https://www.scmp.com/rss/23/feed Find all the latest movie and music reviews, listings, celebrity news and interviews en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kyodo Kyodo On a crisp morning in Seoul’s Yongsan district, visitors wait in line outside the National Museum of Korea, a cultural institution that has recently changed from a traditional repository of ancient relics into a lively space for daily activities. Attracting a record 6.5 million visitors last year – more than a fourfold increase from 2005, the year it relocated to its current site – the museum ranks among the world’s most-visited art and history institutions, alongside the Louvre, the Vatican... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348791/how-seouls-national-museum-korea-pulling-record-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348791/how-seouls-national-museum-korea-pulling-record-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung It has only been a few days since the end of Hong Kong’s art week, but the city is already steaming ahead for another action-packed weekend. This Easter holiday, the relentless rhythm shifts from gallery walls to the sprung floors of a dance studio, a Thai holiday festival and yet another convention with anime classics and musical performances in the spotlight. Here are five things to do in Hong Kong this weekend. 1. Easter in Artful Bloom at The Repulse Bay This weekend marks the beginning of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3348872/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-3-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3348872/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-3-5?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 03:00:41 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak In today’s climate of political unrest, how does the art world navigate instability across regions? For its inaugural show, Gold by Serakai Studio – a new art space in Hong Kong’s Wong Chuk Hang – has chosen to lean into the unpredictability. To its curators, uncertainty is not something to be avoided but to be embraced and created through experimentation and deviations from the norm. The exhibition’s tongue-in-cheek title, “Certainly”, is inspired by American artist-composer La Monte Young’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348099/gold-serakai-studios-new-exhibition-certainly-leans-todays-unpredictability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348099/gold-serakai-studios-new-exhibition-certainly-leans-todays-unpredictability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls You have to admire long-standing ensembles that still retain the spirit and sound that their original founders intended. The acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) began its first Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) concert on Saturday, March 28, fittingly enough, with something quintessentially British: Edward Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra. Positioned further back on stage than most groups appearing at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, the ASMF projected breezy wafts... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 dpa dpa “It was spooky and I died 10,000 deaths,” says musician Carolin Widmann, recalling a flight from Helsinki to Leipzig with a shudder. At the airport in the Finnish capital, on reaching the Lufthansa check-in counter, she was told she could not take her 244-year-old violin, including its case and bows, onto the plane as hand luggage. So she unpacked the valuable instrument, made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1782, and wound up cradling it on her lap like a baby during the whole flight. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3348382/when-eu2-million-244-year-old-violin-flew-her-lap-spooky-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3348382/when-eu2-million-244-year-old-violin-flew-her-lap-spooky-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Seoul was swept up in a frenzy in the third week of March as BTS performed their comeback concert. But a smaller, yet also significant cultural moment was happening just a few streets away from the stage at Gwanghwamun Square. “Spectrosynthesis Seoul”, an exhibition of 74 artists and artist groups, opened on March 20 at Art Sonje Centre. Dedicated to exploring LGBTQ themes and celebrating queer artists, it is the first large-scale exhibition of its kind in South Korea. Patrick Sun, the Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348084/south-koreas-first-major-lgbtq-art-exhibition-lets-queer-artists-have-their-voices-heard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348084/south-koreas-first-major-lgbtq-art-exhibition-lets-queer-artists-have-their-voices-heard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:06:18 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu Last week, a friend and I chatted about our children’s favourite art pieces after happening upon an auction house’s exhibition in a building in the heart of Hong Kong’s business district. We both recalled stopping to look at Yayoi Kusama’s Mount Fuji prints. “I pass by the space twice every day,” my friend said. She told me that my son’s pick – a piece by Sam Francis – was a new installation, replacing what had been a display of handbags. How often do we pause to notice art, or enjoy life in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348095/hong-kong-can-draw-art-marchs-success-keeping-it-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348095/hong-kong-can-draw-art-marchs-success-keeping-it-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:30:11 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The last time Eric Idle’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail spoof musical Spamalot landed at a major Los Angeles venue a decade ago, he played the show’s tweedy historian, who sets the scene for the Arthurian legend with a seriousness entirely unfit for the absurdist romp to follow. It was a perfect role for the Monty Python’s Flying Circus alum, to whom dry humour comes as naturally as breathing. But when Spamalot made its long-awaited return to LA on March 24 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347852/monty-pythons-eric-idle-82-spamalot-return-losing-friends-and-love-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347852/monty-pythons-eric-idle-82-spamalot-return-losing-friends-and-love-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu It has been a whirlwind week in Hong Kong – a city, which in the past few days, has been the host of Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Central, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards and much more. For those seeking a more intimate or curated experience away from the major landmarks and large crowds, Hong Kong has many alternative activities, from exclusive guest bartenders to independent pop-up exhibitions and local fitness clubs. Here are five things to do in Hong Kong if you are looking for intimate,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348066/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-27-29?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348066/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-27-29?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:50:07 +0000 Fionnuala McHugh Fionnuala McHugh Sir Alistair Spalding, artistic director and co-CEO of Sadler’s Wells in London, is not a man blighted by pessimism or narrow vision. When he was appointed in 2004, Sadler’s Wells – “stranded and unloved”, as one of the London newspapers put it – was considered a theatre that merely hosted visiting companies. Spalding decided it should become its own creative force. He invited in five associate artists, one of whom was Wayne McGregor, now Sir Wayne McGregor, a name familiar to Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347787/sir-alistair-spalding-turning-london-wasteland-cultural-destination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347787/sir-alistair-spalding-turning-london-wasteland-cultural-destination?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu The United Arab Emirates’ reputation as a sanctuary in the Middle East for international business is now facing a great challenge as it catches the splashback of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States. With Iran targeting the UAE’s economic arteries, including the Dubai International Airport and the vital oil facility in Fujairah City, the collateral damage is now spreading to the Emirates’ cultural landscape. Some wonder if the situation will affect the regional arts... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347805/iran-war-rages-will-uae-remain-safe-haven-arts-expert-thinks-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347805/iran-war-rages-will-uae-remain-safe-haven-arts-expert-thinks-so?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Years before the rise of Instagram, Banksy figured out that the key to real influence lay not in being famous, but in anonymity. The mystery of his identity has long been part of the value of his art, which, whether stencilled on public walls or self-shredded on the auction block, has defied authority across continents for decades. Now, Banksy’s apparent unmasking by Reuters has generated talk about whether the works themselves retain their cultural and financial value. It also raises the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347825/banksys-identity-may-have-been-revealed-does-mean-magic-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347825/banksys-identity-may-have-been-revealed-does-mean-magic-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Kevin Kwong Kevin Kwong The Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre production of Red Wedding Bed is based on Chen San and Wu Niang, a love story that originated during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The production is based on one of the oldest surviving vernacular (Teochew) opera scripts, dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Chen San, a scholar from Quanzhou in Fujian province, travels to Chaozhou in Guangdong and meets the beautiful Huang Wu Niang at a Lantern Festival fair, and it is love at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347698/brilliant-chinese-opera-troupes-retelling-ancient-love-story-has-surprise-ending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347698/brilliant-chinese-opera-troupes-retelling-ancient-love-story-has-surprise-ending?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Ken Smith Ken Smith Since its first Hong Kong appearance in 2017 with the Asian premiere of The Makropulos Case, the National Theatre Brno has twice been awarded festival of the year for its Janacek Brno Festival at the International Opera Awards in 2018 and 2025, and best new production for The Excursions of Mr Broucek in 2025. The thread connecting these distinctions is the modernist Leos Janacek (1854-1928), who spent most of his life in Brno, in the Czech Republic, and whose often-bracing music the company... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347662/hong-kong-performance-tchaikovskys-eugene-onegin-subtle-yet-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347662/hong-kong-performance-tchaikovskys-eugene-onegin-subtle-yet-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:15:13 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Neon signs on a Mong Kok street, “ding ding” trams sounding their bells, milk tea at traditional cha chaan teng cafes – images such as these are what usually come to mind when one thinks of Hong Kong culture. During this year’s Hong Kong art week, indie collective N+ Museum are confronting how the city is increasingly caricatured by nostalgic tropes in “Hong Kong Nostalgia-Bait”, an exhibition that asks: what gets left when memory is treated as a commodity and turned into visual souvenirs? The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347658/what-hong-kongs-n-museum-and-why-it-calling-out-cringe-nostalgia-trend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347658/what-hong-kongs-n-museum-and-why-it-calling-out-cringe-nostalgia-trend?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Folklore and fantasy can tell us a lot about reality. A highlight of Hong Kong’s art week, Hart Haus is hosting two new exhibitions by queer female artists who use escapist themes to offer their grounded reflections on modern society. On the third floor exhibition space at 12P Smithfield Road in Kennedy Town, Florence Lee Yuk-ki’s exhibition “Double Blue: An Altered Fairy Tale of Hong Kong (I)” is divided into “sky” and “sea” chapters. It is not a traditional happily ever after but a loose... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347133/sexual-fantasy-fan-fiction-fairy-tales-hong-kong-queer-artists-challenge-norms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347133/sexual-fantasy-fan-fiction-fairy-tales-hong-kong-queer-artists-challenge-norms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:15:09 +0000 Enid Tsui,Ashlyn Chak Enid Tsui,Ashlyn Chak This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. With a surge of new venues and a relentless calendar of openings, navigating Hong Kong’s 2026 art week requires strategy. Here is our carefully curated shortlist. On the main stage Art Basel Hong Kong Art Basel Hong Kong remains the anchor of the season, with 240 exhibitors taking part. This year, two sectors have been added: “Echoes”, showing works made in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347339/definitive-scmp-guide-navigating-hong-kong-art-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347339/definitive-scmp-guide-navigating-hong-kong-art-week?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 03:15:08 +0000 Anna Lentchner Anna Lentchner The earliest works by 37-year-old Hong Kong artist Chan Wai-lap were meticulous, hand-drawn remnants of a bygone era – written school reports, dot matrix computer printouts and bottles of correction fluid. By immortalising these symbols of an analogue age, Chan tapped into his home city’s deep sense of nostalgia and innocence lost, and captured an aesthetic that has been quietly receding from the city’s social fabric. While these early works established Chan’s eye for detail, his ever-expanding... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347320/hong-kong-artist-inspired-swimming-pools-invites-you-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347320/hong-kong-artist-inspired-swimming-pools-invites-you-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 23:15:14 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This weekend, Hong Kong will transform into a sprawling playground for all kinds of enthusiasts. Whether your idea of a perfect day involves pop culture expos, street art exploration, sonic healing or attempting to eat your own weight in pani puri, there is something for everyone. Read on to find out more. 1. ComplexCon ComplexCon returns to AsiaWorld-Expo this weekend, once again transforming the venue into a giant hotbed of streetwear, music and art. Led by Ka-sing Lung, the Hong Kong-born... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347238/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-20-22?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347238/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-20-22?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 03:22:35 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang The Greater Bay Area offers a varied cultural calendar this spring, from headline concerts by pop stars and rock bands to recitals by celebrated pianists and a French musical. Read on to find out what exciting things are coming up in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau over the next two months. Late March 1. Jane Zhang concert tour (Guangzhou) Known as the “Dolphin Princess” for her signature whistle register, Sichuan-born singer Jane Zhang is bringing her world tour to Guangzhou. Zhang’s list of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347094/nicholas-tse-exo-among-top-music-and-art-events-coming-shenzhen-macau-and-guangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347094/nicholas-tse-exo-among-top-music-and-art-events-coming-shenzhen-macau-and-guangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:15:08 +0000 Joyce Yip Joyce Yip Architect Charles Lai Chun-wai still had not finished his pork chop rice – a signature dish at For Kee in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood – when product designer Kay Chan Wan-ki lifted his melamine plate to read the inscription at the bottom. She shrieked when she saw the words she had been desperately seeking: “Made in Hong Kong”. Melamine tableware was a hallmark of cha chaan tengs – Hong Kong-style cafes like For Kee – in the 1970s, sought after for its ceramic-like appearance, low cost,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3346969/hong-kongs-cha-chaan-teng-history-designs-and-legacy-celebrated-new-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3346969/hong-kongs-cha-chaan-teng-history-designs-and-legacy-celebrated-new-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Details of the Shenzhen museum being built by Pony Ma Huateng, co-founder and CEO of internet giant Tencent Holdings, were unveiled on March 17 after months of speculation. In a public letter, Pi Li, the former head of art at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun, revealed that he is the founding director and first employee of Rong Museum of Art, a cultural institution with around 4,500 square metres (48,400 sq ft) in total floor area that will open in 2027. The name Rong refers to the Chinese character for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346881/tencents-pony-ma-open-museum-shenzhen-led-tai-kwuns-former-head-art-pi-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346881/tencents-pony-ma-open-museum-shenzhen-led-tai-kwuns-former-head-art-pi-li?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:35:32 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu If he had to pick one word, Jean-Claude Van Damme says he would describe his oil paintings as “simple”. The star of Bloodsport (1988) had swaggered into his art exhibition 40 minutes late, clad in full black, including the sunglasses he wore indoors. At 65 years old, the “Muscles from Brussels” still has a similar physique to the one at the height of his martial arts acting fame, though his hair is sparser and his gait less brazen. A long-time admirer of Sylvester Stallone, the Belgian-born... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346726/jean-claude-van-damme-talks-art-hong-kong-filmmakers-and-good-friend-vladimir-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346726/jean-claude-van-damme-talks-art-hong-kong-filmmakers-and-good-friend-vladimir-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US and Israeli strikes on Iran have damaged at least four cultural and historical sites, including palaces and an ancient mosque, raising alarms about the impact of the widening war on protected landmarks that are important to Iranian identity and world history. The speed and extent of the damage have so concerned Iran and Lebanon that they sent a request to the United Nations’ cultural agency, Unesco, to add more sites to its enhanced protection list. Unesco confirmed that it has verified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3346738/damage-irans-historical-sites-raises-alarm-about-impact-war-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3346738/damage-irans-historical-sites-raises-alarm-about-impact-war-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui With his peroxide blond hair, dark moustache and luxuriant eyebrows, London-born curator and writer James Taylor-Foster is easy to pick out among the tourists and selfie-takers in the courtyard of Yick Cheong Building, also known as the “Monster Building”, in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay neighbourhood. The South China Morning Post is meeting the 33-year-old here shortly after the board of the Hong Kong non-profit art space Para Site chose him to be its next executive director. That space, a few... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346461/james-taylor-foster-para-sites-wild-card-director-beautiful-paradox-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346461/james-taylor-foster-para-sites-wild-card-director-beautiful-paradox-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:01:28 +0000 Karen Cheung Karen Cheung What happens when the author of a bestselling memoir about working as a courier in mainland China, and a Hong Kong videographer who moonlights as a food delivery rider, meet? They do not immediately launch into a philosophical discussion about art and labour. Instead, they compare different vehicles’ battery lifespans, the daily distances they travel, and the risk of traffic accidents on the job. “It’s very common in [mainland] China,” Hu Anyan says. “And especially so with food delivery,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346516/one-wrote-bestselling-book-about-being-courier-other-made-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346516/one-wrote-bestselling-book-about-being-courier-other-made-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 23:15:12 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu In the densely populated metropolis of Hong Kong, with its relentless pace and vertical architecture, the concept of community can often get lost in it all. But Hongkongers are always creating new ways to offer a sense of collective belonging while providing much-needed respite from the daily grind. Even seemingly contrasting and irreconcilable activities can somehow be merged into a unique and multipurpose event in Hong Kong. Here are five things to do this weekend in Hong Kong. 1. Tea Rave A... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3346373/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-13-15?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3346373/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-13-15?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 02:58:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Whether it is news “straight from the horse’s mouth”, the futility of “leading a horse to water” or the perils of “looking a gift horse in its mouth”, the English language is trotting with equine idioms. For the South China Morning Post’s resident political cartoonist Harry Harrison, these well-worn phrases provide the perfect stable of inspiration for his latest collection of cheeky illustrations for the Year of the Horse. This set of eight original watercolour and ink works will be up for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346347/scmp-political-cartoonist-harry-harrisons-new-year-horse-collection-be-auctioned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346347/scmp-political-cartoonist-harry-harrisons-new-year-horse-collection-be-auctioned?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Housing in Hong Kong is expensive and, according to various international surveys, the city ranked among the world’s most unaffordable places to live in 2025. Despite this, property agencies remain prolific, especially in Hong Kong’s more affluent districts, and their shop windows are always covered with posters of new tower blocks set against beautiful, computer-generated backdrops. However, the local property market has not always been like this, as a new, unusual exhibition shows. “Memories... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346171/affordable-hong-kong-homes-look-past-colourful-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346171/affordable-hong-kong-homes-look-past-colourful-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls Ending the week with a requiem and a mass may sound like an overload of gravitas. Yet for their Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) concert on March 6, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Constellation Choir and Orchestra (CCO) gave Mozart’s two sacred works a buoyancy and transparency that was more uplifting than anything else. This was the Hong Kong debut of Gardiner’s new ensemble, founded in 2024 after an unfortunate incident that led to his departure from the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, which he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346057/sir-john-eliot-gardiners-cco-plays-sumptuous-mozart-hong-kong-arts-festival-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346057/sir-john-eliot-gardiners-cco-plays-sumptuous-mozart-hong-kong-arts-festival-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai Hard on the heels of the opening show La Belle Otero, the Hong Kong Arts Festival brought us another dance work inspired by an artist with a tumultuous life: Caravaggio. This was a work of stunning beauty and power, with Mauro Bigonzetti’s magnificent choreography performed by a cast of outstanding dancers led by the legendary Roberto Bolle. Among the greatest of Italian painters, Caravaggio (1571-1610) was notorious for his dissolute and violent lifestyle. He often found himself in trouble with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346050/caravaggio-ballet-performance-hong-kong-work-stunning-beauty-and-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346050/caravaggio-ballet-performance-hong-kong-work-stunning-beauty-and-power?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:32:07 +0000 Cheung Hok-hang Cheung Hok-hang Huizhou is a city in mainland China’s southern Guangdong province just 90 minutes from Hong Kong on the high-speed rail that offers budget-friendly stays and activities like leisurely strolls around its West Lake’s Lingnan-style pavilions. But venture out of the city and you can discover how the wider Huizhou region is quietly transforming into a “scenic sweat” destination for those seeking physical activities among picturesque surroundings infused with culture. An hour’s drive northwest leads... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345983/5-top-china-instagram-spots-huizhous-highway-218-blend-nature-and-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345983/5-top-china-instagram-spots-huizhous-highway-218-blend-nature-and-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In his book on reinventing opera, director Yuval Sharon describes Tristan und Isolde as “the single hardest work in the traditional repertoire to stage”. Yet here he is, about to make his Metropolitan Opera debut at the helm of a new production of Richard Wagner’s epic love story. “It’s something I wrote before I got the job, and it’s part of why I took the job,” says Sharon, author of 2024’s A New Philosophy of Opera. “Because I knew it was the hardest, and I love impossible challenges.” Peter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345958/tristan-und-isolde-tough-opera-stage-director-yuval-sharon-did-it-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345958/tristan-und-isolde-tough-opera-stage-director-yuval-sharon-did-it-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui “I feel they are about to reclaim this space,” says the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Hernan Diaz as he pauses along Battery Path in Hong Kong’s central business district to look at the tentacles of banyan trees gripping the walls like an intimate scaffolding. In the eyes of the New York-based writer, the contrast between lush vegetation and glass-and-steel monoliths illuminates the fragility of man-made symbols of power. “It is not entirely clear who is trespassing on whom.” Diaz is on a walk... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345713/pulitzer-prize-winner-hernan-diaz-power-narratives-and-beautiful-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345713/pulitzer-prize-winner-hernan-diaz-power-narratives-and-beautiful-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service It is a Wednesday afternoon in West Hollywood, California, one day after the city was blanketed in a light coating of rain. The midday sun has only just begun to peek through the overcast sky. Its beams are slightly more vivid through the large windows of The West Hollywood Edition hotel. Jamie Hewlett sits at a wooden table, stirring a cappuccino with a black straw. “I mean, who drinks out of a straw when you get past the age of 10, right?” he says, jokingly. After 25 years of bouncing around... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345662/why-gorillazs-new-album-mountain-optimistic-album-about-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345662/why-gorillazs-new-album-mountain-optimistic-album-about-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 20:15:07 +0000 Lauren James Lauren James Wit and warmth abounded in the Stella Cole Quartet’s run of four performances at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre. A baker’s dozen of jazz standards and classic film favourites delivered over an hour proved an ideal format – well paced and polished, without a moment of slack. Meanwhile, the retro stylings of the bijoux Tea House Theatre mirrored Cole’s profile as a performer: an old soul in youthful form. She sashayed into view in a midnight-blue satin gown, with cherry-red lips and white stiletto heels... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Just because the Chinese New Year festivities have wrapped up does not mean Hong Kong’s social calendar is taking a breather. From free entry for one of the city’s most popular museums to an International Women’s Day wellness social and a coffee and music festival, the first full weekend of March is packed with a diverse mix of events. Here are five things to do this weekend. 1. Asia Coffee Music Fest This weekend, Hong Kong will host its first Asia Coffee Music Fest at Kai Tak Sports Park,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345582/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-6-8-festival-fitness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345582/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-march-6-8-festival-fitness?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:49:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A painting that was once rejected as a work by Rembrandt van Rijn has now been acknowledged as a work by the Dutch master, thanks to two years of scrutiny in the city where the then 27-year-old artist painted it in 1633, a museum announced on Monday. The Netherlands’ national art and history museum, the Rijksmuseum, unveiled the work, Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, and said painstaking analysis, including hi-tech scans, has confirmed it was painted by Rembrandt after he moved to the Dutch... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345494/rembrandt-painting-rejected-not-him-1960-now-confirmed-dutch-masters-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345494/rembrandt-painting-rejected-not-him-1960-now-confirmed-dutch-masters-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Sebastian Kaiser’s stage adaptation of Liu Yichang’s The Drunkard is as chaotic and electrifying as an exhilarating night out. This two-and-a-half-hour commission for the Hong Kong Arts Festival stays true to the 1962 novel’s rebellious spirit while freely adapting the stream-of-consciousness ramblings of a struggling writer drinking himself into oblivion. Among the many liberties taken is the splitting of the unnamed protagonist into two parts, played by actress Sze Wei and actor Yeung... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345231/sebastian-kaisers-drunkard-adaptation-chaotic-timely-and-fiercely-alive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345231/sebastian-kaisers-drunkard-adaptation-chaotic-timely-and-fiercely-alive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:15:07 +0000 Paul French Paul French You could be forgiven for thinking that the UK has gone samurai mad of late. Director Michihito Fujii’s Last Samurai Standing remains high up the Netflix UK chart, Penguin Books is enjoying a massive bestseller in Shotaro Ikenami’s multi-volume The Samurai Detectives, and the FX miniseries retelling of James Clavell’s Shogun (originally a 1975 novel) was a surprise hit and won various awards. The samurai-inspired Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the fastest-selling video game in Britain in 2025,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345076/gripping-london-samurai-exhibition-explores-japans-warrior-class-and-cuts-through-myths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3345076/gripping-london-samurai-exhibition-explores-japans-warrior-class-and-cuts-through-myths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Chloe Loung,Enid Tsui Chloe Loung,Enid Tsui If the last two years were about saying “we are back”, this year’s Hong Kong “art week” has a more exploratory vibe, as a wave of new initiatives brings fresh ways to appreciate art and design. Here is a list of the bold first-timers creating a buzz on the fringes of Art Basel Hong Kong, the city’s flagship art fair that starts on March 25. 1. Central Yards Edible Art Fair This is where art is a full-sensory experience. Hong Kong’s first Central Yards Edible Art Fair will occupy a 20,000 sq ft... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344867/6-new-fairs-galleries-and-pop-ups-making-hong-kong-art-week-bigger-and-bolder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344867/6-new-fairs-galleries-and-pop-ups-making-hong-kong-art-week-bigger-and-bolder?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 03:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung What happens when two artists fall in love? Here is an unlikely answer: a nugget is born, and a tubby one at that. The Adventures of Tubby Nugget: Escape from Nuggetville, a newly released graphic novel, is the result of a collaboration between illustrator Joshua Jackson and author Jenine Pastores. The pair met in 2015 when the then filmmakers were assigned to work on a short film called Heartsick. Today, they are still creating things together – only now, their canvas has shifted from screen to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345117/how-tubby-nugget-went-silly-doodle-viral-sensation-10-million-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345117/how-tubby-nugget-went-silly-doodle-viral-sensation-10-million-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai This year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival opened with La Bella Otero, a full-length narrative work from Spain’s leading dance company, Ballet Nacional de España. La Bella Otero offers a lively, entertaining showcase of Spanish dance – always popular in Hong Kong, as the rapturous reception from the audience showed – and Noelia Ruiz did an excellent job of conveying star quality, high energy and sexual allure in the title role. On the downside, choreographer Ruben Olmo and dramaturge Gregor Acuña-Pohl... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345134/la-bella-otero-led-wild-life-ballet-hong-kong-tries-tell-her-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345134/la-bella-otero-led-wild-life-ballet-hong-kong-tries-tell-her-story?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Aaina Bhargava Aaina Bhargava The Gulf is teeming with contemporary art. While high-profile arrivals like February’s Art Basel Qatar and the upcoming Frieze Abu Dhabi grab the spotlight, neighbouring Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale – closing on May 2 – has quietly matured into an established, home-grown platform now in its third edition. The biennale in Diriyah, just outside Riyadh, is the result of Vision 2030, a major strategic pivot launched in 2016 by the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345097/saudi-arabias-diriyah-contemporary-art-biennale-2026-shows-kingdoms-cultural-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345097/saudi-arabias-diriyah-contemporary-art-biennale-2026-shows-kingdoms-cultural-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:26:12 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Once a vital crossroads of the Silk Road, the historic oasis of Dunhuang remains a crown jewel of Gansu province in northwest China. It is home to the Mogao Caves, a Unesco-listed complex representing over a millennium of Buddhist devotion, from the Northern Liang to the Yuan dynasties. Generations of Dunhuangologists have poured over the cultural secrets woven into the elaborate murals inside the 492 preserved caves, including depictions of 4,500 musical instruments and 500 ensembles that are a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344692/hong-kong-group-brings-ancient-silk-road-murals-musical-depictions-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344692/hong-kong-group-brings-ancient-silk-road-murals-musical-depictions-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu We humans seem hard-wired to find a strange, sweet comfort in the world of nostalgia. This collective longing has found a digital home in “nostalgia-posting”, where sepia-toned snapshots from the mid-20th century fill our social media feeds. But a more complex chapter is being written as AI enters the fray, blurring the line between memory and machine. What happens to history when technology begins to curate nostalgia? Black-and-white photography often feels as though it is from a different... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344824/how-ai-helping-bring-hong-kong-history-life-instagram-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344824/how-ai-helping-bring-hong-kong-history-life-instagram-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu With Chinese New Year winding down this week, a new chapter begins as we turn the page into March. From the magic of the Lantern Festival to the start of a busy spring calendar, here are five things to do in Hong Kong this weekend. 1. ‘Stay Connected’ at Tai Kwun Hong Kong’s art world is gearing up for its plethora of annual events in March, including the Hong Kong Arts Festival and Art Basel. To whet your appetite, the second instalment of Tai Kwun’s acclaimed Stay Connected series kicks off on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344802/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-february-27-march-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344802/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-february-27-march-1?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 02:50:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press He is known as the French Banksy – or simply JR. Now the artist, popular across France for his large-scale projects ranging from photographs to graffiti and street art, wants Parisians to do something unusual on the city’s arguably most famous bridge: stop. In June, he plans to transform the bustling Pont Neuf, which dates back to the 17th century, into a walk-through “cave”. The temporary, monumental public artwork will cover the stone arches with a rocky illusion and invite visitors to cross... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3344412/how-french-banksy-jr-plans-turn-famous-paris-bridge-massive-cave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3344412/how-french-banksy-jr-plans-turn-famous-paris-bridge-massive-cave?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Billed as a maverick hybrid of Cantonese opera and contemporary political satire, Trump on Show returned to the stage on February 22 with up-to-date references that included the US Supreme Court’s ruling against US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs just days prior. The fourth version of the show, first created by feng shui master Edward Li Kui-ming in 2019, opened on the sixth day of the Year of the Horse and sold out quickly as a holiday blockbuster. It brings on board comedy actress... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344471/trump-abducted-aliens-and-has-chinese-twin-chaotic-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344471/trump-abducted-aliens-and-has-chinese-twin-chaotic-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:15:07 +0000 Fionnuala McHugh Fionnuala McHugh It is seven years since Indian author Amitav Ghosh last published a novel. For many readers, he is a fiction writer best known for The Glass Palace (2000) and his Ibis trilogy comprising Sea of Poppies (2008), River of Smoke (2011) and Flood of Fire (2015). These are set against historically accurate moments during the British Empire, but are works of imagination. Like his readers, he says he thinks of himself as “primarily a novelist”. In more recent years, however, he has focused on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3343994/indian-author-amitav-ghosh-publishes-first-novel-7-years-why-so-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3343994/indian-author-amitav-ghosh-publishes-first-novel-7-years-why-so-long?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:15:07 +0000