Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Artists Check In


Arts & Culture guest blogger hkCultureGeek, Gillian Chu, is a Hong Kong raised Canadian who enjoys exploring the secret cultural spots around town. You can contact her at hkCultureGeek@hkFashionGeek.com.


I am sure all of you have been to hotels and walked through art galleries before, but have you tried doing both at the same time? Over the weekend, my Mom and I visited the Asia Top Gallery Hotel Art Fair Hong Kong 2011, which was held in the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. My Mom studies Chinese painting while I am learning ceramics, so naturally the fair was a must-go for us.


It was a very busy fair, with many exhibitors, artists and visitors going in and out of the 86 rooms that are being occupied for such. As an Asian art fair, most of the exhibitors were, unsurprisingly, from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.


One of my favourite pieces from the fair is the Who stole the bird’s eggs series 1-4 by Emman Acasio. I love how it accurately reflects the habits of modern day iPhone fanatics.


Having the fair take place in Mandarin Oriental has its perks. Not only is it conveniently located, it also has spectacular views. Putting a piece of art right in front of the Legislative Council or the Victoria Harbour gives a rather different look than on just plain white walls.


The exhibition of Professor Jao Tsung-i's work has caught my Mom's eyes, and we spent a while admiring his masterly strokes.



There are many artists leaning upon modern technology in creating their pieces. Wang Zi-won's Mechanical Nirvana definitely made some mechanical as well as human noises for the fair.


The exhibitors maneuvered the hotel rooms quite well, and interestingly, I have seen many peeing sculptures in various bathrooms.

One of the reasons the fair took place in a hotel was so that visitors can visualize how the piece might look like in their own homes, and I must agree, in this respect, it does work better than in normal exhibition halls.

While being inspired, both of us decided that this was a rather exhausting outing, and promptly went downstairs for a decent afternoon tea.

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3 comments:

  1. Dear HK Fashion Geek,

    On behalf of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, we would like to thank you for featuring our hotel in your blog write up on the Asian Hotel Art Fair. That goes being said, we look forward to seeing you at our hotel in the coming future.

    Should you require our further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact myself.

    Best Wishes
    Geoffrey Wu

    E-Commerce and Social Media Manager

    ReplyDelete
  2. Geoffrey: Thanks, we had a great time at MO as well. Do let us know if you have other upcoming art events in the house!

    Frank: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!

    ReplyDelete