Anne Imhof brings classical ballet to Hong Kong: “House of Swans” opens at Tai Kwun — the German artist’s first major solo exhibition in Asia

Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong has opened “House of Swans”, the first major solo exhibition in Asia by German artist Anne Imhof, winner of the Golden Lion for best national participation at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017 with the performative installation “FAUST”. The exhibition opened on September 25, 2026, extends over three floors of the JC Contemporary galleries and F Hall, and will stay open to the public until January 3, 2027.

As the Japanese art magazine Bijutsu Techo reports in its opening coverage published on October 5, 2026, “House of Swans” brings a new performance that incorporates classical ballet — a collaboration by the artist with the Hong Kong Ballet, which brings its dancers into the gallery on selected dates throughout the autumn and early winter.

The exhibition presents new monumental commissioned installations, atmospheric scenography, sound installations and live performances. By setting classical forms such as oil painting and bronze sculpture against elements of urban infrastructure, Imhof creates strong confrontations in the gallery space. Set in an imagined future, the exhibition and performance follow a heroine fighting her way toward love through a chaotic city.

The opening-week performances, on September 25 and 26, brought together Hong Kong Ballet dancers with the artist’s long-standing international collaborators, musicians and dancers she has worked with for years. Afterwards, adapted ballet performances take place on selected dates throughout the exhibition — on October 3, 4, 10 and 11 and on dates in November — giving the exhibition a dimension that changes over time.

The curators of the exhibition are Ying Kwok and Tiffany Leung, the exhibition architecture is by the studio COLLECTIVE and the performance partner is the Hong Kong Ballet. Imhof, born in 1978 in Giessen, Germany, and based between Berlin and New York, is one of the most influential artists of her generation: her projects have been presented over the years at Tate Modern in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and many other leading institutions.