Global media coverage of the flourishing Hong Kong gallery scene has tended to focus on international dealers who have set up shop in the city. However, this myopic view overlooks an incredibly vibrant and dynamic group of new and younger players who have entered the scene more recently, particularly in the pandemic’s aftermath. Despite ongoing censorship concerns and speculation about Hong Kong’s decline following the protests and its tightened ties with China, these new galleries are frequently defined by experimental programs that push the boundaries of traditional aesthetics and confront some of the most urgent issues facing younger, more worldly generations.
PODIUM is among the rising galleries that have rapidly built their reputations in Hong Kong’s art ecosystem. As the gallery celebrates its second anniversary amid the hustle and bustle of this year’s edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, Observer caught up with PODIUM co-founder Cusson Cheng to learn more about the vision and curatorial direction that has guided the gallery’s growth.
SEE ALSO: Observer’s Must-See Exhibitions During Art Basel Hong Kong
Cheng entered the gallery business after having previously worked in curatorial roles at experimental institutions such as Para Site. That experience, he says, allowed him to launch a commercial art gallery from scratch with minimal hurdles, bringing important resources—particularly an international network of talented artists and committed patrons—into the venture. “Before my time at Para Site, I was a manager of a local gallery focusing on Korean contemporary art,” he says. “With extensive experience in both non-profit and commercial sectors, I identified a gap in the local scene, one where Hong Kong has a shortage of art spaces that interweave compelling aesthetics, scholarly complexity and commercial viability.” That gap was the catalyst that pushed Cheng to create a space with such a strong international profile in his hometown.
“Even before opening, I’d crafted an overarching curatorial trajectory for our annual programs,” explains Cheng. “The exhibitions in the first year aimed to inspire our audience to imagine alternative futures beyond conventionality.”
PODIUM’s programming centers on issues deeply relevant in the present moment, though without explicitly or overtly engaging with politics. One recurring theme is the transformation of the relationship between human and non-human entities, along with today’s fluid and evolving understanding of identity. This translates into works that explore queer ecology, the politics of laughter, Buddhist enlightenment and the power of quantum physics, as well as the aesthetics of violence and companionship.
Cheng and his partner and co-founder Charlotte Yin named the gallery PODIUM with a clear intention: to create a platform for underrepresented voices, especially LGBTQ+ artists and women. “This particular focus is a synthesis of my partner Charlotte Lin’s passions,” Cheng says. “We resonate with the creative sensibilities of these artists and would like to pave a path for them in Hong Kong, Asia and beyond.” But their commitment goes beyond simply showcasing work. More broadly, they offer holistic support to their artistic peers—assisting with grant and residency applications and backing their institutional projects in various capacities. “We envisioned PODIUM as a solid cornerstone for career growth and sustainable development.”
The gallery’s second year kicked off with the blockbuster group exhibition “Aftershock,” which features works by Ivana Bašić, Sihan Guo, Ittah Yoda, Yein Lee and Diane Severin Nguyen. Cheng says the exhibition marks a new chapter for the art gallery—one that urges audiences to radically imagine possibilities for renewal and regeneration after extreme devastation—in other words, the art of healing amid continuing chaos.
Embracing a global perspective, the show brings together regional and international artists, all of whose works appear suspended in an embryonic state. Envisioning matter in endless metamorphosis, the artworks exist in a liminal space between decay and renewal, transformation and degradation, as if awaiting their next organic and alchemical phase. Embracing this fluidity of matter, each artist visualizes a boundless interplay between embodiment and disembodiment, evoking a continuum of transformation driven by the perpetual rhythms of the natural cycle. Ultimately, the exhibition proposes a new fluid notion of reality and identity—one that the new generations seem already prepared to inhabit.
Notably, PODIUM is not only exhibiting artists of their generation but also educating and sharing these pioneering aesthetics with a young group of collectors around the same age. “We have quite a diverse crowd that supports the gallery program, from budding collectors with buying power within $5,000 per acquisition to seasoned collectors and institutions who are particularly fond of conceptual, experimental works,” explains Cheng.
Cheng is convinced that the collector base in Asia is growing healthily despite a worldwide cooling of the art market. “These collectors tend to be attracted to new artists, new visions and new ideas, and I am grateful that they resonate with the artistic direction of our programs.” He also has no doubt that Hong Kong will maintain its role as the main international art hub of the region.
“In the past few years during the pandemic, there have been speculations that Singapore and South Korea were going to take over Hong Kong as the new art hubs in Asia,” says Cheng. “However, I truly believe my hometown still has what it takes to be one of the key regions in the art market. Besides the advantageous tax policies and hassle-free customs for artwork trading, Hong Kong attracts international collectors, curators and museum representatives throughout the year, allowing us to navigate challenging times without heavily relying on the local market.”
Hong Kong has also been able to offer opportunities for cultivating collectors and gradually evolving them into museum patrons, creating a sustainable art ecosystem that fosters a continual flow of resources across various sectors of the industry. “All of these reasons make us believe that Hong Kong is still full of potential to nurture and grow a young gallery.”
PODIUM opened in the underground but fast-growing Wong Chuk Hang neighborhood on the South Side, where galleries like Axel Vervoordt, Rossi & Rossi and Ben Brown have long been based. “When we were scouting, it was clear to us that it was the place to be,” says Cheng. “The Southside galleries are close-knit, and we share a strong sense of community where we strive for synergy and to support each other.”
While the gallery has so far primarily been focused on group shows, this year’s highlights include several first-time solo exhibitions, underscoring PODIUM’s commitment to fully investing in young talent. These include the September solo show of Berlin-based artist Min-Jia, whose work reinvents ancient Chinese shadow puppetry tradition. In November, PODIUM will host a solo exhibition and the Asia debut of Berlin-based Dennis Scholl, who will present lush and intricate oil paintings and drawings that conjure an enigmatic worldview in which human and non-human beings oscillate between brutality and beauty, violence and tenderness.
“Aftershock” is on view at PODIUM in Hong Kong through May 24, 2025.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
