Culture & Leisure

Visitors filled the Hong Kong Museum of Art on Friday for a garden art exhibition  featuring two original masterpieces by French Impressionist Claude Monet. “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” features 106 artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago, Beijing’s Palace Museum and the Palace of Versailles in Paris, alongside pieces from the museum’s collection.  Highlights include Monet's Water Lilies and Water Lily Pond from the Art Institute of Chicago. Other masterpieces include Zhang Daqian's Entrance of Bade Garden and Splashed-colour Landscape, as well as Wen Zhengming’s Spring Ablution at the Orchid Pavilion and sculptures such as The Enceladus Fountain and The Water Theatre from the Palace of Versailles. Despite rainy weather, crowds filled the galleries by midday, with long queues for popular works and interactive activities. Vasilisa Popov, 28, from Russia, said she came to the exhibition after reading it online, drawn by Monet. “I work in the culture sphere back home, so art is very special to me,” she said. “I’m actually flying back today, but I made sure to come here before leaving.” Glenda Wilson, 70, from New Zealand, called it a trip highlight and “beautifully courageous, really well put together, and fantastic.” She had visited the museum days earlier but returned for the show. “It’s the opening day and people love to see Monet,” she said of the crowds. Helen Kwok, 74, a regular visitor at the HKMoA, had seen Monet’s works at a 2016 Monet exhibition in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.  “I’d like to see Monet, but also the other various garden paintings from Versailles.” First-time visitors Few, 23, and Pakke, 26, from Thailand, celebrated Few’s university graduation here in Hong Kong.  Though new to art, they said they enjoyed the exhibition, especially the French paintings of gardens. Pakke added that …

The annual mega event Hong Kong Sevens returns to Kai Tak Stadium on April 17, marking its 50th anniversary and drawing some 30,000 spectators on its opening day. The three‑day tournament features 30 teams competing in 72 matches, with more than 100,000 spectators expected to attend. The opening ceremony featured a dragon dance and a performance by robots, cheerleaders, and singers from South Korea and the Philippines. Laser projections across the pitch showcased all past participating nations and regions, as well as the names of rugby sevens legends, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. On the first day, the Hong Kong team faced Denmark and China. The men’s team secured a 36–14 win over China, while the women’s side staged a comeback to draw 14–14 with Denmark. Local based rugby fans Heidi Gysler and her husband Andre Gysler have attended  matches in several countries and returned to Kai Tak Stadium for the second consecutive year. Gysler described this year’s event as noticeably better organised than last year, with more staff on hand to help spectators. She added that people had seemed quite lost during last year’s tournament, but the experience felt much smoother this time. “It's a really good atmosphere. The emotion that flows is unbelievable. Everyone is calling, chanting for Hong Kong,” she said.

Zero 10, a digital art-theme exhibition area featuring 14 exhibitors, made its Asian debut on March 27 at the three-day Art Basel Hong Kong this year. The event drew 91,500 visitors, but scepticism towards digital art and AI use remains.  Harvey Rayner, 51, an English artist for Art Blocks, writes code and algorithms to let people generate their own digital artwork on the computer and in print. “This type of digital artwork is not yet widely acceptable,” said Rayner. Joan Chen, 24, an exhibitor of Art Blocks, said some buyers may not have been exposed to digital artworks before, but they find participating in the creation of digital art a novel experience. Lydia Lee, 37, visited Rayner’s exhibition area and asked for the story behind the digital art piece creation. “I believe the collection value of digital artworks lies in the public’s interaction with them,” said Lee. “It is only valuable if one fully participates and understands the creative logic behind it.” “We’re really interested in educating and showing people here what generative art is,” said Rayner. According to the Art Market Report 2026 by Arts Economics, digital art is one of the most popular purchases among high-net-worth individuals.  In the early sales of digital works at Art Basel Hong Kong this year, seven artworks priced over US$10,000 have been successfully sold. Joshua Chan, a 36-year-old visitor, said digital art is a new trend in the art world, but he finds it difficult to assess its value because of AI development. “I think the general public will be attracted by the interesting interactive installations in Zero 10,” he said. “But it still takes time for people to truly appreciate and accept new forms of art.” “Everyone may use AI to generate unique works. This is not something that only artists …