Art Week on a budget: 8 must-see free events in Hong Kong

From Tai Kwun to M+, Gagosian and more, here’s a round-up of venues hosting admission-free exhibitions, home-grown talent and retrospectives

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M+ is among the venues hosting events in conjunction with Art Basel Hong Kong. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 12:00pm, 25 Mar 2026Updated: 3:39pm, 25 Mar 2026

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 is the pièce de résistance of Art Month, but beyond the annual international art fair, myriad free events around town contribute to making March the month to celebrate creativity.

Collect Hong Kong Art Fair 2026

Hong Kong Arts Centre, until March 29

Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and held across the Pao Galleries, The Showcase and Jockey Club Atrium venues at the centre, the Collect Hong Kong Art Fair is a platform to showcase up-and-coming local artists, Hong Kong Art School students, alumni and staff across multiple media – from painting and sculpture to digital and installation art. The aim is to support emerging talent and deepen public appreciation of Hong Kong art.

Tai Kwun Art Week

Tai Kwun, until March 29

Organised in collaboration with Art Basel Hong Kong, Tai Kwun Art Week features a programme of exhibitions and live performances. In addition, the art galleries in the complex will operate extended opening hours during this period. Some events are ticketed, but the “Stay Connected: Art and China since 2008” exhibition (which runs March 23-28) is free to enter and shows the impact of globalisation and China’s rapid economic growth over the decades through more than 70 works of art from 40 artists.

Zao Wou-Ki: Infinite Dialogues

PhillipsX, until March 29

An untitled work by Zao Wou-Ki. Photo: Handout

PhillipsX, the retail exhibition arm of auction house Phillips, will be displaying works by Chinese artist Zao Wou-Ki. Zao was born in Beijing in 1920 and moved to Paris, France, in 1948. Before he died at age 92, in 2013, Zao saw demand for his artwork reach six-figure prices at auction. In Paris, Zao had a wide circle of friends that included the French painter Pierre Soulages and US artist Norman Bluhm, and his works are seen as an artistic connection between the East and West, with style references to Chinese landscape paintings and post-war abstract styles from Europe. The “Zao Wou-Ki: Infinite Dialogues” exhibition will showcase works from a career that lasted over 60 years.

3 to 12 Nautical Miles

M+, until June 21

A compelling animation made from hand-painted images that was co-commissioned by M+ museum and Art Basel, 3 to 12 Nautical Miles is now showing on the M+ facade every night until June 21. Created by Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander, 3 to 12 Nautical Miles traces the historic links between the British East India Company, Mughal India and China during the Qing dynasty. Backed by research into China trade art done at the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Sikander paints a picture of the global economy during the imperial era that was based on shifting power and coercive strategies.

Aside from the nightly screenings of the main animation, Sikander’s earlier animated work will be screened at the M+ Cinema from March 24–29. In addition, Sikander will host a lecture on March 26, from 5 to 6pm.

Persephone by Mary Weatherford

Gagosian, until May 2

“Persephone” is Mary Weatherford’s first solo exhibition in Asia. Photo: Handout

The Gagosian gallery is hosting American artist Mary Weatherford’s first solo exhibition in Asia. According to Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of the Greek god Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. She was kidnapped by Hades, the underworld god, to become his wife. Eventually, after intervention from Zeus, Persephone was able to divide her time between her family and Hades, and would spend four months of the year in the underworld. During those months the real world would experience a barren season when nothing grew, but each time Persephone returned all would revive and flourish again.

Weatherford’s exhibition interprets Persephone’s story and her impact on the changing of the seasons through works created with vinyl emulsion paint on linen. Some of the pieces are complemented by materials such as neon tubes, seashells and coral.

Distance by Koji Onaka

Blue Lotus Gallery, until April 12

Aomori Natsudomari by Koji Onaka. Photo: Handout

Japanese photographer Koji Onaka exhibits in Hong Kong for the first time at Blue Lotus Gallery, with a collection that includes works from Onaka’s key series, created over more than 40 years. Onaka is known for his personal snapshot-style photography and his preference for handprinting his photographs. The photographer leans on his intuition to capture a shot, resulting in pictures that showcase ordinary landscapes with a thoughtful, intimate perspective. The exhibition’s title, “Distance”, refers to one of the series featuring black and white photographs taken in the 1980s of scenes from Japan’s town outskirts, small harbours and factories. The exhibition includes works from Onaka’s other series such as Tin Roof & Chimney, which focuses on rural towns and old architecture, while Memories of Younger Days in Shinjuku captures scenes taken in the vibrant Tokyo district between 1982 and 1994.