Sure, Central may be home to more fine art galleries that we can count but it’s not all stuffy as it may seem. These world-class international galleries bring not only the biggest names in the global art scene – we’ve seen the likes of Ai Weiwei, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, to name a few – but also stage a myriad of installations that require interactiveness from viewers and often looks great on the gram.
Central is also great for gallery-hopping as many venues are clustered together in a single block like H Queen’s or Pedder Building, where you find many galleries across different specialities including Art Supermarket, which focusses on street art, and fine-art photography-centric La Galerie Paris 1839. Here’s our pick of the best art galleries in Central.
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Tucked away off the steep slope of Old Bailey Street, this boutique gallery is a breath of fresh air when it comes to sharing creative talents from Southeast Asia. Showcasing an eclectic collection of sculptures, paintings, textiles and prints, including those by renowned Hong Kong experimental artist Frog King, Chancery Lane is the perfect oasis to drink up some culture on a busy day.
Despite being a relatively new addition to the Hong Kong art scene, A2Z has already made big waves. The Parisian gallery does not fall into any one category. Instead, it focuses on art that connects culturally and emotionally with the people of Hong Kong. As a way to make its exhibitions more engaging, A2Z often stages live painting demonstrations and performances ahead of their openings.
Look no further than Aishonanzuka for the edgiest and most inventive works to emerge from the Japanese art world. The venue is the result of two Japanese galleries, Aisho Miura Arts and Nanzuka, putting their best minds (and eyes) together to present works that challenge the norms, whether it be Hajime Sorayama’s erotic robot figures or James Jarvis’ toy illustrations.
This art gallery is on a mission to increase Hongkongers’ recognition of street art as a reputable genre. As the name suggests, Art Supermarket is a superstore showcasing original art, across different genres and styles, by emerging contemporary artists from Asia and the West. This is where you can find works by talents like Szbotage, whose signature koi fish are scattered around town, and French street artist M Chat, whose giant winged cat graffiti graces the side of Hotel Jen in Shek Tong Tsui.
It’s easy to find Carre D’Artistes – it’s on Hollywood Road, right where that giant pop-art mural featuring icons like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin is. Much like its sister gallery YellowKorner just across the street, Carre D’Artistes allows you to browse through and take home paintings and prints that are presented in rows of shelves like a vinyl record store, or admire framed works and sculptures dotted around the gallery.
Founded by French art dealer Edouard Malingue in 2010, this gallery is dedicated to showcasing emerging and established international contemporary artists. After debuting in 2010 with the largest solo exhibition ever of works by Pablo Picasso in Hong Kong, the gallery has hosted numerous solo shows of other notable artists including minimalist Scottish painter Callum Innes, French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso, Chinese painter Yuan Yuan and Cuban collective Los Carpinteros.
Established in 1974, Galerie du Monde mainly focuses on contemporary Chinese art and artists. Promoting emerging talents from mainland China, this Central gallery focuses on works on canvas and paper, sculpture and photographic pieces. Aside from exhibitions, the art space also offers art-related services such as custom framing and the restoration of works of art.
Here to make Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s leading art hub an undisputable claim is H Queen’s. This purpose-built 24-storey vertical art space currently houses eight world-class art galleries. Since opening in 2018, the building has welcomed new additions to the Hong Kong scene, including the first Asian outpost of American fine-art gallery David Zwirner (pictured), notable Swiss gallery Hauser and Wirth and SA+, an auction house that specialises in South Korean and Japanese art. Established names in the local scene, such as Pearl Lam Galleries, Pace Gallery, Galerie Ora-Ora and Tang Contemporary Art, have also relocated to H Queen’s to take advantage of its massive venues, which aren’t hindered by columns and windows. Come here if you have a penchant for large-scale installations – and don’t forget to check out the Yayoi Kusama pumpkin housed at the rooftop bar and eatery, Piqniq.
Established in 2014, La Galerie strives to be a bridge between East and West and to showcase Asian and western artists such as André Villers and Wang Wusheng. Since photographic works tend to have more than one copy, photographs at La Galerie are more affordable than the average painting. Budding collectors can start here and own the same masterpieces as those in museums.
Spanning three floors, Opera Gallery has a unique platform that allows it the flexibility of hosting single exhibitions that take over the whole space or to have multiple shows running at the same time. Art from a wide variety of genres can be found here, including photorealistic paintings and life-sized body sculptures made up of chains. Plus, Opera is one of the few galleries in town that’s open every day.
The OG of art hubs in Hong Kong, this gorgeous Beaux Arts-style building is not only historically significant – it’s one of the city’s last remaining pre-WWII structures – but its tenants are some of the world’s top international galleries. These include Lehmann Maupin, a New York institution that’s staged exhibitions on everything from minimalism to surrealism; Gagosian Gallery, known for showcasing big names like Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami; Massimo de Carlo, which highlights creatives from the Greater China region alongside classical masters from Europe; Ben Brown Fine Arts, where important artists from the contemporary and modern era grace its walls; as well as Hanart TZ Gallery (pictured), a pioneer when it comes to Chinese contemporary art.
Perrotin manages to take to the dryness out of fine art and inject plenty of fun into its exhibitions. Mixing urban cool with highbrow appreciation, Perrotin’s popular shows in the past have featured Kaws and his figurative characters, anime-inspired artworks by Mr., and Argentine master Julio Le Parc’s mind-bending op art and kinetic art.
Specialising on post-war American art, this Japanese art gallery works hard to select and curate artworks that are “unique, rare and have distinctive qualities, no matter how famous or lesser known its creators are”. Putting on various themed exhibitions throughout the year, Sansiao Gallery’s showcases have ranged from Andy Warhol’s Pop-art pieces to photography that focuses on nudity to rare images of Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe.
Since its much-talked-about opening in the summer of last year, the revitalised landmark has worked hard to bring world-class art exhibitions to its sprawling 13,600sq m site. Massive installations – including one featuring a three-metre latex ball covered in black felt and another showcasing structures made out of Chinese herbal medicine – have been presented here, along with themed shows, like one dedicated to Kwan Kung. There’s no limit to what kind of creativity you’ll be facing on your next visit.
The epitome of what a modern art gallery should look like, White Cube boasts 6,000sq ft of space, spanning two floors and encased in pristine white walls. It’s the perfect blank canvas to a wide range of artworks and innovative installations. Surprisingly quiet considering its locale, White Cube can transport you from the chaos of the city to the creative worlds of its artists.
Rarely discussed places that are aesthetically interesting, of historical note, or even just plain weird.
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