Davidoff CEO on enticing new customers, links to the art world

Davidoff’s gregarious CEO, Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, was at Art Basel last week to present the brand’s Humidor Damajagua.

The humidor, crafted by renowned French marquetry artist Rose Saneuil, is seen by the company as an ode to the Caribbean.

Saneuil was inspired by Davidoff’s Caribbean heritage and the forest of Damajagua in the Dominican Republic.

The drawing shows a vibrant vermilion bird, a symbol of natural benevolence, swooping over a mystical Caribbean forest, encouraging the tobacco leaves beneath to thrive.

Davidoff has been cultivating filler tobacco in Damajagua since 2002.

The luxury cigar brand also operates the Davidoff Art Initiative, launched in 2012 in the Dominican Republic.

The Art Initiative supports contemporary art and artists in the Caribbean.

We sat down with Hans-Kristian at Art Basel to discuss how Davidoff attracts new clients and its links to the art world.

Sony World Photography Awards announces winner of Hong Kong category

The world’s largest photography competition, the Sony World Photography Awards, has announced the winners of its Open categories and National categories for 2017.

Over 227,596 entries from 183 countries entered the competition.

The National category is open to photographers of all abilities and aims to find the best single photograph taken by a local photographer in 65 countries.

The judges picked The Opposite by Tomy Tong Chun Kin as the winner of the Hong Kong National Award.

The photo is a delicate and original shot taken for a student fashion styling project in January 2016.

“This achievement is really special to me because it has given me recognition. Thank you for all the support from my family and friends. Photography is my whole life,” said Tomy.

Second place went to K.W Hon’s photo Dance, while Wilson Lee’s Moonlight finished third.

Click here to view more photos from the Sony World Photography Awards.

Dior hosts party to celebrate collaboration with Sennheiser

Dior has teamed up with German audio manufacturer Sennheiser for a range of products designed by the French luxury group. The move is the first collaboration of this kind for Dior.

To celebrate the collaboration, a cocktail party was held at the Dior Landmark boutique. The event was attended by celebrities including Wyman Wong, Jocelyn Chan, Endy Chow and more.

The event also marked the unveiling of several products, such as Sennheiser’s HD800s headphones made from hand-sewn and printed leather, the HDVD 800 amplifier with Dior’s signature red scar code and many more.

Gourmands’ delight: Taste satisfies needs of hungry Hong Kongers

Following its successful inaugural event last year, Taste of Hong Kong returned to Central Harbourfront recently.

Visitors were not put off by the gloomy weather as they sampled dishes from some of Hong Kong’s best restaurants — Amber, Zuma and Mercato to name a few — over the event’s four days.

To make sure no one left hungry, bored or sober, Taste also featured a number of events to keep foodies entertained.

Taste Theatre held 24 sessions showcasing secret cooking techniques and tips from chefs and tastemakers. Lashings of champagne were served at The Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar and gourmands created their dream menu from more than 50 signature tasting plates and one-off festival creations.

We met with Simon Wilson, head of IMG Culinary, Asia, to discuss this year’s event, what he thinks of Hong Kong’s food scene and the future of Taste. We also managed to grab a quick word with chef Paul Eschbach from Mercato and chefs Ryusuke Higuchi and Eddy Lee from Zuma.

Text: Andrew Scott

PHOTOS: Art installation ‘Bit.Fall’ combines technology and engineering

Pacific Place is hosting a large public installation that displays googled buzzwords in real time as a curtain of water.

Bit.Fall, created by German multimedia artist Julius Popp, combines technology and engineering to create a curtain of individual water droplets that spells out popular words.

Click here to watch the video of Bit.Fall

Connected to the internet in real time, an algorithm is used to look for popular buzzwords through different newsfeed channels. The words are only visible for a fraction of a second before they disappear.

Bit.Fall is part of Swire Properties’ arts programme.

The programme kicked off with a cocktail party earlier this month, attended by a number of art aficionados.

Bit.Fall is on show until 6 April.

Gucci brings its photography exhibition to Hong Kong

Gucci launched its latest photography exhibition in partnership with the fashion publication, A Magazine Curated By.

The exhibition, “A Magazine Curated By Alessandro Michele”, coincided with this year’s Art Basel in Hong Kong.

Inspiration for the exhibition came from Michele’s time guest editing A Magazine Curated By back in 2016. Michele is Gucci’s creative director.

The exhibition showcased the works of renowned emerging artist and photographer Petra Collins.

Guests including Kary Ng, Hilary Tsui, Wyman Wong, Eleanor Lam, Fish Liew, Allan Zeman and more attended a vernissage to celebrate the launch of the exhibition.

The exhibition was held at PMQ in Aberdeen Street, Central.

Asia Contemporary Art Show sells HK$26 million of artwork

The success of the 10th edition of the Asia Contemporary Art Show proves there is more to Art Week in Hong Kong than simply Art Basel and Art Central.

The show welcomed more than 10,000 collectors and an estimated HK$26million of sales were made over the fair’s four days.

“We were delighted to have been the first art fair to open during Hong Kong Art Week,” said Director Mark Saunderson. “There was a real buzz during the Langton’s VIP Collectors Preview on Friday, with visitors queuing a few hundred deep at peak hour.”

The Asia Contemporary Art Show is held twice a year in Hong Kong, once in March and once in October.

Visitors to the show, which is held across four floors of the Conrad Hotel, viewed more than 3,000 works presented by more than 80 galleries and artists from Asia and beyond.

Unlike Art Basel and Art Central which rely more on exhibitors, more than 50 artists chatted to collectors and art enthusiasts at the show.

The exhibition showcased both established and emerging artists.

VIDEO: Third edition of Art Central launches in Hong Kong

The third edition of Art Central is under way at Central Harbourfront and art fans are in for a treat with over 100 international galleries showcasing contemporary art.

This year’s Art Central features performance art pieces, site-specific installations, moving images, talks and more.

“As we return for the third edition of Art Central, we are proud to present our strongest programme to date,” said Charles Ross, the managing director at Art Central.

“As a content-driven fair that pushes boundaries in experimentation, we are dedicated to fostering new practices and discovering new talents in contemporary art.”

Gafencu spoke to Japanese sound artist Yuri Suzuki about his interactive sound installation, Sharevari, which was unveiled by Swarovski.

Art Central is on until 25 March at Central Harbourfront.

Check out our video of this year’s event and interview with Suzuki.

For more information click here.

Equestrian and fashion at party hosted by Miasuki

The recent cocktail party hosted by Miasuki at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong was a glittering affair showcasing the brand’s new equestrian collection. The range – 100 percent made in Italy – was presented to potential buyers as they tucked into canapés and expertly mixed drinks. It was held at the site’s VIP lounge, overlooking the main competition area.