Must-see exhibitions in Hong Kong this December

The holidays are a time for resting, but they can also be an opportunity to cultivate the mind and spirit. If you’re looking for something cultural to do in between Christmas shopping, check out some of these of these thought-provoking art exhibitions on show through December.

RongRong & Inri at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery (from December 1, 2016 – February 4, 2017)

The artist duo (and married couple) RongRong & Inri will present their two-year photographic exploration of the impact of climate change on Japan’s Echigo-Tsumari region in an exhibition called Tsumari Storyat 10 Chancery Lane Gallery. The pair’s shared interest in the relationship between man and nature has long been an influence on their work and is clear in this new series of work. These photos showcase the snowy, icy terrain changing through the seasons and also tell the story of the couple’s experiences living in the region, with some of the silver-gelatin prints even featuring their children.

Tony Bevan at Ben Brown Fine Arts (until January 7, 2017)

Ben Brown Fine Arts has welcomed British artist Tony Bevan back to its Pedder Building gallery to showcase the most recent works in his tree series. The exhibition, titled 杜松 DU SONG, looks particularly at the bark of the juniper tree, which is often particularly gnarled and lined. Made using raw canvas and vermillion ground, Bevan’s paintings focus specific sections of the trunk, removing the knobbly, rough surfaces from other defining features such as roots or branches.

Yin Xiuzhen at Pace Hong Kong (until January 12, 2017)

This solo exhibition, called Instruments, explores big ideas including the importance of culture and the complexities of human life. With ceramics as the chosen artistic medium, this exhibition is presented in four different parts: “ceremony instruments”, “wall instruments”, “lachrymal instruments” and “blending instruments”. The inclusion of old fabrics in these pieces clearly link back to some of Xiuzhen’s previous work, such as her large installation Temperature that she made in 2010.