https://www.scmp.com/rss/324058/feed Christie Lee covers art and luxury lifestyle in Asia and beyond. She’s eternally interested in the power of the visual, elasticity of the word and peculiarities of human beings. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Halfway through our interview, Sin Wai-kin says they might have played Victoria Sin for the last time in summer 2020. Given that Victoria Sin happens to be the English name of the non-binary artist, who prefers to be referred to by the pronouns “they” and “their”, the statement suggests a deeper transformation and is not merely an actor’s declaration of putting their most beloved role to bed. For someone who performs in drag within speculative fictional worlds, “Victoria Sin” and “Sin Wai-kin”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3157316/how-bts-and-mirror-help-hong-kong-artist-represent-nonbinary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3157316/how-bts-and-mirror-help-hong-kong-artist-represent-nonbinary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 08:15:14 +0000 Stephen Wong Chun-hei’s exhibition “A Grand Tour in Google Earth” was prompted by an intriguing proposition: if an artist travels only virtually and paints what he sees on a screen, does it still count as landscape painting? The Hong Kong artist’s latest solo exhibition at Gallery Exit in Aberdeen is the product both of a lengthy travel moratorium and the ubiquitous convergence of the digital and the real. The 35-year-old, best-known for his large-scale Hong Kong landscapes in brilliant hues,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3140287/are-scenes-drawn-google-earth-landscape-painting-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3140287/are-scenes-drawn-google-earth-landscape-painting-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 07:15:08 +0000 We all need myths, whether as a way to better understand the world and humanity or as comfort in face of grief and anguish. A century ago, the artists of the Surrealist movement, battling the trauma of war, also needed myths. “Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond – Masterpieces from Centre Pompidou”, which opened on May 21 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, expounds on these ideas. The exhibition, which is a highlight of this year‘s French May Arts Festival, is curated by Didier Ottinger, deputy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3135194/surrealism-and-mythology-how-salvador-dali-pablo-picasso-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3135194/surrealism-and-mythology-how-salvador-dali-pablo-picasso-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 May 2021 09:15:11 +0000 Curtains conceal. They invite speculation. They can also be a framing device. In the latest collaboration between Para Site art space and Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, 23 artists have used this malleable and potent symbol in a compelling exhibition spread across Para Site’s North Point location and an exhibition space at Soho House in Sheung Wan. This show has been two years in the making, since Rockbund initiated it in response to the two institutions’ previous co-production, “An Opera for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3134357/curtain-art-exhibition-hong-kong-draws-you-and-explores?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3134357/curtain-art-exhibition-hong-kong-draws-you-and-explores?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 May 2021 03:15:12 +0000 If you are one of those people (like me) who see coding as difficult and purged of any humanity, you might find yourself approaching “Interweaving Poetic Code”, the latest exhibition at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (Chat), with some trepidation. Curated by artist Taeyoon Choi, the exhibition looks at how computer language can weave together textile art, graphics, fashion and interactive displays to explore notions of collaboration and production. At the heart of it is the idea that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3133052/art-heart-computer-coding-goes-show-interweaving-poetic-code?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3133052/art-heart-computer-coding-goes-show-interweaving-poetic-code?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 May 2021 09:15:14 +0000 “You never actually own a Patek Philippe, you merely look after it for the next generation,” goes one of the most famous slogans in the world of luxury watches. But what if the timepiece you’ve been coveting was bequeathed to someone by their grandmother, or if you would like to give an heirloom timepiece to someone who could appreciate it? Pre-owned luxury watch platform WatchBox aims to do just that, and co-founder Justin Reis describes the company as “something-between e-commerce and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3121624/how-pre-owned-luxury-watch-platform-watchbox-blends-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3121624/how-pre-owned-luxury-watch-platform-watchbox-blends-best?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Feb 2021 02:46:22 +0000 Given the long working hours and record-breaking home prices in Hong Kong, it’s no secret that bedrooms often double up as work, study or entertainment spaces. How many times have you scrolled through your Instagram or Twitter account just before bedtime, only to have a work email labelled “urgent” pop up? And when you reach out for your laptop – which you had placed on your bedside table out of habit – you think to yourself: “Ah, I might as well see what other emails I’ve received.” All that,... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116459/no-tv-phones-or-laptops-please-how-designate-your-bedroom-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116459/no-tv-phones-or-laptops-please-how-designate-your-bedroom-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2021 07:15:14 +0000 Hong Kong bathrooms are notoriously tiny. While you can argue that there is only so much one can do to style up the space, there is no better time than now, when we’re spending so much time at home, to rethink your bathroom. When it comes to overall style, simple contours seem to be the rule for smaller bathrooms. Round sinks are classic, but those wanting a more modern look could opt for a rectangular one. An increasing number of city dwellers are also converting their bathtubs into shower... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116455/how-turn-your-bathroom-spa-sanctuary-few-steps-cleverly-concealed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116455/how-turn-your-bathroom-spa-sanctuary-few-steps-cleverly-concealed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2021 04:50:28 +0000 Once overlooked, Hong Kong’s kitchens are getting the attention they deserve through clever use of space and design. It’s no secret that Hongkongers aren’t a cooking bunch. We’re more likely to know the name of a restaurant that opened just last week, than the price of meat and vegetables at the supermarket. In fact, if there was one space in the house that some of the city’s residents are willing to forgo, it is the kitchen. Yet, with Covid-19 forcing us to stay at home, people are rethinking... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116295/covid-19-keeping-us-out-restaurants-its-time-freshen-your-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3116295/covid-19-keeping-us-out-restaurants-its-time-freshen-your-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jan 2021 07:00:17 +0000 For some, time is the hands and numerals on a watch. For others, it is defined by the events in one’s life. Hong Kong gallerist Daphne King-Yao belongs to the latter category. “When I think of time, I think of the passage of time, especially when I think of my life, both work and personal. I think of milestones,” says King-Yao when we meet at her gallery, Alisan Fine Arts. There was 1997, the year of the handover of Hong Kong, and King-Yao’s first year at Alisan Fine Arts. There was 2011, when... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3115017/covid-19-inspired-art-imagines-van-gogh-and-frida-kahlo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3115017/covid-19-inspired-art-imagines-van-gogh-and-frida-kahlo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2020 23:00:23 +0000 Nestled among the dusty antique shops and hip bistros and restaurants on Hollywood Road is Liang Yi Museum, a 20,000-foot gallery that houses a treasure trove of Chinese furniture, European vanity cases, antique silver and Japanese works of art. Founded in 2014, Liang Yi remains the only private museum in Hong Kong. That is thanks to Peter Fung, an ardent Chinese antique collector, and his tenacious daughter Lynn Fung, a former magazine editor who has steered Liang Yi to become the city’s go-to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3043930/why-lynn-fung-love-cartiers-antique-timepieces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3043930/why-lynn-fung-love-cartiers-antique-timepieces?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 18:00:16 +0000 As an art gallery director, it can often feel that your calendar isn’t neatly divided into 12 months, but instead into the spring and autumn “high” seasons, and summer and winter “low” seasons. For Angela Li, one of Hong Kong’s busiest gallery directors, the gap between high and low seasons is even more well defined. How motorsports and luxury watches race in the same lane Not only is her gallery, Contemporary by Angela Li, a regular at fairs like Art Central, Li is also on the board of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3042916/why-gallery-director-angela-li-values-most-precious-moments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3042916/why-gallery-director-angela-li-values-most-precious-moments?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Dec 2019 06:00:07 +0000 Covetable “toys” from artists such as KAWS (artist Brian Donnelly), Yoshimoto Nara and Takashi Murakami continue to command tens of thousands of dollars at auction. In May, Nara’s The Little Pilgrims (Night Walking), a set of five fibreglass, cotton cloth and acrylic figures, sold for HK$10.95 million. A month later, the kaleidoscopic Panda by Murakami went under the hammer for over £1.2 million. And in 2018, KAWS’ Clean Slate, a grey parental figure referencing Mickey Mouse and carrying two... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3025851/kaws-takashi-murakami-why-collectors-are-deadly-serious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3025851/kaws-takashi-murakami-why-collectors-are-deadly-serious?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Sep 2019 02:00:12 +0000 Christie Lee Christie Lee Classical music fans, rejoice – the Hong Kong Cultural Centre is feting its 30th anniversary with Great Music 2019, a series of three concerts paying tribute to local and international artists. Taking place from September until November, the festivities kick off with three concerts by Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Rattle is no stranger to the city, having last visited Hong Kong as outgoing chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2017. The much beloved... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/special-reports/article/3022733/hong-kong-cultural-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/special-reports/article/3022733/hong-kong-cultural-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:51:23 +0000 Visiting L’Ecole is a sensual experience. Upon checking in at reception, you are ushered into a lift that takes you to a multilevel studio, where you can take a class in the art history of jewellery at the former library of the Marquis de Segue, or join a gem-setting or polishing workshop (it’s harder than it looks). The more artistically inclined could experiment with Japanese urushi lacquer or gouache painting. It’s no secret that experiential luxury is on the rise. According to a BCG report,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/3008509/polish-your-knowledge-gems-courses-van-cleef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/3008509/polish-your-knowledge-gems-courses-van-cleef?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2019 02:56:51 +0000 If one was to create a year-end collage of “top art auction highlights”, Banksy’s Girl with Balloon – whoops, Love is in the Bin – will perhaps top the list. Or will it be David Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), sold for more than US$90 million? Closer to home, Zao Wou-Ki’s 33-foot-long Octobre 1985 smashed records at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Yet, away from the few headliners, there is a wealth of art trading between a few hundred thousands to a few million that could perhaps... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2182520/step-aside-banksy-asian-art-and-toys-are-taking-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2182520/step-aside-banksy-asian-art-and-toys-are-taking-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Feb 2019 18:00:45 +0000 One of the biggest challenges of designing a children’s space is to select furniture that is safe yet stimulating enough so the little ones can learn, play and thrive in a welcoming environment. FLEXA Hong Kong offers Scandinavian-inspired stylish kids’ furniture that is free of formaldehyde, solvents and colourants. “All FLEXA’s furniture is TUV Sud-tested to ensure full compliance with European regulations,” said a representative from FLEXA Hong Kong. Scandinavian design and sustainability... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2176898/how-design-perfect-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2176898/how-design-perfect-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 18:00:45 +0000 In concrete-clad Hong Kong, an outdoor residential space has always been a rare and valuable asset, be it a humble corner balcony for enjoying morning coffee or an expansive outdoor patio for entertaining. “People view their outdoor space as an extension of their indoor space; it’s not simply an add-on anymore,” says Britta Butler, architect and founder of B Squared Design. While a blessing, backyards, patios and rooftops in Hong Kong are challenging; they are usually small, and at the mercy of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2175553/how-outdoor-furniture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2175553/how-outdoor-furniture?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2018 04:00:30 +0000 Art may still be a luxury, but it is no longer just for the uber-rich, thanks to a rising number of international fairs and festivals that cater to low- and mid-range collectors. Consider the Affordable Art Fair (next Hong Kong edition in May 2019), where one can easily snap up a quality painting or ink drawing for under HK$5,000 (US$640). Art Central in Hong Kong, a waterfront art affair, while offering works in higher price brackets, also caters to low- to mid-range buyers. The guy who made... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2175551/choosing-art-home-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/presented/topics/home-essentials/article/2175551/choosing-art-home-about?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2018 02:00:45 +0000 “I’m definitely a techno-optimist,” Yana Peel abruptly says. “I’m just incredibly excited about the opportunities that will require us to think in new ways. I’m excited about the possibility of machines and humans across different industries.” A jarring statement from an art gallery CEO, but an apt one coming from Yana Peel, a well-noted champion of technology and debate. Aside from her full-time duties at Serpentine Galleries, Peel still heads up Intelligence Squared, Outset Contemporary Art... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2136568/hong-kong-based-yana-peel-plans-deeper-engagement-between-londons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2136568/hong-kong-based-yana-peel-plans-deeper-engagement-between-londons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 09:00:53 +0000 Imagine bidding on a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci via a tap of your fingertips while lying in bed. A decade ago, this scenario would have sounded crazy to a lot of people, but there are plenty of tech companies keen to make it happen. The art market is famously resistant to change, but even established art businesses are feeling the force of new technologies. High rents in art market centres are one reason, as mid-range galleries are increasingly interested in selling online. There is also... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2136514/artificial-intelligence-blockchain-and-e-commerce-how-tech-disrupting-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2136514/artificial-intelligence-blockchain-and-e-commerce-how-tech-disrupting-art?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 23:01:16 +0000 Gardens may seem like an unattainable luxury in this age of megacities. Yet urban planners and governments are keen to create greener cities, meaning that landscape architecture – a long overlooked discipline – is increasingly sought after. “Unlike architects who build buildings, what I’m building is forever growing,” says Randle Siddeley, a prominent British landscape architect who has designed for commercial, residential and public spaces. Most recently, Siddeley has been hired by Swire... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/2111745/garden-smart-glimpse-work-landscape-architect-randle-siddeley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/2111745/garden-smart-glimpse-work-landscape-architect-randle-siddeley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2017 04:00:30 +0000 It hosted the very first Academy Awards in 1929. Shirley Temple tap-danced on its ornate tile stairway, and a married Clark Gable had his clandestine weekend dalliances with Clare Lombard between its sheets. Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift were one-time inhabitants. But by 1989, over six decades after it was built, the once-happening Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was running a US$38 million debt. Then, in 1995, Goodwin Gaw came along. He looked at the crinkled furniture, worn walls and chipped... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2098161/how-tycoon-goodwin-gaw-revived-fortunes-iconic-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2098161/how-tycoon-goodwin-gaw-revived-fortunes-iconic-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 11:30:30 +0000 It’s no secret that, for the last two decades, Hong Kong has been undergoing somewhat of an identity crisis, one that has filtered down to the very essence of our neighbourhoods. While older districts such as Wanchai and Sham Shui Po are still generally chock-a-block with personality, with their cluttered array of boutiques and diverse demographic, many of the so-called new towns, built for function over form, are still considered “second-rate.” That’s according to Bernard Lim, founder of local... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2072621/heres-how-retain-little-personality-hong-kongs-concrete-jungle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2072621/heres-how-retain-little-personality-hong-kongs-concrete-jungle?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Feb 2017 07:45:30 +0000