What's on Hong Kong

Lia Campiglio

Born in Piemonte, a small town in the countryside of Italy, Lia Campiglio moved to Venice to study Mandarin at Ca' Foscari University in Venice. After living and studying abroad in Barcelona, Beijing and Nanjing, in 2012, she decided to leave Italy and work in a competitive setting, Hong Kong. Lia is currently working at the Italian Cultural Institute of Hong Kong, organizing cultural events related to Italian culture, arts and lifestyle. Apart from work, she enjoys discovering the wonders of Southeast Asia.

Art

“Lacloche, Parisian Jewelers, 1892-1967” Exhibition

Time: Until 6 April 2022

Venue: L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, 510A, 5F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Bringing together over 40 Lacloche Frères pieces of jewellery and precious clocks from around the world, the “Lacloche, Parisian Jewelers, 1892- 1967” retrospective exhibition is an astonishing monograph that retraces the fascinating history of this great Parisian jewellery Maison.

Premiered in Paris and travelled to Hong Kong with newly selected creations, this exhibition illustrates the Maison’s impeccable taste and technical prowess.

Info: https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/hk/en/ exhibition/lacloche

Affordable Online Art Fair & Affordable Art Fair

Time: 9 April - 3 May 2022 & 12-15 May 2022

Venue: Online & Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai

The second edition of the Affordable Online Art Fair and the ninth edition of the Affordable Art Fair return to town! Showcasing a wide variety of art genres, including sculptures, photography, abstracts on canvas, installations, and limited edition prints from local and international galleries, these fairs aim to present something special to firsttime buyers and seasoned art collectors.

The programmes also feature a series of online events such as online tours, art workshops, and artists in action working on special projects.

Info: https://affordableartfair.com/

Art Basel Hong Kong 2022

Time: VIP Preview: 25-26 May; General Admission: 27-29 May

Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai

Art Basel Hong Kong is one of the region’s largest art events that aims to bring together established artists and emerging talents from all over the world and provide a platform that connects both the East and West.

The 2021 edition of the fair featured galleries from Hong Kong and overseas, many of whom opted to participate with a satellite booth, a new concept introduced to support gallerists whose physical attendance was not possible due to current regulations. Running in parallel to the physical show, exhibitors amplified their participation with a rich digital program featuring Online Viewing Rooms, public, and live-streamed VIP walkthroughs, as well as virtual experiences.

Info: https://artbasel.com/hong-kong

Art Central 2022

Time: 26-29 May 2022

Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai

As a professional platform for pushing boundaries in contemporary art, Art Central was established in 2014 to showcase the next generation of talents from Asia’s most innovative galleries - at least 75% of the galleries are from the Asia-Pacific region.

The fair offers an opportunity to discover this area’s emerging artists through painting, sculpture, photography, or art installation, alongside distinguished artists from around the world, making it a dynamic and varied international art event.

Info: https://artcentralhongkong.com

Festivals

Le French May

Time: May - June 2022; Various venues

Held for the first time in 1993, Le French May is a famous festival celebrating fine art, music, dance, film, and gastronomy. For the 2022 edition, the theme is “cultural synergies that connect Hong Kong to France”.

With various programmes presented across two months, Le French May aims to reach out to French, foreign, and local communities in order to make it a true cultural exchange. The festival also embraces new and emerging artists and performers.

Info: www.frenchmay.com

Local Festivals

Qing Ming Festival (清明節)

Time: 5 April 2022

Known as the Tomb-sweeping day or Pure Brightness Festival, Qing Ming Festival is a very ancient Chinese holiday and goes back roughly 2,500 years. The holiday is celebrated 15 days after the Spring Equinox; its date is calculated using the Chinese lunar calendar.

It is the day when families visit graves sites and tombs to commemorate loved ones and ancestors. Out of respect, families tidy the headstones, clean away weeds, lay fresh flowers, light incense sticks, and make offerings, often of fake money or paper effigies resembling valuable items, fresh fruit, and buns. In addition to cleaning their ancestors’ tombs, people also fly kites and eat special cold foods during this time.

Tin Hau Festival (天后誕)

Time: 23 April 2022; Various Venues

Tin Hau Festival is celebrated to honour the birthday of the goddess of the sea, especially cherished among fishing villages. Worship ceremonies are held at Tin Hau temples - Hong Kong boasts over 100 temples of varying sizes - to bring communities and clans together. Each temple puts on lively celebrations and festivities, usually including music, lion and dragon dances, and martial arts displays.

The most impressive procession takes place in Yuen Long, in the village of Shap Pat Heung. Another notable Tin Hau Festival takes place in Sai Kung. Cheung Chau, Peng Chau, Lamma, and Tsing Yi islands are also hot spots for this festival due to their strong fishing roots.

Buddha’s Birthday (佛誕)

Time: 8 May 2022; Various venues

Celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth moon in the Lunar calendar, the birthday of Lord Buddha pays respect to the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama who founded Buddhism. The key ceremony is the bathing of small statues of Buddha to honour the belief that, as a baby, Buddha’s body was sprayed with water from nine dragons - this is the reason why this celebration is also known as the ‘Bathing of the Buddha’ Festival.

Buddhist temples and monasteries across the city are bustling with different activities; people usually celebrate by lighting candles and lanterns and making offerings. The prime spots to celebrate this day are Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island where the grand Big Buddha statue sits and Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery at Sha Tin.

Cheung Chau Bun Festival (包山節)

Time: 6-9 May 2022

Venue: Cheung Chau Island

Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a traditional Taoist holiday on the island of Cheung Chau. Held annually, it marks the end of a plague in historical times thanks to the villagers’ prayers at Pak Tai Temple.

The festival activities last four days, however, only on day three there is a boisterous parade; bun towers are built using bamboo that gets enwrapped with steamed buns. A separate tower built using a metal frame with artificial buns is made for the Bun Tower Climbing competition to see who can climb the fastest to the top. On the first two days, and in the morning of the third day, only buns and vegetarian foods are eaten. On the fourth day, there are still a few activities, but they are mostly local community events.

Dragon Boat Festival (龍舟節)

Time: 3 June 2022; Various venues

The Dragon Boat Festival (or Tuen Ng Festival) is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon every year. This holiday highlights the life of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet devoted to the king of the Chu state, who committed suicide via drowning (288 BC).

Upon his devastating death, legend says that townspeople paddled boats in the river to the beat of drums to ward off evil spirits and threw dumplings into the water to scare fish from eating his body. This event paved the way for the exciting dragon boat races we have today. Energetic and colorful Dragon Boat races in Stanley and Aberdeen - teams of paddlers race the long narrow boats accompanied by the beat of the drum - are some of the most remarkable.

Please note that to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many events might be restricted/ postponed/cancelled. Always check official websites before heading to an event.