Sassy Mama’s Guide to Art Central 2015

It’s March in the 852 and you know what that means – Hong Kong’s art scene is coming out to play. Art Central, one of Hong Kong’s newest contemporary art fairs, is putting our local artists and galleries on the map by showcasing homegrown visionnaires alongside some of the movers and shakers around the world. With over 75 galleries involved (such as 1993 Contemporary Shanghai above), there’s actually a number of great family-friendly activities lined up which have us at Sassy Mama absolutely chuffed.

It’s a pretty Central-based affair, meaning it’s pretty easy to navigate with one of their maps, although J. Crew have whipped out their berets for the spring and are sponsoring a separate area called RISE. There’s almost certainly something for every art buff and newbie. Those of you looking to add a little colour to those dreary Hong Kong days will definitely want to head on over to the Cais, Chalk Horse, Mur Nomad and Metro Gallery’s exhibitions (images starting top left clockwise) – all distinctly different, but all packing an evocative rainbow punch.

If you’re a fan of digital art and photography like me, you’ll want to eye up +MAS: ARTE CONTEMPRORANEO, The Fine Art Society Contemporary’s, Zemack Contemporary Art and Visonairs Gallery Paris collections scattered about the town (images starting top left clockwise).

I’m also pretty taken by the looks of the quirky and evocative sculptures by Dillon Gallery on the left (waffle shoes? Too cool) and the heartbreaking porcelain pieces over at Sundaram Tagore Gallery’s collection.

And on top of all that, Art Central’s got their own art projects coming up including vibrant Native American inspired beading pieces by American artist Jeffrey, a fun collaboration with Swarovski and modern Chinese ink painter Lan Zhenghui’s site-specific installation. If neither of those tickle your fancy, just nip on over here to see who else is involved; from the wacky to the super minimal, they’ve got it all.

If you’ve got a little Picasso or Kahlo in the family, there’s a super fun series of kids’ tours run by Art Loop we’d highly recommend. With sessions for both 5-8 year olds and 9-13 year olds, it’s the perfect cultural half hour break your kiddos will love, spent exploring both local and international art with a huge focus on stimulating their imaginations. At the end of the tour, they’ll even get their own little artist’s shirt as a memento of their time with Art Central. And the best thing is that it’s just $100 and you don’t need to be there to supervise, leaving you the opportunity to shoot off to one of the fab free talks to hear the amazing artists in person and learn about the industry from its insiders.

It doesn’t end at the art either, mamas. Art Central’s making sure they’ve not only got some of the best sights to see, but also the best noms to keep you and the fam satisfied. The Continental Restaurant and Bar and its award-winning chef Rowley Leigh will be whipping up a number of inspired European menus that’ll take you from palette to palette, and luckily it’s smack bang in the middle of all the action with its very own art installation by Taylor Kuffner. If you’re wanting a bit of fresh air and hubbub to go with your food, there’s also a Street Food terrace where HK favourites like Classified and Beef & Liberty will be serving up their goods – naturally with a spot of vino to go with the proceedings.

But that’s enough from us, mamas. It’s time to start planning your art crawl.

Tickets are priced at $200 for two adults, if you book before Friday, 13 March. After that, general tickets are priced at $200 for adults, $110 for senior citizens, $50 for full time students and children under 12 go free with a paying adult. Kids art tours are priced at $100 per session. 

Art Central, www.artcentralhongkong.com