Joining Hong Kong’s Hollywood Road art trail, the multi-sensory art gallery, The Popsy Room, is now open to visitors and artists alike. A revolutionary concept found by creative catalyst and visionary Jennifer Chung, The Popsy Room was designed to be a haven and platform for artists to collaborate and experiment with different mediums, extending beyond the mere visual to venture into experiential arts through the five senses.
The Popsy Room’s inaugural exhibition, Meditation and Megrim, is a unique orchestration of visual art, music, scent, and culinary creations that promises to immerse visitors in a whimsical world of inspired creativity exploring the dichotomy between the contemplation provoked by meditation and unease instilled by megrim.
The Popsy Room experiential arts through the five senses
The Popsy Room experiential arts through the five senses
Visitors entering the gallery are invited to not only look at the art, but also to take a whiff of the custom blended aromas, sip the fragrant tea, and listen to the specially created sounds, all inspired by the art itself. For those wanting more, The Popsy Room offers a reservation-only gastronomic experience where culinary arts are added to the mix in the form of a degustation menu paired to the artwork.
“Hong Kong’s art scene is evolving very quickly, and people want to understand art more intimately,” says Chung. “With the friendships I’ve made with established and developing artists over the years, my hope is to create a space where their work could be experienced fully. Involving all five senses will not only allow people to experience the art as a final product, but will also give them better insight into the process and emotions involved in the making of the art.”
The Popsy Room experiential arts through the five senses
The Popsy Room experiential arts through the five senses
The gallery aims also to become a platform for the artists involved, nurturing collaborations and cultural exchanges that will foster further creativity within the city. Its upcoming calendar of events includes pop-ups, workshops, creative discussion
The Spectacle: Meditation and Megrim May 8 – May 25
Both Meditation and Megrim are different as they are complementary. Meditation can be hypnotic in itself. It is to be fixated on the present moment, devoid of emotion. Conversely, megrim is melancholic; it’s the frenzied mind, which tries to reconcile existential struggle with reality.
This month’s opening show explores this intriguing dichotomy, with four artists leading the charge: collage artist Jun Cambel, enamel painter Manuel Rubio, illustrator Yan Yung and industrial sculptor Sjors van Buyten — each using individual mediums to explore the subject. Complementing the visual proceedings is music curated by John Mahon as well as customised fragrant oils and tea by aromatherapist Kat Lai.
The Popsy Room experiential arts through the five senses
Meditation provokes contemplation while megrim creates unease. Though each artist’s capacity to affect the audience is unique, their work communicates a pessimistic disposition to varying degrees. From Rubio’s enigmatic enamels to Yung’s perverse illustrations to Cambel’s textural depth to van Buyten’s industrial sculptures— each work, ironically and interchangeably, can become a meditation or megrim.
The Popsy Room G/F, 30 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.