powerful, grotesque beings that explore themes of despair, determination and coming of age. For Lee’s first exhibition with Over the Influence, the South Korean painter presents a new series of grotesque psychological portraits.
Gallery 2: Go Figure Group Exhibition Curated by Todd James
In recent years a major shift back towards representational art has introduced a new cohort of young figurative painters whose work is garnering increasing attention. James’s selection aims to show a diverse microcosm of figuration today, cutting through artificial distinctions of age, style, and background and celebrating common ground.
Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road
New Space Opening
Date: 12 March; 13 March to 14 March
Time: 3pm – 8pm (12 March); 11am – 7pm (13 March to 14 March)
Venue: Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road, G/F, 195 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
In celebration of its 35th anniversary, the gallery is thrilled to announce the opening of a brand new space, Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road, on 12 March. Located on Hollywood Road in Hong Kong’s historic centre of art and antiques, it will focus on showcasing an exciting array of objects from the Himalayas. The space will also feature a library where visitors can draw from the gallery’s scholarly publications and resources. This is Rossi & Rossi’s third location, alongside its initial space in London and another in Hong Kong’s Southern District.
Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road will host a series of exhibitions designed to revisit the gallery’s history, recounting stories from Anna Maria and Fabio’s early travels. The information they gleaned from these incredible journeys enhances our greater understanding of the region’s historical artefacts as well as its contemporary artistic expressions.
Soluna Fine Art
Singing Bowl Performance: Mona Choi
Date: 13 March
Session 1: 1 – 1:15pm
Session 2: 3 – 3:15pm
Venue: Soluna Fine Art, G/F, 52 Sai Street, Sheung Wan
On 13 March, Soluna Fine Art will collaborate with the singing bowl performer Mona Choi who will be giving healing performance with Tibetan singing bowls, resonating to the exhibition of Kim Keun-Tai. In the journey of Mona’s performing practice, she was introduced to the Tibetan singing bowls and performs a healing method with two sets of the antique Tibetan singing bowls uncovered by a singing bowl hunter.
KOAN
Exhibition Period: 11 March to 30 April
Soluna Fine Art is delighted to present Kim Keun-Tai’s solo exhibition KOAN in Hong Kong. This exhibition is a collaboration with Art Chosun from South Korea. This exhibition showcases Kim’s work with his approach towards the Asian wisdom and philosophy. With organic earth elements, his work focuses on seeking true definition where the origin of the material was found. In this exhibition, Kim embraced the enlightenment he captured from the Earth material, transformed it onto the canvas with his unique method of creation. KOAN pronounced Kōan/gong’an, refers to a story, or a dialog that happened in the process of achieving enlightenment of the Zen masters in ancient times. It is a paradox that requires meditation to train the Zen masters to ultimately abandon their reliance on reasoning and push them to acquire a sudden enlightenment. Kim makes his works by creating his desired shape through kneading diluted stone powder and pouring it on the canvas, then tilting it and letting it flow, allowing his material to ‘draw’ on its own while also guided by the artist’s will. In other words, it reveals the artist’s intention of ‘let things speak for themselves’.
KOAN will be on view from 11 March 2021 to 30 April 2021.