With an influx of sparkling new museums, galleries, and exhibition spaces, Hong Kong’s claim as one of the art world’s most important capitals is only growing stronger.
As a global financial center and a gateway to China (which overtook the UK in 2023 as the second biggest art market in the world, behind the US), Hong Kong has, of course, long been an art hub. But it had been largely closed off to the world for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and blossoming in the isolation was a broader refocusing on local talent and the cultivation of a local art infrastructure. Not to mention a gallery boom, driven by a new generation of collectors keen on homegrown talent: The Hong Kong Art Gallery Association reported a 27% increase in member galleries between 2021 and 2023.
The world’s largest auction houses are scaling up aggressively to meet demand, with record-breaking sales in 2021 and 2022. Mega gallery Hauser & Wirth opened in January a new space at street level (read: prime real estate—and rare for commercial art galleries in Hong Kong). And Art Basel Hong Kong, first held in 2013, returned this year to its pre-pandemic peak at full capacity, and the fair company recently announced a unique partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to present Hong Kong–themed experiences and activations at each of Art Basel’s four shows worldwide.
Even considering the city’s precarious political situation—with reports that some artists have decamped amid worries about censorship and a new national security law passed in March further broadening the sweeping 2020 legislation that has largely quelled political dissent—all signs point to a flourishing art scene.
Here are a few highlights from the Hong Kong art scene, from major museums to artist studios and more.
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Photo: Kevin Mak / Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron