Give the dragon a high five:
Rosewood Hong Kong welcomes a new installation
March and April are two months when the global art world converges on Hong Kong for Art Basel. But if you think the art stops at the fair, you are mistaken. This spring, the creative energy shifts to the shore of Victoria Harbour — to Rosewood Hong Kong, which for an entire month becomes the playground of Dutch artist Frankey, and the stage for a question both simple and necessary: what do we still believe in?
Why visit Hong Kong right now? Not only for the Art Basel premieres — but for the chance to meet a twelve-metre dragon that is patiently waiting for you to give it a high five.
From 23 March to 22 April, Rosewood Hong Kong is not merely hosting collectors of contemporary art — it has itself become the guardian of an artwork. The centrepiece of these weeks is Lucky Dragon, an installation by Amsterdam-based street artist Frank de Ruwe, known as Frankey.
Lucky Dragon is not a static sculpture. It is an invitation to dialogue. A vast mythical dragon stands before the outstretched hand of an eight-year-old child — and the number eight is no accident. In Chinese culture it is the symbol of good fortune; it also echoes the octagonal architecture of the hotel itself. Eight, too, is the age of curiosity — that quality so essential to hold onto and so easy to lose. The dragon awakens only in the moment of connection: palm to palm, the installation comes alive.
‘Dragons have a superpower — they radiate love and draw luck in equal measure. My aim is simple: I want to see people smile. But more than that, I hope to reawaken in them a pure, childlike curiosity — for the way different cultures, each in their own manner, believe in wonder with equal sincerity.’ — Frankey
What makes the project singular is not only the scale of the installation. For the duration of the fair, the artist himself will be in residence at the hotel — which means that over breakfast, or waiting for a lift, you may find yourself standing next to the man who made it. Curators will lead private tours with the opportunity to speak with Frankey directly. A rare thing, in a world that tends to keep artists and audiences at a careful distance.
For those who wish to take something of the experience home, a collection of Lucky Dragon objects will be available — and these are not the kind of thing that ends up forgotten in a drawer. Gold-lacquered chopsticks with bronze dragon rests. Incense sets. The hotel’s signature XO sauce, presented with a collector’s spoon. And a series of art postcards — small, considered things that carry a little of Hong Kong with them, long after the journey is over.
Note:
Art Basel Hong Kong: 27-29 March
Lucky Dragon installation at Rosewood Hong Kong: 23 March — 22 April