Forward Thinking

This month’s exhibitions dissect social issues and look to the future

These new exhibitions look to the future

PARA SITE Inspired by Ink August 13-November 14

This group exhibition at Para Site looks to a dystopian—but highly possible—future when many coastal cities in Asia will be submerged by rising sea levels. It features recent works and new commissions by 15 artists and artist collectives from around the region, including Hong Kongbased artists Leelee Chan, Zheng Bo and Zhang Mahler. para-site.art

KARIN WEBER GALLERY

Reclaiming Little Things—a Non-solo of Lee Suet Ying in Association with John Aiken, Ho Siu Kee and Jaffa Lam August 6-21

In this show curated by Jamsen Law, pieces by Hongkongers Ho Siu Kee and Jaffa Lam, as well as Irish sculptor John Aiken, are presented in dialogue with new works by local sculptor Lee Suet Ying. In her work, Lee reflects on nostalgia and the passage of time. karinwebergallery.com

DUDDELL’S Inspired by Ink Until September 27

The MK Lau Collection, which is owned by tycoon Victor Lo, is one of Asia’s most comprehensive private collections of 19th- and 20th-century Chinese brush-and-ink paintings and calligraphy, as well as contemporary ink paintings. Co-curated by art historian Catherine Maudsley, this exhibition showcases 36 works from the MK Lau Collection by 13 Hong Kong ink artists, including pioneering painter Lui Shou-kwan. duddells.co

BEN BROWN FINE ARTS Ze/ro Until August 26

The use of pronouns is a hot topic around the world right now. Even the Oxford English Dictionary is wading in—it now lists the pronoun “ze” as a gender-neutral alternative to “he” or “she”. Ze/ro at Ben Brown Fine Arts, an exhibition organised by Hong Kong-based curator Shirky Chan and featuring five local female artists, references this pronoun and explores the female body, gender identity and belonging. Among the works on show are paintings, embroidery, sculptures and video installations. benbrownfinearts.com