Jeff Koons rocks, the mall is booming, and superheroes abound on M+

Forget Bubbles: Is Jeff Koons a Swiftie?

Jeff Koons is making a splash in Hong Kong this week with an exhibition of his first works at the Art Intelligence Global space in Wong Chuk Hang (until April 26). Called Jeff Koons: 1979-1999the show includes its title porcelain sculpture Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988), a high-kitsch representation of the late Thriller the pop star and her favorite chimpanzee. The work is making its debut on these shores, Koons said Prestige magazine: “I think this is the first time that Michael Jackson and Bubbles will come to China, so it’s exciting,” he said. The art world prankster always seems to have his finger on the pulse; so is he considering creating a tribute to 2024’s biggest name, namely pop princess Taylor Swift? “I love contemporary culture. I have a 13-year-old daughter and we went to one of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts,” he says. “It was awesome; he is an amazing performer with an incredible work ethic and conveys many very strong values ​​to people”, he told us. Jeff, shake it.

Flower power takes root in the middle

Spring has sprung in Hong Kong’s Central district, thanks to French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet, who has transformed the walkways and entrances of the landmark luxury shopping mall with eye-catching floral arrangements. Teaming up with French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, Navet has taken over the public space with its nature-based settings, presenting floral canvases designed to lift the spirits of Hongkongers. (“I thought it might be too much, but it made me feel like I’m really blooming,” said one city resident.) An online video shows Navet sketching flowers of all shapes and sizes, with a certain nod to Matisse, who was apparently inspired by it. Through the “vibrant sparkle” of the jeweler’s Frivole pieces, made of curved heart-shaped petals. “Visitors passing through the landmark will step into the artist’s open sketchbook, finding themselves in the midst of a bucolic stroll,” reads a statement. Fans of Navet’s floral reproductions can also take home their own souvenirs, as Van Cleef & Arpels will be handing out coffee and flowers from dedicated Navet-created carts dotted around the Landmark.

Caped Crusaders

The buzziest party so far this week was at the M+ museum, which held its famous opening party for Hong Kong Art Week, charting the city’s great and good art scene. Guests overflowed the doors, eager to see the exhibits Madame Song and try the rhythms. The highlight of the night was a performance by The Tetorapotz, a five-piece band featuring artist Izumi Kato, who were greeted by a crowd of fans wearing custom-made masks and capes. “The live show on M+ was produced by CHAT [Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile]”, Kato tells us. “The leather mask worn by The Tetorapotz is a symbolic element. For this show, CHAT created a unique cape for them. Then they created 60 masks and capes, one of each for the participating audience.’ Costumed attendees roared as Frog King Kwok took the stage alongside Snatch singer – real name Noriko Sunayama – who delivered some memorable jokes. Snatch drove the crowd wild as the audience sipped champagne without removing their revealing headwear and capes.

Wong Ping’s potty talk

For an eschatological journey, head to Kiang Malingue Gallery for Hong Kong-born artist Wong Ping’s latest show (until May 4). The title of the show, the whisper of the anus, sets the tone as twisty filmmaker Wong takes the viewer on a ride that explores new and twisted depths. In the show, the whisper of the anus, “Wong is seen talking to a stranger in bed before going to work; The newly discovered experience of superficial auditory hallucinations evokes an irreconcilable relationship with an unknown other,” reads a gallery statement. Confused? The information is even more opaque: “Intertwined with Wong’s story is Georges Bataille’s first surrealist text. Sun Anus (1931), parodied again and again and freely in the film that confuses the two senses… the anus is considered a mouth that emits whispers, and words, in turn, become harsh things. But boom noises aren’t the only focus of the show. Ear gunk also appears through the three-channel video installation Crushed earwax (2022) and blah blah blah (2022). This last piece “uses ear wax cast into a copper ear sculpture to produce a parachute [auditory hallucinations] sounds reminiscent of church bells,” the statement adds. Toilet humor is, after all, funny.

Are you a lonely feline?

Hong Kong artist Wong Ka Ying is exhibiting mega-kitsch works that could kill with kindness at Square Street Gallery (Plastic love, until May 5). Wong’s universe is filled with cuddly kittens, adorable heart-melting toys, and wide-eyed pups that put a spring in your step and joy in your heart. But there is a darker and more melancholic underside to the beloved cats and bears, which are often seen on the posters adorning cheap eateries and restaurants. As Wong told us, the show is “based on my sadness [linked to] pets treated as objects, and cruelly bred for pure pedigree, and shiny toys won from microgaming [activities] In a city where people have endless hours and lots of money, where humans project their love onto temporary fetishized objects. It’s about loneliness in Hong Kong after 2019, when there was no hope, when shops closed, relationships quickly deteriorated and my cat passed away.” Meanwhile, the exhibition includes a claw machine full of beautiful toys that bring such happiness. “HK$5 “You can try to win a soft cat sculpture for ,” Wong added, on a cheerful note.

The wind blows

Peninsula Hotel Art in Resonance During Hong Kong Art Week, the program makes a successful return, starting with new commissions from Lachlan Turczan and Kingsley Ng. The sculpture of the latter Esmeralda— a few pieces of jade green fabric criss-crossing from one window to the other — sits atop the hotel’s famous facade, turning Kowloon’s heads. Ng says the floating piece is inspired by Italo Calvino’s famous 1972 novel Invisible Cities, featuring a city called Esmeralda. “Labyrinth design [of Esmeralda], depicted as a zigzag of routes that go up and down stairs, bridges and streets, may be a metaphor for Hong Kong’s urban complexity,” he explained. But this is no ordinary piece of public art; it required feats of engineering to control the fabric in high winds. “There’s a Chinese saying that every minute on stage takes ten years of hard work, so every project takes a lot of time and effort,” added Ng. “Most importantly, it takes a collaborative community to see all aspects and move the project forward.” “In town” was Prime Consulting Engineers, which helped Kingsley build the piece.