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Six new members, aged 18 to 28, have been appointed to director positions at prestigious cultural institutions in Australia. Photo: Louise Kennerley
World of performing arts

6 young artists are reshaping Australia’s iconic cultural institutions

Six diverse artists, including Dylan Goh and Vivian Pham, have been appointed to director positions at Australia’s top cultural institutions.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

7 of the best arts stories of 2025, including a new Labubu-style soft toy

What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, December 26-28

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Chinese culture

How the horse paintings of Xu Beihong have galloped through history

Known as the father of modern Chinese art and famed for his horse paintings, Xu Beihong blended Western techniques with Chinese tradition.

The Three Stallions, by Xu Beihong. The piece is just one example of the many horse paintings that Xu was known for.
The Three Stallions, by Xu Beihong. The piece is just one example of the many horse paintings that Xu was known for.
World of performing arts

Meet the Korean viral ‘dancing conductor’ who says he’s not actually dancing

Some conductors are visibly moved by the music, but Korean maestro Baek Yoon-hak takes that concept a step or two further.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Drones meet dancers in Hong Kong performance of Lucie in the Sky

The Australasian Dance Collective’s show is an imaginative combination of technology and dance but the choreography is disappointing.

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Architecture and design

Hong Kong’s AI-driven future and human past contrasted in 2 riveting projects

Sterile AI-driven designs at the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture are at odds with a group’s efforts to preserve community stories.

Visitors view a display at the 2025 Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture exhibition at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. Photo: eKCC
Visitors view a display at the 2025 Hong Kong Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture exhibition at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. Photo: eKCC
Art

Hong Kong’s Sigg Prize shared for first time in the award’s history

Animator Wong Ping and ceramicist Heidi Lau share the Sigg Prize 2025, a contemporary art prize awarded by Hong Kong’s M+ museum.

Art

Big 3 auction houses report uptick in 2025 sales, but Asia still lagging

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips report combined projected total revenue of US$14.1 billion for 2025 as the US leads the way.

Art

Artist Hung Fai brings both control and chaos to Hong Kong exhibition

‘A Veiled Revelation’ sees Hung Fai disrupt his previous, more calculated style to reveal a chaotic vulnerability in his newer works.

Artist Hung Fai stands in front of his work Traces XI (2025) at “A Veiled Revelation”, his new exhibition at Grotto Fine Art in Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong. The solo exhibition is a disruption of his usual control in his work. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Art

Want to watch Tolkien illustrator John Howe as he works? Now you can

At Howe’s ‘Tower of Fantasy’ studio in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, visitors can watch him as he creates and view hundreds of his illustrations.

Illustrator John Howe poses at La Tour du Fantastique (“The Tower of Fantasy”), a new museum in Neuchâtel, western Switzerland, on December 9, 2025. The 68-year-old is famed for his interpretation of Tolkien’s literary work, which ultimately saw him serve as a concept artist on movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Photo: AFP
Illustrator John Howe poses at La Tour du Fantastique (“The Tower of Fantasy”), a new museum in Neuchâtel, western Switzerland, on December 9, 2025. The 68-year-old is famed for his interpretation of Tolkien’s literary work, which ultimately saw him serve as a concept artist on movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Photo: AFP
Art

Hong Kong selects 2 artists to represent the city at 2026 Venice Biennale

The pairing of Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui for Hong Kong’s exhibition at the 2026 Venice Biennale presents a study in contrasts.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Lucrezia Drei dazzles in Musica Viva’s Lucia di Lammermoor in Hong Kong

Despite amazing vocals, the opera by Gaetano Donizetti needs more space than offered by Hong Kong City Hall’s Concert Hall to truly shine.

Music

Hong Kong classical concert to pay tribute to fallen Tai Po firefighter

Proceeds from the December 22 show, featuring some of Hong Kong’s biggest classical musicians, will go to the family of Ho Wai-ho.

The Cong Quartet are one of the big names who will perform at “Salute to the Brave, Soothing the Soul”, a charity concert co-organised by HK Phil’s first associate concertmaster Leung Kin-fung to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the Tai Po fire.
Art

Labubu’s growth from books to viral doll craze shown in Hong Kong exhibition

A touring exhibition celebrating Lung Ka-sing’s The Monsters, which birthed the popular Labubu, has come to Hong Kong.

Part of the “Interactive Zone” which is part of the MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN exhibition at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre
Part of the “Interactive Zone” which is part of the MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN exhibition at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre
Books and literature

Hidden histories of China revealed at rare book fair in Hong Kong

At Firsts Hong Kong, several rare book exhibits gave visitors the chance to peruse first-hand accounts of China’s complex past.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Lang Lang and Tarmo Peltokoski pack a punch alongside HK Phil

HK Phil’s music director designate expertly controlled an embellished orchestra as the Chinese piano star enchanted in a night of huge sound.

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Art

New Shanghai art exhibitions tackle revolution and climate change head-on.

The Rockbund Art Museum’s ‘The Great Camouflage’ and the 15th Shanghai Biennale offer compelling and refreshing perspectives.

Installation view of “The Great Camouflage” exhibition at the Rockbund Art Museum, in Shanghai, China. The exhibition is a powerful exploration of anti-colonial thought that looks at the meaning of revolution not only as mass uprisings, but also as “the quiet persistence of reflection, grief and meaning-making”. Photo: Ling
Installation view of “The Great Camouflage” exhibition at the Rockbund Art Museum, in Shanghai, China. The exhibition is a powerful exploration of anti-colonial thought that looks at the meaning of revolution not only as mass uprisings, but also as “the quiet persistence of reflection, grief and meaning-making”. Photo: Ling
Art

Famous horse-related works of art as the Year of the Horse 2026 approaches

To celebrate the nearing Year of the Fire Horse, we look at paintings, books and plays that show how the use of horses in art has evolved.

What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, December 12-14

Watch Hong Kong Ballet’s The Nutcracker, head to a beach beer festival, donate and shop at a festive thrifting event and more this weekend.

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Art

‘Transformative’ collection of Hong Kong art donated to Vancouver gallery

An anonymous donation of 131 artworks to the Vancouver Art Gallery elevates the international profile of Hong Kong art.

“Radial Perspectives” (2023), Howie Tsui. This work by the Canadian-Chinese artist is part of the Art Continuum Hong Kong Collection at the Vancouver Art Gallery (Photo: Vancouver Art Gallery)
Asia travel

New arts venues in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, including the ‘Airpod building’

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Square and Aranya Art Centre Guangzhou show the Greater Bay Area’s ongoing efforts to become a cultural destination.

Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened in November 2025, the latest public cultural landmark to open in the Greater Bay Area (Photo: Zhu Yumeng; Courtesy of MAD Architecture Studio)
Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened in November 2025, the latest public cultural landmark to open in the Greater Bay Area (Photo: Zhu Yumeng; Courtesy of MAD Architecture Studio)
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Chopin Competition winner Eric Lu thrills in Hong Kong recital

The Chinese-American pianist’s all-Chopin recital, part of the HKU Muse Piano Laureate Series, was powerful, intense and emotional.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Why it’s mission complete for Hong Kong chamber music festival founder

Premiere Performances boss Andrea Fessler opens up ahead of the 18th and final Beare’s Premiere Music Festival.

Art

Singaporean buyer of US$69 million Beeple NFT opens art and technology space

Vignesh Sundaresan explains the aim behind Padimai Art & Tech Studio, which opens with a virtual reality work by artist Olafur Eliasson.

Singapore-based blockchain entrepreneur Vignesh Sundaresan (right), also known as Metakovan, has opened a new experimental art and technology space, Padimai Art & Tech Studio, in Singapore, whose first commission is a virtual reality work by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson (left). Photo: Yanina Isla
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