Long before the compounds that make up modern pharmaceuticals were discovered and isolated, cultures around the world relied on the healing powers of herbs. They have long played a vital role in traditional Chinese medicine, and their curative properties are still under study. Herbs and herbal medicine also provide a creative foundation for local artist So Wing-po.

The fifth edition of Asia Society Hong Kong’s “Contemporary Chinese Female Artist” series features the works by Hoo Mojong. The retrospective: “Objects of Play” includes more than a hundred items, among them paintings, prints, drawings and archival materials.

The origins of the Middle Eastern zither known as the qanun lie far back in the past, in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. The instrument, which has 78 strings, can be played either solo or as part of an ensemble. Turkish musician, Ahmet Baran is a qanun virtuoso. He started learning music at eight and soon developed a passion for the qanun. He began playing with orchestras in his teens and was designated Turkey’s “Youngest Soloist Qanun Player of Symphony Orchestras”. Still, he continued to develop his technique and take on an even wider range of music. He gave his first concert in Hong Kong at the end of last month. While he was here, he came to the studio with Kerim Sercan Evcin, the Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Hong Kong, to talk to us.

Few artists have gone through as many changes in style as Pablo Picasso. Despite the frequent transformations in his work, he once said, “Variation does not mean evolution”. At M+ in West Kowloon, you can currently see, on loan from Musée National Picasso-Paris more than 60 of the master’s works that trace those changes.

On March 21st, the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) held the grand opening ceremony of the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion and the Harold and Christina Lee Gallery. The ceremony also marked the opening of the inaugural exhibition, “Transcending Transience: Art and Culture of Late-Ming Jiangnan”.

The upcoming concert by the chamber choral ensemble NOEMA is inspired by the Japanese word “komorebi” which means “sunlight leaking through trees”. This poetic idea that describes the beauty of nature and the simple things is the theme of the concert which includes the world premiere of new work by a local composer, the Hong Kong premiere of a new work by a British composer, and a selection of French chansons. The artistic director and conductor of the ensemble, Sanders Lau is here to tell us more.

The Works presents the latest art's happening in Hong Kong to our audience.

The theme of this year’s week-long Hong Kong International Literary Festival which opened at the beginning of this month was “Into the Future: Stories for Tomorrow”.
The festival included 68 events, featuring writers creating in a wide range of genres. We talked to one of them, the international bestseller, author and novelist, Alka Joshi.

Right now at The Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile “Lining Revealed – A Journey Through Folk Wisdom and Contemporary Vision” is a group exhibition of works by 14 artists from across Asia that highlights traditional crafts, folk art, and contemporary creations.

The four-member experimental rock group Virgin Vacation got together in 2018. Their music incorporates post rock, math rock, Krautrock, free jazz, electronica and improvisation. Last year, six years after the band was formed, they released their debut album, “Dapple Patterns”. They finished an Asian tour just last month and they’re with us right now.

In part two of this week’s show, it’s time for a “Bedroom Party”, and in case you’re wondering what on earth we’re talking about, we’re introducing Lilong and Tommy. They named the band they formed five years ago “Bedroom Party” because they’d both started making music in their own bedrooms.

One of the sounds that some insomniacs play in their bedrooms to lull them into sleep is the sound of the ocean. One ongoing art project in Hong Kong focuses on the ocean and the sea, and how myths, legends, livelihood, and history connected with the sea have affected different Asian cultures.

Now in its eighth edition since its launch in 2001, the “Hong Kong International Poster Triennial” is currently on show at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
The theme this year is “Multiverse”.

The 17th March is Saint Patrick’s Day, which commemorates the death of Ireland’s foremost patron saint. It’s celebrated, officially or unofficially, everywhere Irish people have emigrated. On the show later, we’ll be discovering more about what’s happening in Hong Kong to celebrate Celtic heritage and culture. The colour green invariably plays a large part in events related to Ireland and St Patrick’s Day but before we hear more about that, we’re taking a look at the “green fingers” of a Hong Kong father and daughter duo who are maintaining the ancient art of Lingnan penjing, also known as Cantonese penjing. Like bonsai, it’s the art of using plants and other natural materials to create miniature representations of nature, and it dates back to at least the 15th century.

Alisan Fine Arts is currently presenting in its Aberdeen art space the debut Hong Kong exhibition by artist and scholar Xie Xiaoze. Xie is fascinated by books, and his works over the past three decades have included paintings, installations, photographs and videos that explore the relationships between knowledge, history and power.

Today, books and other print publications are mostly printed by computerised typesetting or offset printing. For a long time though, two different and traditional printing methods dominated: movable type and lithography. At one time there were 200 print shops in Central and Sheung Wan alone, and more than 1,500 across Hong Kong, mostly run as very small or even one-man enterprises.

Alicja Kwade uses everyday objects and natural materials in her sculptures and public installations to explore reality and the subjectivity of time and space.
Among the works on show in her solo institutional exhibition in Hong Kong, this site-specific installation “Waiting Pavilions” was commissioned by Tai Kwun to be shown in the Prison Yard. It reflects the passage of time in the setting of a former prison. The exhibition, “Pretopia” includes nine works laid out in a sculptural environment in Tai Kwun’s F Hall.

Alex Woods is a saxophonist, composer and arranger from the United Kingdom. He came to Hong Kong in the summer of 2017 to design a youth music programme for over 5,000 students. Having toured in Europe and performed in venues and festivals in Brazil, USA, Asia and Russia, since 2023 Woods has based himself in Hong Kong.

For those familiar with local art and artists, the paintings of Chu Hing-wah, depicting Hong Kong’s everyday life and community are easily recognised and highly relatable. The Works has featured Chu and his works several times, and this week we have a special reason for doing so: this year he celebrates his 90th birthday, and an exhibition is currently marking the occasion.

On show at Soluna Fine Art, “Re:Connect” is a group exhibition that acts as a retrospective of the gallery’s exhibitions over the last seven years, reflecting its multicultural aesthetics, and its roots in South Korea. It includes the works of eight artists who have previously exhibited here as well as pieces by two ceramic artists shown in the gallery for the first time.

Formed in 2021 in Lamma, the all-female group The Sirens plays a variety of music, from traditional folk to modern classics. The members say they want their harmonies to evoke a sense of mystery and a moody atmosphere, reminiscent of their mythological namesakes that lured sailors during their long sea voyages. The Sirens are with us right now.

We have a doctor in the house later, or rather in the studio, but don’t worry, no one here is going through a medical emergency. Ryan Cheung is not only a doctor but also a singer-songwriter. He took a six-month sabbatical to pursue his love for music. He’ll be here to tell us more about his journey. Like Ryan, Packy Lai also decided to move away from her everyday job, which was in marketing, to spend time on the art that interested her. Unlike Ryan she decided to make the move permanent, and to turn her hobby, calligraphy, into her profession.

At the Hong Kong Palace Museum, around 150 treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Palace of Versailles in France have been on show together in one exhibition for the first time. The exhibition highlights the cultural encounters between China and France in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Objects on show include royal portraits, porcelains, glassware, enamelware, textiles, books and scientific instruments.

According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, this is the Year of the Wood Snake. In Chinese literature and mythology, the snake is an ambiguous symbol. On the one hand, it’s associated with darkness, deceit, maliciousness and fear. On the other, it’s thought of as a little dragon, symbolising good luck, rebirth, wisdom and agility. To celebrate the new year, the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden is currently presenting an exhibition and educational programme to provide visitors with everything they might want to know about snakes.

On show at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery “Cosmology”, features Chiyu Uemae's works completed between the 1950s and the 2000s. The centrepiece, "Untitled", highlights his ability to transform humble and everyday objects into the abstract. It also echoes the group’s 1956 manifesto: “Gutai Art imparts life to matter; the human spirit and matter shake hands with each other while keeping their distance.”

Last April, pianist Niu Niu and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jaap van Zweden, released a live recording of Tchaikovsky’s much-loved Piano Concerto No. 1 and his Symphony No. 6. Niu Niu returned to Hong Kong last week to complete the piano concerto, cycle, performing Tchaikovsky’s Second and Third piano concertos.
He also came back to our studio to tell us more about the concert and his other plans for 2025.