Embrace your inner culture vulture with a visit to one of the many art exhibitions happening in Asia this month
'Coastal Fantasia: The Lobster King’s Vacation in Macao', Macao
Soak up great art and colourful Lobster installations in Macao
Giant, eye-popping lobster installations have appeared in five locations around Macao.
British pop art master Philip Colbert is the creator of this colourful exhibition, which features massive sculptures of his renowned Lobster cartoon character.
The outdoor event is sponsored by Sands China with support from Macau government and it’s hoped it will promote tourism of Macao's coastline as well as boosting the cultural experience of locals and visitors to Macao.
“This exhibition’s installations showcase both the classic and new look of Colbert’s Lobster to highlight the importance of preserving the ocean and ecological environment,” said Wilfred Wong, vice chairman of Sands China, at the event launch earlier this month.
Colbert is renowned globally both for Lobster and for his hyper-pop history paintings, a fusion of old masters, contemporary art and everyday symbols of mass culture. He has held more than 50 solo exhibitions around the world over the last decade including in China, Japan and Korea and for Art Macao 2023. Last year he held a public exhibition of his Lobster sculptures for the Paris Olympics.
“I’m so excited to be back in Macao,” he said. “Macao is a city I’ve been inspired by from the first time I came here. I really believe that Lobster will feel right at home in the city - and it’s excited that we’re going to unveil three permanent sculptures in the city. May Lobster’s dream live on in Macao forever!”
The installations and themed sculptures are showcased at five different locations across the city, including Macao Science Centre waterfront, ART Space at Macao Cultural Centre, The Venetian Macau outdoor lagoon and the two Sands China revitalisation areas, the former lec Long Firecracker Factory and Taipa Houses.
Coastal Fantasia: The Lobster King’s Vacation in Macao; various locations in Macao; until February 15.
'Cezanne and Renoir Looking at the World - Masterpieces from the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay', Hong Kong
The exhibition includes interpretive pieces by Hong Kong artist Lai Kwan-ting
Two Parisian art museums have loaned 52 Impressionist masterpieces to Hong Kong Museum of Art for an exhibition celebrating the works of Paul Cezanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
'Cezanne and Renoir Looking at the World - Masterpieces from the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay' is sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and runs until May 7 showcasing these two giants of the nineteenth century Impressionist movement.
The Musee de l’Orangerie has loaned its entire collection of Renoir and Cezanne paintings, alongside those from sister academy, the Musee d’Orsay. This represents the first time the Hong Kong Museum of Art has exhibited French Impressionist paintings in almost 20 years.
The exhibition also includes works by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso to demonstrate how the painters influenced future geneartions of painters and two Hong Kong artists have also been invited to exhibit alongside the masters. Trevor Yeung and Lai Kwan-ting were asked to draw inspiration from Renoir and Cezanne to create new pieces. Yeung explores the idea of gaze associated with the depiction of nudity in ‘Garden Cruising: Bathers and Watchers’ and Lai Kwan-ting’s ‘Everyday Whispers’ reinterprets the Impressionist styles through the lens of contemporary Chinese ink painting.
An interactive element of the exhibition includes an ‘education corner’ that mimics a French railway platform where visitors can ‘board’ a time-travel train and watch the world of Cezanne and Renoir flash past the railcarriage windows.
Cezanne and Renoir Looking at the World - Masterpieces from the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; until May 7.
Rotating Art Exhibition by Bill Bensley, Bangkok
Artist and architect Bill Bensley is the creative force behind many hotels around the world
More great art in Asia can be enjoyed courtesy of architect, designer and artist Bill Bensley, who is exhibiting at Bangkok’s Four Seasons Hotel until April.
The hotel’s Art Space by MOCA Bangkok will be hosting three Bensley exhibitions including the artist’s latest collections inspired by travels across 11 countries. The event aims to support environmental conservation and education programmes in Cambodia and Laos through the Shinta Mani Foundation.
The first exhibition, ‘New Paintings by Bill Bensley’, runs from now until January 30 and showcases landscapes and cultures encountered on his recent travels. Proceeds will be donated towards education for deaf children in Luang Prabang and underprivileged young adults in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
‘The Ring of Fire’ runs from the end of January until February 27 and focuses on Bensley’s fascination with fire, lightning and volcanos. He took inspiration from natural gas fires in Uzbekistan and active volcanos in Japan, Mongolia, Korea and Indonesia. Donations from this event will be made towards clean water, toilets, housing and milk for infants amongst underprivileged families in Siem Reap.
And ‘Call of the Cardamoms’ takes over from late February to April 20, an exhibition celebrating the work of artists who highlight the endangered animals of the Cardamom rainforest in Cambodia, Southeast Asia’s last 'green lung'. All proceeds will be used to preserve, protect and conserve the rainforest.
“I’m absolutely thrilled about my upcoming rotating art exhibition at MOCA Art Space at Four Seasons Bangkok,” said Bensley. “This is more than just an opportunity to display my work, it’s a chance to tell stories, provoke thought and share the incredible energy and cultural richness of my travels and the characters I have met through art. Each piece reflects a chapter of my journey, and the beauty I see in the world around me. What makes this exhibition truly special is its dynamic nature, it’s ever-changing, evolving with new themes and ideas to keep it fresh and inspiring for every visitor.”
Rotating Art Exhibition by Bill Bensley; MOCA Art Space, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok; until April 20.
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