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Most read of 2023: from young naked women as canvases to ‘gross’ sculptures that evoke disgust and emotion, our 7 most popular arts stories

  • We look back at some of the arts stories most popular with Post readers this year, including Patricia Piccinini’s show of human-beast sculptures at Tai Kwun
  • There’s also Lousy and Matsushimaon’s sexually charged works, Scotty So’s mock luxury photoshoots, auction anger, and a controversial Chinese artist in London

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“No Fear of Depths, 2019” by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini is displayed at Tai Kwun in Central, Hong Kong, in June 2023. A story covering the exhibition of “gross” sculptures was one of the Post’s most popular arts stories of 2023. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

From the cute and creepy hyperrealistic sculptures created by Australia’s Patricia Piccinini to anonymous Hong Kong artists Lousy and Matsushimaon’s sexually charged works, we look back at some of the arts stories that struck a chord with Post readers in 2023.

1. Mocking the monogram

Artist, cheongsam designer and drag performer Scotty So’s mock photo series was inspired by people in Hong Kong wearing top-to-toe luxury monogram fashion.

One of Scotty So’s mock luxury fashion campaigns featuring himself in a self-tailored cheongsam and a trolley bag covered in fake monograms that mimic those of leading fashion labels. Photo: Courtesy of Scotty So
One of Scotty So’s mock luxury fashion campaigns featuring himself in a self-tailored cheongsam and a trolley bag covered in fake monograms that mimic those of leading fashion labels. Photo: Courtesy of Scotty So

He moved to the Australian city of Melbourne in 2018 to make art celebrating the historic Chinese fashion and music that he loves, but he now also explores other ideas.

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2. ‘Gross’ exhibition shocks

In May, Australian artist Patricia Piccinini evoked disgust and intrigue in equal measure with her first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, which included grotesque but cute transgenic works designed to be at once repulsive and endearing.

“Kindred, 2018” by Patricia Piccinini is displayed at JC Contemporary in Central in June 2023. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
“Kindred, 2018” by Patricia Piccinini is displayed at JC Contemporary in Central in June 2023. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
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3. Body of work

Anonymous Hong Kong artists Lousy and Matsushimaon challenge the city’s conservative attitudes towards sex by painting the bodies of young women with bold designs and Chinese characters, respectively, then photographing them in erotic poses.

Lousy’s body paint on a nude woman. Photo: Lousy
Lousy’s body paint on a nude woman. Photo: Lousy
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4. Making a statement

The 80-year-old famed Singaporean artist Tang Da Wu kept it real with audiences at his solo exhibition in the city state. Since the 1970s, his performances and installations have addressed urgent social, environmental and nature issues.

Singaporean artist Tang Da Wu paints with earth at the opening of his solo exhibition “3, 4, 5, I Don’t Like Fine Art” at ShanghART Gallery in Singapore on July 29, 2023. Photo: ShanghART
Singaporean artist Tang Da Wu paints with earth at the opening of his solo exhibition “3, 4, 5, I Don’t Like Fine Art” at ShanghART Gallery in Singapore on July 29, 2023. Photo: ShanghART
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5. Painting sale stirs the pot

In an exclusive story, Post arts editor Enid Tsui wrote about how a painting by Korean modern artist Park Seo-bo was apparently auctioned in Hong Kong for a knockdown price, drawing anger in the arts circle.

Detail from a painting in the Écriture series by Korean artist Park Seo-bo hanging in the private dining room at the now closed Écriture restaurant in Central, Hong Kong. An item resembling the painting was part of a lot sold for HK$1.52 million (US$194,000) at auction. Photo: Écriture
Detail from a painting in the Écriture series by Korean artist Park Seo-bo hanging in the private dining room at the now closed Écriture restaurant in Central, Hong Kong. An item resembling the painting was part of a lot sold for HK$1.52 million (US$194,000) at auction. Photo: Écriture
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6. Auction sale in shock flop

In October, Tsui reported on how an attempt by high-profile Chinese billionaire couple Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei to trim an art collection turned into a surprise flop at a Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction when some pieces failed to sell.

Sotheby’s held an auction of artworks owned by Chinese collectors Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei in Hong Kong on October 5, 2023. Photo: Enid Tsui
Sotheby’s held an auction of artworks owned by Chinese collectors Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei in Hong Kong on October 5, 2023. Photo: Enid Tsui
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7. Communication breakdown

Wang Hanzheng, the Chinese artist behind the controversial spraying of Chinese political slogans on London’s Brick Lane, talked to the Post about his work’s true meaning and his frustration over the backlash.

Wang Hanzheng (left) and a friend hold up two of the stencils used in making “East London Socialist Core Values”, a reproduction of Chinese government socialist propaganda sprayed onto a wall on London’s Brick Lane. Photo: Yi Que
Wang Hanzheng (left) and a friend hold up two of the stencils used in making “East London Socialist Core Values”, a reproduction of Chinese government socialist propaganda sprayed onto a wall on London’s Brick Lane. Photo: Yi Que
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