PUBLISHED March 2nd, 2019 05:00 am | UPDATED May 12th, 2023 05:16 am
If you’re into the quirky contemporary art, this event will be one to watch. Rounding off the month of March, Hong Kong‘s Central Harbourfront will set the scene for the highly-anticipated fifth edition of Art Central. Hosting 107 galleries from over 20 countries, look forward to a series of daily performances by Sydney-based 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (4A) and showcases under the PROJECTS collective helmed by local independent curator, Ying Kwok.
Six renowned international artists and their larger-than-life interpretations will grapple with the concept of time, existence, and the futility of it all in PROJECTS. The lineup of talent includes Indonesia’s Heri Dono, Vietnam’s Lê Giang, and Singapore’s very own PHUNK studio collective. Korean artist Seungean Cha brings the idea of ‘arranging time’ into a tangible reality, creating her pieces with a weaving method that combines textile art and painting – both intimate specialities of the artist herself. Quite literally, the action of weaving mimics the intertwining of past and future decisions and the intimate relationship between the two.
For a more auditory experience, check out Hong Kong-based Cheuk Wing Nam and her interactive installation, ak7 shou3. It’s composed of multiple musical elements — think violins representing the present, cassette tapes representing the past — with motion-activated sensors that produce a myriad of delicate sounds as you approach and interact with the exhibit.
In many of the installations, audience participation isn’t anything less than necessary. Sydney-based 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art’s (4A) fifth collaboration with Art Central delves deep into the meaning of existence, and the acts are designed to produce outcomes largely affected by patrons and their choices. Follow Korean artist Minja Gu through a parody-like cooking infomercial, portraying the skewed ideals of perfection ingrained into us by commercial media. In Brian Fuata’s Ghost, the artist passes through booths at the fair while performing his poetry with visual stimuli crafted from bed sheets, mineral water, and stony humour. Siu Lan Ko’s New Territories Old Territories is more politically charged, and allows guests to rearrange and create new sentences that continuously redefine the relationship between Hong Kong and China.
And because no fair is truly complete without food, Art Central will also have its share of bespoke bites. Pop-up SCARPETTA will be serving up contemporary Italian with a pinch of international flavours, presented by Chef Daniele Sperindio, Executive chef at ATLAS bar in Singapore. Look out for their tagliatelle pasta with mud crab in Thai red curry sauce, and paccheri with blue foot mushrooms, stilton cheese and balsamic. If you’re looking for something more local, the Terrace hosts some of Hong Kong’s best to bless you with a variety of good eats.
Art Central is located at Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront from Wednesday, 27 March to Sunday, 31 March 2019 (VIP Preview / First Night on Tuesday, 26 March), and opening hours vary by the day. For more information on opening hours and tickets, click here.