Your ultimate guide to gallery-hopping in Sheung Wan

Founded in 2015, Over the Influence covers a wide generational spread of artists, ranging from emerging talents to well-established masters. The art space has presented several prominent names in the contemporary art world, including Lucien Smith, a successful young artist and filmmaker dubbed as the “art world wunderkind,” and Erik Parker, whose works were also collected in the Museum of Modern Art.

Ranging from vibrant paintings and three-dimensional sculptures to installations and tiny children’s toys, the diversity of artwork displayed at Over the Influence continually tests the limits of creative expression and challenges traditional methods of representation.

Over the Influence, G/F & 1/F, 159 Hollywood Road, Central

Fishing out the best from a sea of antique Chinese antiques, Liang Yi Museum hosts a massive collection, recently adding up to 400 pieces. Amid the rich, ancient trove, you can find exemplary pieces, which have been lent to world-class museums such as the National Museum of History in Taiwan, Palace Museum in Beijing, and Goldsmiths Hall in London.

Since its establishment, the loaned antiques have embarked on an homecoming trip to the Liang Yi Museum. Its collection of bejewelled clutches, compacts, and powder boxes are notably made by premier design houses like Cartier and Boucheron, celebrating classical craftsmanship and timeless beauty across dynasties. Forming an indissoluble bond with the past, the museum is befittingly slotted into a cluster of traditional buildings along Hollywood Road, recalling a bygone era of of Hong Kong.

Liang Yi Museum, 181–199 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Founded by Anna Maria Rossi and her son Fabio in London, Rossi & Rossi captures the multifaceted beauty of contemporary Asian art. Its distinguished clients include world-class museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA) and M+. Its exhibition, “Treasures from Mongolia: Buddhist Sculpture from the School of Zanabazar,” was the first time that Mongolian Buddhist sculptures were shown on the market.

In 2020, the London gallery opened its Hong Kong outpost on Hollywood Road, specialising in Tibetan and Himalayan art. Presenting paintings and artefacts across different eras, the curated exhibitions ooze the creative ingenuity of Tibetan people, and, best of all, spotlight the breadth of Himalayan talent to the rest of the world.

Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road, G/F, 195 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

As a gorgeous tile on the metaphorical art mosaic of Hollywood Road, Novalis Art Design specialises in 1980s Memphis design and fine art photography. Featuring a host of artistic ranges, its exhibitions mostly describe a conceptual vocabulary through concrete objects while cultivating an open space to stimulate intellectual exchange.

In a constant search for original and experimental works, the gallery has mounted the exhibitions of Francesco Carozza, a Milan-based artist who crystallises his dream-like visions on bodies of canvas, and Angel Hui Hoi-kiu, a local ink artist who impresses her creative and artistic ingenuity on plastic. Running the gamut of creative mediums, Novalis Art Design is where you can hop on a creative ride to the boundless sea of ideas.

Novalis Art Design, 197 Hollywood Road, Central

Flowers Gallery is a long-established art space that represents more than 50 artists and estates from across the globe. Inviting artworks from a range of genres, the gallery has organised over 900 exhibitions worldwide over 50 years.

Founded in 1970, the London establishment’s Hong Kong outpost, opened in 2020, is continuing its mission to expand its coverage while cultivating a distinctive presence in the local art scene. Among the better-known artists, represented by their solo exhibitions, are Lau Hiu-tung, and Shen Wei, whose intensely personal self-portraits centre around the themes of individuality, nudity, collective subconsciousness, and sadistic desires.

Flowers Gallery, 49 Tung Street, Sheung Wan

With deep roots in South Korea, Soluna Fine Art is committed to bringing out the best of Asian contemporary art. Embracing the neighbourhood of Sheung Wan, the gallery holds five to eight exhibitions a year, aiming to revitalise East Asian philosophy and aesthetics and allow regional artists to have their voices heard internationally.

With a generational spread of artists ranging from established masters to emerging talents, the art space has mounted solo exhibitions of Lee Ung-no, a Korean painter whose works are presented internationally, and Livy Leung Hoi-nga, an emerging local artist who seeks to reconstruct the visual language of modern Hong Kong.

Soluna Fine Art, G/F, 52 Sai Street, Sheung Wan

As one of many artistic destinations along Hollywood Road, Contemporary by Angela Li presents art from China, Hong Kong, and across the globe. Among the better-known artists represented are Fatina Kong, a local painter who blends her modern vision of Hong Kong with a classical Chinese painting style, and Jacky Tsai, a London-based Chinese pop artist who playfully welds Chinese and Western elements together.

From lacquer crafts to modern paintings, the aesthetically-pleasing pieces are installed behind the gallery’s trademark square, black-rimmed glass façade, possessing the same kind of sophisticated qualities that define much of Hong Kong’s alluring art scene.

Contemporary By Angela Li, 248 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Based in Hong Kong, Blue Lotus Gallery hosts a diverse range of art and photography. Homing in on the city’s identity and culture through the lens, the gallery has mounted significant photographic exhibitions with perspectives set in multiple eras. Among the better-known artists are Christopher Button, the photographer of Hong Kong metro stations; Wing Shya, who was involved in Wong Kar-wai films such as Happy Together and In the Mood for Love; and Fan Ho, one of the most recognised photographers worldwide.

Outside of the beautifully curated and visually stimulating photographs, Blue Lotus Gallery has a publishing arm that proudly prints multiple photobook series by Fan Ho and other well-known masters, catching the best angles of our beautiful city.

Blue Lotus Gallery, 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan

Despite being hidden inside the unassuming Winfull Commercial Building, A.M. Space attracts a solid group of contemporary artists to showcase their works. Imagining the endless possibilities of expressions, the art space embraces a multitude of creative mediums, such as painting, installation, and sculptures. It regularly organises thematically curated exhibitions with interesting and thought-provoking subject matters.

Among their exhibitions is “Who We Know and Who We Don’t Know,” a group show that delves into the lives of ordinary people through painted portraits and includes the works of Chu Hing-wah, best known for his group portraits of patients in mental hospitals.

A.M. Space, Room 602, Winfull Commercial Building, 172 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan