Asia Art Weekly News Bulletin – ISSUE 80 Week of 31 August 2026
(1) Hong Kong Arts Centre Launches Flagship Exhibition Collaboration in Collision Featuring Immersive Artistic Experiments
The Hong Kong Arts Centre launched its flagship exhibition Collaboration in Collision, running through September 20. Featuring 18 works across four artistic axes, the show invites public participation—including a beach cleanup upcycling project alongside artist Fang Lijun.
(2) L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts Launches Magic Hour Series Exploring Coral through Music and Literature
L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts launched its Magic Hour series in Hong Kong to complement its Deep Coral exhibition. Running through October 2026, the four events explore coral through sketching, cinema, an immersive live soundscape by musician Olivier Cong, and a Chinese literature dialogue with writer Eva Wong.
(3) Global Art World Mourns Japanese Avant-Garde Icon Yayoi Kusama Following Her Passing at Age 97
Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama passed away on August 14 at age 97 due to organ failure. World-renowned for her polka dots, pumpkins, and Infinity Mirror Rooms, Kusama’s death was confirmed on August 27, marking the end of a legendary artistic career.
(4) Hong Kong Arts Centre Hosts Creative Industry Forum Exploring IP Commercialization and AI Trends
The Hong Kong Arts Centre held a creative industry forum at Louis Koo Cinema focused on AI and IP commercialization. Featuring artist Li Yuyu and IP lawyer Victor Chao, the panel discussed brand licensing, legal protection, and Hong Kong’s international creative strengths.
(1) Hong Kong Arts Centre Launches Flagship Exhibition Collaboration in Collision Featuring Immersive Artistic Experiments
(Photo Credit: Orange News)
The Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) officially opened its flagship exhibition, titledCollaboration in Collision, running until September 20, 2026. Curated by Janet Fong, the exhibition brings together seven local, mainland Chinese, and international artists and groups structured across four thematic relational axes. Spanning multiple floors from the Pao Galleries to the Jockey Club Atrium, the 18 presented works transform the venue’s architecture itself into an active creative canvas.
The participating artists include prominent figures such as Fang Lijun, Kurt Chan, Shiro Matsui, Raymond Fung, and Juri Hwang. Their works encompass diverse mediums—ranging from ceramics and painting to interactive installations and digital media—utilizing unconventional materials like architectural debris, plastics, and ocean waste.
A central highlight is artist Fang Lijun’s collaboration with the public, marking his return to HKAC 33 years after his debut show there in 1993. In addition to exhibiting his Marine Ecology Series for the first time in Hong Kong, the initiative invites community members to participate in beach cleanups at Big Wave Bay. Collected plastic waste will be upcycled into a large-scale joint installation displayed alongside Fang’s artwork, actively involving the public as co-creators in an immersive exploration of environmental and social dialogues.
(2) L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts Launches Magic Hour Series Exploring Coral through Music and Literature
(Photo Credit: Orange News)
L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts has launched the Magic Hour (日落雅聚) event series as an extension of its flagship Deep Coral exhibition running at its Hong Kong campus. Featuring over 120 historic jewelry pieces and rare specimens from worldwide collections, the exhibition—L’ÉCOLE’s largest in Hong Kong to date—explores coral through biology, gemology, and craftsmanship. The four-part series spans August to October 2026, inviting audiences to experience coral through sketch, film, music, and literature.
Following an August jewelry design sketch workshop and a film talk with ELLE Hong Kong, the remaining sessions focus on sound and prose. On September 11, musician and composer Olivier Cong will lead an immersive performance against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour at sunset. Cong will record real-time ambient sounds generated by moving coral specimens, live-mixing them with musical instruments to create an evolving soundscape, followed by a discussion with co-curator Ann Lee on marine ecology and artistic creation.
On October 3, Hong Kong author Eva Wong will join Lee to examine how coral’s symbolic associations with romance, noble status, and mystery evolved across classical poetry and modern literature. By combining jewelry history with multidisciplinary artistic media, the series highlights the enduring cultural connection between humans and the ocean.
(3) Global Art World Mourns Japanese Avant-Garde Icon Yayoi Kusama Following Her Passing at Age 97
(Photo Credit: hk01)
Internationally renowned Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama passed away peacefully from multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital on August 14 at the age of 97. The Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo officially confirmed her passing on August 27, prompting widespread tributes from the global art community.
Born in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in 1929, Kusama suffered from neurological hallucinations from childhood. She channeled these disorienting experiences of “self-obliteration” into her signature creative vocabulary, incorporating repetitive polka dots, infinite net patterns, and vibrant pumpkins as a form of self-healing. Moving to New York in 1957, Kusama rose to prominence within the vanguard art scene, making an indelible mark with Narcissus Garden at the 1966 Venice Biennale and her iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms.
After returning to Japan in 1973, Kusama voluntarily moved into a Tokyo psychiatric facility in 1977, continuing to commute daily to her nearby studio to paint. Her artistic influence bridged high art and pop culture, spanning sculpture, installation, writing, and major fashion collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton. Honored with Japan’s Order of Culture in 2016, Kusama remained devoted to her practice until her final days. The Yayoi Kusama Museum confirmed that its current exhibition, Kusama’s Pop, will continue through August 30 as scheduled, serving as a tribute to her enduring legacy.
(4) Hong Kong Arts Centre Hosts Creative Industry Forum Exploring IP Commercialization and AI Trends
(Photo Credit: Wen Wei Po)
The Hong Kong Arts Centre recently hosted a creative industry forum at the Louis Koo Cinema. Bringing together experts across intellectual property law, technology, brand licensing, and artistic creation, the event explored emerging development trends in the AI era and discussed strategic approaches for Hong Kong artists to translate creative ideas into commercially viable intellectual property (IP).
Guest speakers included ARTOX GROUP founder Keith Wong, mainland pop artist and “Rich Flower” creator Li Yuyu, ELLALAN founder Alan Chiu, and TechApple co-founder Ling Ying. Li Yuyu—whose popular IP series generated over 500 million online views—shared insights on brand licensing and market dynamics, emphasizing that successful IP design must align with contemporary cultural trends and practical consumer demands. Addressing common legal pitfalls, Alan Chiu warned emerging creators against signing commercial agreements without fully understanding IP rights, noting that AI technological advances present novel infringement challenges that require heightened legal awareness.
Recognizing Hong Kong’s competitive edge in the global market, speakers highlighted the city’s unique position as an international cultural bridge. Li noted that several flagship IPs under top brands like POP MART were created by Hong Kong designers who benefit from international perspectives and access to global arts events. Encouraging local talent to leverage Hong Kong’s positioning as a mega-events hub, panelists emphasized utilizing local cultural soil and robust IP protection frameworks to scale creative works globally.
News Source: https://www.wenweipo.com/a/202608/28/AP6a909f92e4b0c1e500268273.html
