If you have recently visited K11 MUSEA, you will find art everywhere! In fact, these are all part of the Art Karnival event held to celebrate Hong Kong’s annual Art Month, including exhibitions by the K11 Art Foundation and the French Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau, art installations by various artists, and the release of new art books. How can art lovers miss this? Now, let’s explore a series of highlights, visit the following locations to appreciate various artworks and take photos!
//”Fantasia in Ink: George Matthew Retrospective Exhibition”//
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Georges Mathieu’s birth. The K11 Art Foundation, in collaboration with the French Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau, presents “Ink Fantasies: Georges Mathieu Retrospective Exhibition,” showcasing significant works created by Georges Mathieu from the 1950s to the 1990s on loan from private collectors.
George Mathieu, known as the “father of lyrical abstraction,” was not only a painter but also a philosopher. As a key figure in the post-war Paris “informal art” movement, he challenged geometric abstraction and integrated the spirit of Eastern calligraphy into Western abstract painting language. In the late 1940s, Mathieu curated exhibitions connecting European lyrical abstraction and New York abstract expressionist artists, initiating cross-cultural dialogue. He began painting in public in the 1950s, sparking the art of improvisation in the 1960s.
In this retrospective exhibition, you can appreciate George Mathieu’s early works emphasizing calligraphic brushstrokes and painting speed, as well as his “cosmic style” series from 1984 until the late stages of his career. The exhibition also features a six-meter-wide canvas specially created for the 1978 retrospective exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, which is a highlight not to be missed.
Date: May 19 to July 4 Location: K11 MUSEA 6th floor K11 Art & Cultural Centre 605
// Isa Genzken Art Installation “Rose II” //
Contemporary artist Isa Genzken’s largest art installation in Asia, “Rose II,” is a giant 8.5-meter tall rose with a long stem, displayed on the waterfront promenade overlooking both sides of Victoria Harbour, resembling a flower emerging from the sea. “Rose II” was first exhibited in New York in 2010, created using steel, aluminum, and lacquer, combining unconventional size, exaggerated proportions, and unnatural materials to blend with the city’s skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, aiming to offer the rose to the community, with its bright red petals symbolizing vitality and passion.
Date: June 2, 2021 to November 21, 2021
Location: K11 MUSEA Waterfront Promenade
//「Rose’s Allure」趣味藝術裝置//
Next to the giant rose art installation “Rose II,” you will see a giant, whimsical sculpture stone. Just as you lean in to see what it is, you discover a hidden secret beneath the sculpture’s nostrils. Inspired by ancient Greek artifacts, this nose sculpture actually contains fresh roses that you can pick and experience a sense of humor and surprise.
Scan the QR code on the rose petals to instantly use the “Rosy Petals” Instagram filter and capture a magical moment without end.
Date and Time: May 20 to June 27, 2021
Location: Visual Corridor, Basement, K11 MUSEA
//Japanese artist Kato Izumi bronze sculpture “Untitled”//
Japanese artist Izumi Kato’s artistic creation exists in the interplay between reality and illusion, resembling a journey into one’s own human consciousness. “Untitled” is a set of three bronze sculptures that evolved from the stone series that began in 2016. In his work, Kato preserves the original shape of the stones through bronze casting, with partially hand-painted bronze blocks, marking the artist’s exploration of form and material. Each sculpture is like a stacked humanoid monument, with eyes wide open, standing here, depicting a distant future and hiding a mysterious past.
//New book release “City As Studio”//
In addition to exhibitions and installation art, the K11 Art Foundation also brings the new book “City As Studio” led by legendary art curator Jeffrey Deitch, which includes a rich history of graffiti and street art, and is published in both Chinese and English. The content includes anecdotes and interviews of street art representatives such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, KAWS, FUTURA, JR, Timothy Curtis, and others, providing a sneak peek of the upcoming “City As Studio” exhibition next year!
Date: From May 19th
Location: Shop 605, 6th floor, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, K11 MUSEA
//Xu Zhen’s art installation “In Just a Moment”//
Contemporary Chinese art pioneer Xu Zhen’s work “In Just a Blink of an Eye” has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, and Art Basel in Switzerland. Participants are required to maintain a falling posture in an invisible manner for several hours, creating a temporary state of stillness in time and space.
In addition to experiencing the tension of time and space, the work also reveals people’s uncertainty about their own survival state, as well as challenging people’s perception of visible things, bringing reflection.
Date: May 18 to 23
Location: 6th floor Sculpture Park, K11 MUSEA
Photo: K11 MUSEA
