M+ is currently hosting two major exhibitions, with another opening later in the week, adding to an already busy program. Together, they provide distinct ways of viewing the world and emphasize the museum’s role as a meeting point for diverse artistic perspectives.
Across these three exhibitions, M+ showcases a wide range of artistic exploration, from outward-looking encounters and immersive environments to an artist's lifetime of cross-cultural experimentation.
"Robert Rauschenberg and Asia" pays homage to the American graphic artist at the centenary of his birth, yet it avoids the typical retrospective approach. Instead, it charts a specific geography of influence. This is the first exhibition to thoroughly examine how Rauschenberg’s encounters with Japan, India, and China fundamentally transformed his practice. Over forty pieces illustrate his use of local materials and close collaboration with regional partners.
While Rauschenberg explores outward, "Dream Rooms: Environments by Women Artists 1950s–Now" invites the viewer inward. Closing on January 18, this exhibition redefines the history of installation art. It brings together seminal "environments" by women from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, reconstructing spaces that demand physical navigation instead of mere visual observation.
"Dream Rooms" uses light, sound, and moving images to craft carefully shaped atmospheres, illustrating how women have long been central to the development of immersive art, a genre often credited to male contemporaries.
Together, these exhibitions present a broader narrative about Hong Kong’s role in the visual arts. "Robert Rauschenberg and Asia" demonstrates how Asia contributed to shaping the Western avant-garde, while "Dream Rooms" focuses on women around the world within the history of spatial experience.
Complementing these diverse perspectives is "Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker," opening in the main gallery on Saturday. The exhibition shifts the focus to a singular voice whose career bridged cultures. It surveys the Chinese French artist’s lifelong engagement with printmaking, tracing his evolution from 1949 to 2000. Featuring nearly 180 works from the M+ collection, the exhibition highlights his mastery of techniques and his dialogue between prints and painting.
For anyone travelling from Hong Kong Island, the new WestK Ferry connects Central Pier 9 to the West Kowloon Cultural District in just eight minutes, allowing you to enjoy the harbor's sweeping, picturesque skyline.
Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of Tai Kwun Culture & Arts Co Ltd
