The Best Galleries and Art Exhibitions in Hong Kong to Check Out Jan. 2023

From lush ochre pieces inspired by various Japanese artistic forms, to pop art renderings of this Chinese New Year's starring Rabbit, here are the best gallery showcases and museum exhibitions to catch in Hong Kong in the month of January 2023! Do be sure to check up on the spaces before visiting, as the long holiday weekend may affect gallery opening hours.

Kurobikari – Now until Jan. 15

Translating to “black shine”, the term “Kurobikari” is the one cataclysmic concept that threads together the dark lustre works of artists Osamu Kobayashi, Lintalow Hashiguchi, Hiroto Nakasnishi, and Kazuma Koike on show at The Shophouse. Elusively mutating between the forms of Japanese art mediums, different meanings are assigned to the term throughout epochs across history.

Viewings are by appointment only, so be sure to book your visit first by clicking here.

Location: The Shophouse, 4 Second Lane, Tai Hang, Hong Kong

GUSH – Now until Jan. 16

Evoking masters of the Cubism movement through blockish lines and sharp shadows, with Fauvism-adjacent depictions of her absent gazed femme subjects set against dreamscapes, this portraiture collection by Jade Ching-yuk Ng is one that strikes you down in your tracks.

The paintings and woodcut prints circle around the idea of water as a source of life, yet also exploring a corporeal element that forms our natural world as well as our bodies. Incorporating an intermingling of emotions, the idea of self, and the earthly elements, all whilst playing with visually stunning colours and symbolism, Ng permeates the work with a quiet sense of rich intimacy.

Location: Tang Contemporary Art, 10/F, H Queen's, 80 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong

Journey into Nature – Now until Jan. 28

Venture into a magical space that has brought to life the vision of flora and fauna from Chinese American sculptor Ming Fay. The deeply immersive exploration brings together installations both old and new in his repertoire, unfolding in a theatrical display of the interconnectedness between humans and plants, as well as the patterns between legends stemming from botany and real-life horticultural details. Escape the urban hustle into this fantasy.

Location: Alisan Fine Arts, 21/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong

What Year is It? – Now until Jan. 31

Local pop artist Cassian Lau draws from traditional Chinese mythologies of the 12 zodiac animals to celebrate the auspicious festival of Lunar New Year to come in late January. Presenting a mix of vibrant colours and cartoonish shapes, the works are imbued with calligraphy detailing traditional Chinese scholastic quotes that subtly encourage a return to heritage in order to find a sense of communal love. Graffiti-inspired wording of New Year couplets are also embedded into the zodiac series, showing Lau’s wishes for fortune and success to befall each viewer.

Location: Galerie KOO, 7/F Vogue Building, 67 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Peter Howson: Lacrimae Rerum – Now until Feb. 13

Making it to Hong Kong for the Scottish artist’s first solo show in Asia, this apocalyptic series sums up into dramatic depictions of all that’s wrong with the world right now through the medium of panel paintings. Dense scenes of battle, destruction, and decay are presented with writhing details reminiscent of surrealistic works from the Spanish civil war period, whilst also making twisted evocations of 20th century propaganda.

Part a vision of dystopia and part a personal reckoning based on Howson’s firsthand traumas as a war artist during the Bosnian War three decades ago, these impressionistic works immediately leave an unforgettable mark.

Location: Flowers Gallery, 49 Tung Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong