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Your ultimate guide to gallery-hopping in Sheung Wan

By Tommy Yu 11 April 2022 | Last Updated 22 September 2023

Header images courtesy of Liang Yi Museum and A.M. Space

With a great number of art galleries straddling either side of Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan is a top choice for gallery-hoppers. Its layout and architecture—an endearing mix of modern structures and historical buildings—form a perfect backdrop for the aesthetic mind. Join us as we highlight our favourite art galleries in Sheung Wan for gallery-hopping.

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Photo: Over the Influence
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Over the Influence

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

Photo: Liang Yi Museum (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Liang Yi Museum

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

Photo: Rossi & Rossi
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Rossi & Rossi Hollywood Road

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

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Photo: Novalis Art Design
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Novalis Art Design

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

Photo: Flowers Gallery
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Flowers Gallery

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

Photo: Soluna Fine Art
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Soluna Fine Art

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

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Photo: The Gallery by SOIL
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The Gallery by Soil

Founded in 2012, The Gallery by Soil aims to revitalise the almost-forgotten art of lacquer. Originating in China, where the earliest lacquerware was found, lacquer crafts can be reinvented to formulate a daring, modern language in the world of contemporary art, signalling a remarkable departure from its conventional, instrumental uses.

Despite the seemingly humble materials, lacquer art never fails to impress with its playful blend of traditional techniques and modern expression, and is often crystallised in its highly complex shapes and geometric twists and turns.

The Gallery by Soil, 1H, Hollywood Building, 186 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Photo: 88 Gallery
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88 Gallery

Glamourised with an elegant, white marble storefront, 88 Gallery sits comfortably within the gallery network on Hollywood Road. Featuring collectable designs worldwide from modern and contemporary eras, the gallery organises several exhibitions annually, emphasising skilled craftsmanship and precious materials.

Its multifaceted collection includes a variety of works ranging from canvases to furniture, reflecting the artists’ dexterity with various materials. Among the better-known artists represented by 88 Gallery are Ado Chale, Timothy Schreiber, and Roberto Menghi. Directed by Adrian Choi, a founding member of Hong Kong Antiques and Art Galleries Association, the gallery has participated in well-known art fairs both locally and overseas.

88 Gallery, 229 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Photo: Contemporary by Angela Li
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Contemporary by Angela Li

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

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Photo: Nido Asia
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Nido Asia

Albeit towards the end of Hollywood Road, Nido Asia is well worth the walk for a distinctive art experience. Opened in 2018, this uncommon gallery stands out from the rest—besides exhibiting multimedia collections, the gallery pioneers a crowd-sourcing approach in facilitating conversations between design, craftsmanship, and people.

In a solid bid to support hidden talent, Nido invites ordinary people to showcase their extraordinary skills, helping them make a small but significant step into the vibrant art scene. From photographers and artists to backpackers and buskers, you can find people from a gorgeous mosaic of backgrounds. Of course, the main attraction lies within their creative programmes, which include DIY workshops, philosophical talks, tarot readings, or even hiking tours around the city. Overall, these efforts leave no doubt that art should be centered around humans, as embodied in the company’s motto: “Art is Love.”

Nido Asia, 254 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Photo: Blue Lotus Gallery
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Blue Lotus Gallery

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

Photo: A.M. Space
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A.M. Space

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

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By Localiiz 15 November 2018
By Catharina Cheung 12 December 2020

Recommended routes

Main route (Red):

If you walk from Central to Sheung Wan, you will pass Over the Influence, Liang Yi MuseumRossi & Rossi Hollywood RoadNovalis Art DesignFlowers Gallery (on Tung Street), Soluna Fine Art (on Sai Street), The Gallery by Soil, 88 Gallery, Contemporary by Angela Li, and Nido Asia, along the gallery-packed Hollywood Road.

Alternative route 1 (Green):

From Hollywood Road, turn into Pound Lane and walk up for Blue Lotus Gallery.

Alternative route 2 (Blue):

From Hollywood Road, turn into Possession Street, cross Queen’s Road West and continue along Bonham Strand, leading to Wing Lok Street. Head in the direction of Nam Wo Hong Building. Soon, you will arrive at A.M. Space.

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Tommy Yu

Writer

​​A free, intuitive, and mischievous spirit, Tommy loves travelling, fortune-telling, any kind of arts, or paranormal stuff. You will find him binge-watching every episode of Kangsi Coming, improvising a few lines from Wong Kar-wai movies, or finally getting someone’s zodiac sign right after guessing it wrong for the eleventh time.

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