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Art

Art
News and insight on trends in fine art, art auctions and leading artists
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Bird song was a signature feature of Mong Kok's Wan Loy Teahouse, seen here in 1987. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: 50 years of Hong Kong’s yum cha teahouse tradition

Five decades of Hong Kong’s beloved yum cha tradition – steamy dim sum, generational bonds and teahouse charm captured by the South China Morning Post.

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Morning mist hangs over the tea plantation at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, in the New Territories. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong’s 1,000-year-old tea heritage is being rediscovered and rehabilitated

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Stephen Yan with fans in Toronto in 2024. Photo: courtesy Retrokid

Wok with Yan’s return: Hong Kong-Canadian TV chef Stephen Yan reunites with fans decades after disappearing

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The living room of Harry Sun's Central flat, designed by Dominic Cheung of Crimson Company. Photo: Elizabeth Au of HHM Studio (hhm-studio.com)

Can a Hong Kong flat blend modernity with vintage charm?

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Rice is steamed at high heat in preparation for fermentation, at the Pagoda Brand Winery, Shaoxing, China. Photo: Gavin Yeung

Will Dongqu redefine Shaoxing wine’s place in haute cuisine?

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Tai On Coffee and Tea Shop, in Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei district, has harnessed the power of social media to attract young diners. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng cafes thrive globally as Gen-Z embraces nostalgic dining

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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Italian Carabinieri officers pose with three artworks recovered following a police operation, in an image released on Friday. Photo: Italian Carabinieri via AP
Crime

Italian police recover stolen Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse art worth millions

The three pieces were taken from a private museum earlier this year, in a nighttime heist that took less than three minutes.

Icons and Influencers

How classical dancer Patricia Zhou stopped chasing perfection – interview

Get to Know

Meet Laura Harrier’s controversial art dealer boyfriend, Helly Nahmad

Trending in China

‘Astonishing’: well-preserved ancient China rock art owes survival to childbirth blood

New study finds Huashan rock art formations were made using a mix of lime, red clay and blood.

China's ancient rock art, dating back 2,000 years, has endured the test of time thanks to the protective properties of post-partum blood, surviving extreme heat and powerful typhoons. Photo: Wikipedia
European travel

3 million mosaic pieces later, why artist Sung Tieu wants Germany to ‘wake up’

The Vietnam-born, Berlin-based artist explains how her transformation of the 2026 German pavilion at Venice reflects immigrant experiences.

What to do in Hong Kong

A factory. An estate. Why illustrator depicts these ‘beautiful’ Hong Kong spots

John Ho shows what he thinks is Hong Kong’s true cultural identity by painting the buildings and streets that form the fabric of daily life.

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What to do in Hong Kong

Thai artist’s shifting maze in Hong Kong reflects the choices we make in life

The moving walls at Wit Pimkanchanapong’s kinetic maze at Projct represent the unpredictable paths our lives take.

A visitor navigates Thai artist Wim Pimkanchanapong’s “Infinite Maze 189” at Projct in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Art de vivre? Why the French are such a cultural force in Hong Kong

A potent mix of diplomacy, luxury commerce and cross-cultural collaborations explains France’s outsized presence in Hong Kong’s arts scene.

Hong Kong society

From meteorites to Monet: Shenzhen’s new museums draw Hongkongers beyond dining

Museum-goers say Shenzhen’s new cultural venues offer exhibitions and scale hard to find in Hong Kong.

What to do in Hong Kong

We join artist Shigeo Otake on his first real Hong Kong visit. It is different

Otake takes in Mong Kok’s streets and forages for cordyceps in Tai Po as his solo Hong Kong debut exhibition runs at White Cube.

Shigeo Otake visits Tung Choi Street in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok area to do some sketching and get inspiration for future projects. The Japanese artist is currently having his solo debut Hong Kong exhibition at White Cube in Central. Photo: May Tse
Style Edit

Style Edit: Graff’s new butterflies celebrate art, artists and divine inspiration

12 new designs blend art and mythology, showcasing diamonds with vibrant gems inspired by deities and cultural icons.

The making of Graff’s Tamara Butterfly brooch. Photo: Handout
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Hong Kong artist channels Leslie Cheung film Farewell My Concubine for live show

Berlin-based Isaac Chong Wai’s all-male Hong Kong show An Intimate Surrender draws on the 1993 gender-fluid romance to explore vulnerability.

High Jewellery

Yellow gold is reclaiming its throne in modern jewellery design

Top jewellers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Bulgari are redefining this classic metal, blending modern luxury with investment appeal.

Good Schools Guide

Hong Kong schools harness art to boost students’ creativity and confidence

Creative programmes are transforming school education, giving students immersive art experiences and a deeper connection to the community.

Sha Tin Junior School in Hong Kong created a dramatic dragon costume as part of a community embroidery project. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong culture

Obituary | How scholar Ackbar Abbas changed the way people thought about Hong Kong

Abbas, whose concepts such as ‘déjà disparu’ are still used to explain how Hong Kong feels from the inside, died on July 13 at the age of 84.

Ackbar Abbas (right) and his third wife, Liu Sola (left), at their home in Beijing. Abbas, a scholar who profoundly influenced Hong Kong arts and academia with his work, has died aged 84. Photo: Chang Yung-ho
Style Edit

Style Edit: Regent Hong Kong dishes out Hong Kong cinema at the harbour’s edge

The Lobby Lounge’s lobster wonton noodles, char siu egg rice and French toast are homages to memorable scenes in Hong Kong films.

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong Palace Museum partners with Uzbek cultural centre for future projects

Signing ceremony also marks first reciprocal visit by Central Asian cultural institution since city leader led delegation to region in June.

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Hong Kong

Can Hong Kong ‘mega’ arts event HKPAX 2026 meet targets in tough times?

Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo’s co-director Anne Chan talks about slashed entry fees and fresh acts ahead of October’s HK$40 million event.

Colombian dance company Sankofa Danzafro will bring their piece “The City of Others” to Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun heritage arts centre as part of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo 2026. The expo’s new co-director, Anne Chan, explains how it aims to attract visitors, including international delegates, and achieve the same success as the inaugural biennale event in 2024. Photo: Instagram/sankofadanzafro
Jewellery

Wallace Chan’s ‘Vessels of Other Worlds’ exhibition arrives in Shanghai

The 70-year-old artist, who crafted what was once the world’s most expensive diamond necklace for Chow Tai Fook, is presenting titanium titans in his latest exhibition.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Bulgari’s Eclettica blends Roman elegance with artistic expression

The Italian house’s high jewellery collection fuses art, architecture and Roman heritage into bold and expressive designs.

What to do in Hong Kong

Celebrating Wesley Tongson’s artwork, from disciplined to raw and visceral

Wesley Tongson’s ink masterpieces, at Asia Society Hong Kong until October 11, explore how the artist’s work evolved throughout his life.

A 1997 photograph of the late Wesley Tongsen, a Hong Kong artist diagnosed with schizophrenia and largely forgotten during his lifetime. (Courtesy of Wesley Tongson Charitable Trust)
Americas and the Caribbean

Cuban dissident artist Otero Alcantara lands in US exile

One of the most prominent figures in Cuba’s new dissident movement, Otero Alcantara had just completed a five-year sentence on the island.

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Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, artist and opponent of the Cuban regime, speaks to members of the press upon his arrival at Miami International Airport on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Meet Katie Holmes’ rumoured new beau, painter Jason Bard Yarmosky

Everyone knows about the Dawson’s Creek’s star’s marriage to Tom Cruise, her daughter Suri Noelle, and her romance with Jamie Foxx … now she’s being linked to a New York-based artist.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Eleanor Ekserdjian, who just got engaged to Samuel Chatto

Of British-Armenian descent, Ekserdjian met Chatto at the University of Edinburgh – the pair are fellow artists and have been together for 5 years.

Ai Weiwei

Inside Ai Weiwei’s gigantic UK art show, including China detention recreation

Huge works star at Ai’s largest ever site-specific show, while July 3 and 4 saw a 24-hour live performance of his 2011 detention in China.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei re-enacts his 81-day detention in a Chinese prison in Sewing a Button, a 24-hour live durational performance held on July 3 and 4, 2026, that was part of his “Button Up!” exhibition in Manchester, UK. Photo: Hugo Glendinning

Review | Hong Kong artist Ellen Pau’s New York show explores broken political promises

Ellen Pau’s New York exhibition ‘She Moves’ features 15 major pieces that document life, culture and unfulfilled political pledges.

A still from Pledge: Bik Lai Chu (1993/2018), a work by Ellen Pau on view at New York’s SculptureCenter as part of her solo exhibition “She Moves”. Photo: Charles Benton
Louis Vuitton

Pierre-Louis Vuitton, head of savoir faire at Louis Vuitton, on the LV Monogram

The design has appeared in collaborations with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – and been used widely by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | A history of Chinese fans and how they kept people cool in summer

Fans have long been used in China for cooling and cooking and as artistic status symbols. We look at the tool’s reinvention over 3,000 years.

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