A recently opened art and lifestyle space on On Lan Street in Central Hong Kong combines laid-back coffee culture with local and emerging artists. Stretching over five floors, Haus of Contemporary features a dedicated gallery space called Seefood Room, along with a members lounge and a café, Zendo, where artwork is displayed against natural wood interiors. Art is a continuous presence throughout, yet this multifunctional concept goes beyond the white-cube gallery, fostering a relaxed atmosphere that encourages dialogue and collaboration as you sip coffee amidst the latest exhibition.
On show at Seefood Room and Zendo in September was ‘The Beautiful and the Grotesque’ by Japanese-Hong Kong artist Mizukki Nishiyama. A diverse assemblage of work, the exhibition included oils, acrylics, mixed media, charcoals and Japanese inks, depicting intimate life drawings, mask-like portraits, flowers and eyes. Some of Nishiyama’s pieces are expressive, others abstracted, but all are created with kinetic brushwork. The eclecticism of the exhibition is reflective of the artist’s wide-ranging artistic inspirations – her cultural identity from Japan, Hong Kong and Italy, Eastern and Western traditions, poetry, philosophy, gender, and human nature. Throughout the exhibition, Nishiyama questioned the aesthetics of femininity, dissolving the misconception that ‘beauty’ and ‘grotesqueness’ are two disparate concepts.
Haus of Contemporary’s exhibition programme is frequently rotating – currently, Seefood Room is showing ‘Always Been’, an exhibition of paintings by South Korean artist Ji Min Hwang, while in Zendo café – through Haus of Contemporary’s other gallery concept, ‘Off the Record’ – ‘Puzzle Pieces’, by young artist Alber Tabanao, aka ‘Kapitan’, is on display. A true independent arts hub, it promises more programming and activations in the future including talks, membership schemes, art advisory services and an art store concept. Art is the backbone of Haus of Contemporary and celebrating local and emerging talent is its purpose.
Haus of Contemporary, 9 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong
Currently on view at Seefood Room is ‘Always Been’ by Ji Min Hwang, until 23 October.
Currently on view at Off the Record is ‘Puzzle Pieces’, by Alber Tabanao, aka ‘Kapitan’, until 14 October.