Hong Kong artist Ho Sin-tung's graphic interpretation of love and friendship in new show
Hell looks quite jolly if it is like the one designed by Ho Sin-tung.
Visitors to the Hong Kong artist's latest exhibition are welcomed by an animated neon sign showing a pair of hands supporting an overspilling bowl, the stream of liquid in the middle resembling the stem of a cocktail glass, and the name Circe glowing invitingly on one side.
Beneath it is a five-step display stand for what appears to be cheap tourist tat: fridge magnets, crystal globes, keychains and ashtrays. It would be encouraging if Hell had souvenirs. As the exhibition guide points out, souvenirs only exist when there is a place to go back to.
In this Hell you can choose postcards – each printed with the word Hell in a different language – and browse the painted selection of cocktails, not that these look very enticing even though they have nice tropical island backdrops.
Cocktail Series by Ho Sin-tung. Photo: Enid Tsui
Lord of the Flies (2025), Ho Sin-tung. Photo: Enid Tsui
One looks like blood and is swarming with flies, and another seems to come with a pair of goldfish. Even more unsettling is the mirror with a gun next to it. Apparently, that is inspired by Spanish writer Javier Marías' 1992 novel A Heart so White, in which a bride shot herself in the heart just after the honeymoon.
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