Things to do in Hong Kong today

From now to July 13, Airside is hosting ‘The World of ASMR’ exhibition that was at London’s Design Museum. This will be the Kai Tak venue’s first time collaborating with an international museum since its opening, and we’re so excited that it’s going to be this special exhibition on the euphoria or calm triggered by sound, touch, and movement. This immersive experience delves into the crackles, pops, feather brushes, whispers, and tappy noises that have become a whole culture and community around the world. Showing over 40 works by contemporary artists, ASMRtists, and designers, the Hong Kong edition also features newly commissioned works by local artists which capture our city’s unique auditory identity. The highlight of the show is a sculpture of wavy, bendy pillows woven together to form over a kilometre of squishy comfort, where visitors can lounge while watching various ASMR-related videos. There’s even an entire room dedicated to Bob Ross, who many in the community dub the ‘Godfather of ASMR’.  Don’t forget to try your hand at creating your own ASMR noises before you leave! Tickets to this exhibition at Gate33 Gallery cost $30.

The ‘Van Gogh Alive’ immersive art experience has travelled to over 100 cities around the world, and it’s returning to our shores on March 10. This exhibition stimulates the senses of sight, sound, and smell to fully bring visitors into Post-Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh’s artistic journey.  3,000 paintings and images including famous Van Gogh classics like ‘Sunflowers’, ‘Starry Night’, and ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ are waiting to be experienced in an elevated way, with approximately 30 giant screens working together to project, break down, and enhance the paintings. Projected simultaneously across walls, columns, and floors, visitors can feel like they’re actually wandering through the world created through his bold brush strokes. Apart from a redesigned layout that utilises more of the exhibition space than when the exhibition came to Hong Kong in 2019, this return also presents something new in the debut of ‘AI Van Gogh’; the technology brings the artist back to life and generates paintings in the Impressionist style for visitors to walk into. Classical music from Schubert and Bach will enhance the enjoyment of the artwork, while special scents are also used to heighten the immersive experience, evoking florals when viewing ‘Sunflowers’ or a fresh breeze in ‘Starry Night’. Early-bird tickets are available until February 27 for $160. Thereafter, the standard price will be $190, with concessions available. Note that tickets to ‘Van Gogh Alive’ do not include entry...

The famous Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris have collaborated with the Hong Kong Museum of Art to present this special exhibition on two of the greatest masters of the Impressionist art movement: Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  This is the first large-scale exhibition of the two Impressionists in Hong Kong, showcasing 52 masterpieces on loan from France. See how the pair found innovative ways to reinvent the art of their time, how they viewed the world, and how they captured the rapidly changing times around them. Cézanne and Renoir were also longtime friends and likely influenced each other’s works, as well as later becoming beacons of inspiration for later painters such as Spanish surrealist master Pablo Picasso. The Cézanne and Renoir exhibition will run from January 17 to May 7. Tickets are priced at $50, with concessions available. Note that the Hong Kong Museum of Art is closed on Thursdays as well as the first two days of Chinese New Year (January 29-30). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Hong Kong (@timeouthk)

Visit this special exhibition at M+ to see more than 60 masterpieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso spanning from the late 1890s to the early 1970s. Co-curated with the Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP), which holds the largest repository of Picasso’s work in the world, this is the first time that pieces from the MnPP are being shown together with works from an Asian museum collection. By placing Picasso’s work in dialogue with Asian contemporary art – approximately 80 works by more than 20 Asian and Asian-diasporic artists – the master’s enduring influence on art to this day is highlighted. Split into four sections that show how Picasso fits into four artist stereotypes – such as the genius in his self-mythologising works, and the outsider with how he consistently chose to upend artistic styles and traditions – this exhibition explores how Picasso became the quintessential modern 20th-century artist.  Tickets cost $240, with half-price concessions and adult-and-child combo deals available. Visitors with special exhibition tickets can also access the ‘Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination’ exhibition, as well as all M+ general admission exhibitions starting from March 15.

Mixed media artist and celebrated designer of the luxury brand Chrome Hearts Joe Foti will be in Hong Kong for his first solo exhibition in town with over 180 of his works. From alien-themed pieces and odd bits and bobs that somehow fit when collaged together, to risqué birdhouses and penis paper weights, there is so much to tickle and amuse in this exhibition. Though described by the gallery as “one part fever dream, two parts nostalgia, and a whole load of ‘what the f*ck is that?’”, there’s no denying that Foti’s work is whimsical, absurd, and all the more appealing because of it.

The Hong Kong Ballet will present the Asian premiere of Frida, a performance centred on Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, one of the most important surrealist painters of the 20th century. This special ballet show will only be in town for a very limited run of just five performances, so don’t miss out! Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has created this beautiful production that tells the story of Kahlo’s professional triumphs and personal tragedies, made even more visually stunning by her bold paintings and striking self-portraits being incorporated into the ballet. Much thought has also been put into the costumes and set designs, the work of Dieuweke Van Reij – look out for skeletons, Mexican skirts, florals, and animal motifs that are often found in Kahlo’s paintings. In a brilliant touch, the ballet starts off in black and white, before exploding into colours when Kahlo discovers the world of artistic pursuits. Frida will only be on show from April 4 to 6. Tickets range from $250 to $1,200, with concessions available for students and senior citizens.

We’re sure bookworms everywhere are already compiling their TBR lists for 2025, so in the spirit of spreading the joy of reading, why not donate some of your old books or tomes from last year’s ‘did not finish’ pile? Swire Properties’ beloved annual charity sale Books for Love @ $10 is coming up later in the year, and they’ve just kicked off the month-long book collection drive. Until January 31, you can drop off pre-loved books at 44 collection points across Hong Kong – just make sure they’re in a good enough condition for sale. Books that are marked, with missing pages, mouldy, or stained will not be accepted, nor will textbooks, magazines, guidebooks, computing books, or fortune-telling books. High-quality children’s books will be available on their online pre-sale from March 25 to April 15, while the eight-day main book sale will take place from May 8 to 18. As always, all proceeds from the Books for Love @ $10 event will go to the Treasure Trove project by The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, as well as the Agency for Volunteer Service to develop sustainable volunteerism. Keep an eye on our website for more information when it gets closer to the actual book sale, but for now, start weeding out your personal libraries.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) is currently holding a joint exhibition with the Palace of Versailles with approximately 150 magnificent pieces to peruse. This is the first time that treasures from the Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles – both World Heritage Sites – will be featured in one exhibition in Hong Kong. With themes spanning culture, arts, science, technology, and beyond in the royal courts of France and China, visitors can expect to admire portraits, porcelain pieces, glassware, enamelware, textiles, books, scientific instruments, and more. Look out for first-grade national treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing, such as a chrysanthemum teapot gifted to the Qianlong Emperor that was recently discovered to be made in France, and a quiver and bow case with French-made brocade. Highlights flown over from the Palace of Versailles include a perfume fountain – the only Chinese porcelain piece that Louis XV was known to have owned – and a portrait plaque of Qianlong that Louis XVI had displayed in his study. Tickets for this special exhibition are priced at $150, with concessions available. Holders of HKPM’s Full Access Ticket can also access The Origins of Chinese Civilisation exhibition at a combined price of $180.

The SPCA Dogathon will be a 3.6-km charity walk along the Shing Mun River in Sha Tin, starting from the pet park at New Town Plaza and ending at the Sha Tin Racecourse. Taking approximately an hour to finish, this walk falls on April 4, which is a Friday and the public holiday for Ching Ming Festival and Children’s Day this year – so if you have a dog, there’s no real excuse not to join! The Dogathon charity walk requires an enrolment fee and a minimum donation to the SPCA, and those interested will need to sign up by March 28. All dogs will receive an event-themed reversible bandana while walkers get an event t-shirt, and those who finish the walk will be presented with a medal of completion (yes, including the dogs).  After the walk, attendees can take part in the pet festival at the racecourse, which will be specially open to dogs just for the day. There will be agility games, a pet playground, and a Woof Run – not to mention plenty of other furry friends – to keep your pup entertained, while owners can enjoy a charity marketplace and more activities.

More than 110 exquisite artefacts from the Hong Kong Palace Museum, The Palace Museum in Beijing, as well as important loans from the British Museum, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and several museums in Hong Kong, will be on display at this special exhibition on Chinese food and drink culture. These pieces delve into the rich culinary traditions and culture of ancient Chinese people, ranging across 5,000 years of history. See how culinary practices and ingredients were exchanged between China and the nomadic peoples of Central and Western Asia; how the Ming and Qing dynasties enjoyed picnics and dining on pleasure boats; and how the importance of food and drink was transferred even from this world to the afterlife through burial rituals and offerings dating back to the Neolithic period. This fascinating culinary exploration is enhanced by multimedia presentations and technology, such as an interactive dining table where visitors can order food in a virtual feast while exploring the evolution of dining utensils and diverse cooking techniques. Out of the displays, eight pieces are grade-one national treasures from the Forbidden City, so keep an eye out. Tickets for this special exhibition are priced at $150, with concessions available. Those who purchase Full Access Tickets for HKPM can access this exhibition, as well as The Forbidden City and The Palace of Versailles and other exhibitions in galleries one to seven on the same day.