Home to the towering skyscrapers and busy metropolitan streets, it’s simple to presume that Hong Kong is just one more sterilized city. Yet take a jiffy to look afar these urban tropes, and you’ll soon observe why you couldn’t be more erroneous. Make no mistake; there is more to Hong Kong than meets the eye. Hong Kong plays swarm to one of the region’s most vivacious art hubs. From world-class galleries and exhibitions, to worldwide art events, the creative spirit is well and truly active here. And nowhere is this more obvious than on the streets. From the “East-meets-West” enthused murals found in busy Central, to the built-up graffiti in industrial Wong Chuk Hang, and colorful hipster delights of Sham Shui Po, street art is transforming the cityscape with intrepid expressions of artistry. Local and global artists equally have taken to using urban surfaces, big and small, as their canvas.
Hong Kong has undergone art resurgence in the past decade, with the invasion and inception of global and home-grown art spaces all around the town, clustered in and around the storied neighborhoods of Central, Sham Shui Po, as well as the recently developed West Kowloon Cultural District. A renewed admiration of the city’s origins and way of life is expressed throughout the carnival of local traditions and culture, as the populace becomes increasingly pensive and retrospective. The Hong Kong Museum of Art was established in 1962 and is the city’s first civic art museum. Through the years, the HKMoA has amassed an implausible compilation of works spanning their four main areas of curiosity: Chinese antiquities, modern and local Hong Kong art, Chinese painting and calligraphy, and China trade art, with a collection of over 17,000 items. Anticipate rotating exhibitions and worldwide showcases of modern installations and Western art as well.