The best things to do in Hong Kong today

In a landmark collaboration between the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt, 250 treasures and relics from the land of the Pharaohs will be on display in Hong Kong for nine and a half months. Named ‘Ancient Egypt Unveiled’, this exhibition is the largest, most comprehensive, and longest-running display of ancient Egyptian artefacts Hong Kong has ever seen, displaying archaeological finds loaned straight from Egypt, many of which are being shown outside of their home country for the very first time. Some of our favourite highlights include a set of canopic jars used to store internal organs in the mummification and burial process; statues of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Rameses II; painted coffins of wood and stone; a Book of the Dead papyrus scroll; and even an ancient Egyptian toilet seat. Swing by the gift shop to find a wide range of Egypt-related merch, including an adorable series of blind box plushies created by HKPM which depict pharaohs, canopic jars, mummies, and more.

Gold – a new “laboratory of ideas” in Wong Chuk Hang – presents its inaugural group exhibition as an exploration of the notion of uncertainty. Drawing inspiration from artist-composer La Monte Young’s ‘Composition 1960 # 10’, the artistic experimentation brings together artists from Hong Kong and abroad across various media and disciplines. From celebrating deviation and investigating the beauty of unpredictability, ‘Certainly’ navigates the space between systems and structures, questioning the ‘straight line’ of expectations and reframing the concept as a starting point rather than an ending. Artists featured in the exhibition include Tozer Pak Sheung-chuen, Lousy, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, Santiago Sierra, Shinro Ohtake, Peter Robinson, and more.

Tucked inside Oi! Glassie, Hong Kong artist Chan Wai‑lap presents Jeremy’s Bathhouse – a dreamy, ceramic bathhouse as an extension of his ongoing ‘Swimming’ series. Inspired by love, connection, different bathing cultures, and the 2016 viral story of Jeremy, the left-spiral snail, the exhibition features a heart-shaped pool installation made with more than 1,200 handcrafted ceramic tiles designed by Chan. Visitors will also find a set of shower cubicles lined with casts of real soap bars that Chan has collected from bathhouses around the world, and every so often, timed release of mist drifts through, softening the edges and shifting the whole atmosphere from crisp clarity to a dreamy haze.

Hong Kong’s ‘Grande Dame’ unveils the lineup for its ‘Art in Resonance’ programme this year, inviting leading artists Angel Hui, Albert Yonathan Setyawan, and Dr William Lim to transform the hotel with their creative practices. Coinciding with Hong Kong Arts Month, the site-specific commissions span embroidery, ceramics, and architectural installation. Hui brings Chinese gongbi-style delicacy to a vibrant façade artwork of embroidered goldfish. ‘Swimming in Light’ takes over the first-floor windows of the hotel to welcome guests and visitors in a playful, poetic manner. Setyawan’s ‘Metamorphic Modulation’ presents repeated forms painstakingly handcrafted through modelling and casting to investigate its sculptural effect and the beauty of raw colour and texture. Lim’s live-in-environment installation is based on his ‘A Bright Future’ oil piece, translating the artwork into a large-scale, hand-tufted tapestry that challenges dimensional awareness.

For art lovers who simply cannot get enough of Chinese-French printmaking legend Zao Wou-ki, this major retrospective of the artist’s graphic works at M+ is not to be missed. Highlighting key pieces from Zao’s decades-long career, ‘Zao Wou-ki: Master Printmaker’ collects close to 180 items from 1949 to 2000, including paintings, books, and prints, to introduce new perspectives on his career, artistic process, and creative thinking. ‘Encouraging Printmaking’ reveals Zao’s early encounters with the bold medium, ‘Towards Abstraction’ records his experimentation phase marked by expressive techniques, and ‘No Boundaries’ presents a body of mature pieces that blend Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Alongside these central themes, the exhibition format will also serve to inform visitors about the art of printmaking – the Open Print Studio at M+ is offering interactive printmaking workshops for visitors to simply drop in on weekends to take part in lessons.

M+ in West Kowloon Cultural District is honouring the late Ryuichi Sakamoto with a museum-wide programme from now until July. Comprising a site-specific installation, moving image works, a listening experience, and film, ‘Seeing Sound, Hearing Time’ celebrates the enduring legacy of the Japanese composer, producer, and artist. ‘Async–Immersion’ presents a three-dimensional, audio-visual representation of Sakamoto’s personal album, combining sonic experience with optical immersion. Nam June Paik’s ‘All Star Video’ explores Sakamoto’s influences and creative encounters, while ‘Vinyl Sessions with Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto’ allows visitors to engage with his compositions, alongside reflections on his work from three Hong Kong-based sound artists. Additionally, ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: Music in Film’ will screen two films to allow for an intimate look into Sakamoto’s life, profound artistry, and innovative creative process.

The golden age of Hong Kong cinema saw the production of blockbuster titles like A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Conman (1998), and Infernal Affairs (2002). Packed with action, suspense, and good ol’ “nonsense” humour, these iconic crime films not only offer gripping stories but also capture the essence of life in 70s and 80s Hong Kong. Now, cinephiles can relive their favourite scenes from these classics at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station. ‘Yau Ma Tei Police Station: A Cinematic Journey’ delves into local cop film classics through reconstructed sets, collectibles, original scripts, and much more.  This nostalgic exhibition is now open at the Old Yau Ma Tei Police Station, 627 Canton Road, Yau Ma Tei. Tickets are priced at $30 per person, with concessionary tickets available at $10 per person. Children aged six or below can enter the exhibition for free. Make sure to book your tickets online at cultural.cityline.com, as there will not be tickets onsite. Find out more at fpf.ccidahk.gov.hk. 

For the first time, HKU’s University Museum and Art Gallery is pairing Swiss and Chinese paper cuttings together, setting up side by side to highlight what makes each tradition so special. The Swiss works, drawn from the collection of Interlaken collectors Elsbeth and Niklaus Wyss, mostly use black paper to capture slices of Alpine life with fine, eye-catching details. On the Chinese side, red paper is often used to depict different themes and subjects like tigers, peacocks, opera masks, or pagodas – each carrying deep symbolic meanings. Both approaches are all about storytelling, pulling from Swiss village scenes or Chinese folklore to offer the audience a chance to appreciate how two cultures turn the same craft into something uniquely their own.

Curated by architectural historian Charles Lai and product designer Kay Chan Wan Ki, this exhibition brings together architects, carpenters, filmmakers, and chefs to examine Hong Kong’s favourite diners from every angle. Highlights include the preserved neon sign of Wan Chai’s Sun Fung Kee, the original door of Sheung Wan’s demolished Hoi On Cafe, and a full-scale beverage station where you can suit up and try assembling orders at cha chaan teng speed. The exhibition is now on view at Airside’s Gate33 Gallery and runs until July 31. Admission is free until March 31, after which tickets cost $20 (except for kids aged three and under).

M+ and Leeum Museum of Art are teaming up to present a comprehensive exhibition featuring the groundbreaking works of influential South Korean contemporary artist Lee Bul. More than 200 pieces will be shown, spanning the artist’s career from the late 1990s to the present to trace the evolution of Lee’s artistic approach. Split into three sections, ‘Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now’ interrogates ideas of utopian and dystopian existence, the relationship between body and technology, and Lee’s creative process. M+ Cinema will also screen a number of Lee’s performance works during the exhibition period. ‘Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now’ opens on March 14 and will be commemorated with a talk at the Grand Stair; Lee herself will be present to speak about her artistic vision.