Architect and designer Yacine Bensalem presents Inverse/Tension ll, an exploration of Hong Kong’s distinctive urban landscape and its untapped potential for transformation. Hosted at La Galerie Paris 1839 as part of the BODW in the City program, the artwork reveals the beauty of contrasts, the depth of duality, and the narrative richness of the city’s architecture.

Hong Kong’s urban fabric is layered with history, functionality, and raw humanity. “This city tells its story through its worn-down facades, clusters of vibrant signboards, exposed pipes, dripping AC condensers, and flashes of nature reclaiming its place,” says Bensalem. Inverse/Tension ll draws inspiration from these organic stratifications, transforming everyday interiors into spaces of imagination and contemplation.

The piece juxtaposes rough natural rock textures with polished brass elements, representing a dialogue between rawness and refinement, permanence, and possibility. Sleek, molten steel blades uphold the monolithic stone structure—a contemporary sculptural megalith that serves as a poetic ode to Hong Kong, a city defined by its precarious balance and the tension that fuels its evolution. At the heart of the piece are the Foo Lion Dogs, powerful cultural symbols that embody a harmonious blend of strength and gentleness, wisdom and power. A mirror transforms the male lion into the female’s reflection, echoing the interconnectedness of opposites and the tension that arises from it.

Bensalem’s vision is deeply rooted in duality—a balance between opposites. “I wanted to highlight the imperfections and contrasts that give Hong Kong its unique character,” he explains. “This work is about inviting people to see beyond the surface. Even in the most unassuming corners of the city, there’s a story, a history, and an opportunity for beauty and reinvention.”

Opening Reception: Wednesday 4 December 2024, 6-8:30pm

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

A portrait of a generation.

I am proud to be who I am. I am proud of my look. I AM.

There is a phenomenon in Hong Kong where young tourists come to take photos and act like supermodels.

The vast majority are young women. From cool hip-hop style, to sweet girl-next-door style, people choose to dress up stylishly for the photos.  There are a few places in Hong Kong which are 'must-go photo spots'. People queue up to take pictures.

They respectfully wait until the previous ones have finished taking the photos before taking their place.

They strike poses, and act as professional models.

Here, the model directs the photo shoot. They have a very precise idea of the results they want to have.

The photographer is purely here to press the shutter button.  The model has full control of the images.

After a few poses, the model checks the results, gives their instructions to the photographer, and the process starts again.

It's an immutable ballet.

I invite them to pose for me, and to be models.

The session is very quick, around ten photos in a minute or two.

Cyril Delettre did 180 portraits on Peel Street, a selection of these photos will be presented. 

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

Sanctuary Frozen in Time is an exhibition that takes us on a photographic journey throughout Mongolia with Marc Progin leading us on a pilgrimage back to the origins of life, across a vast domain, where nature is the sole landlord and men abide by its laws.

Seen through the eyes of the photographer, Marc Progin, Mongolia is a haven of peace—an asylum for nature, wildlife and human beings living a nomadic life. A land bathed in an ocean of light, where each second is an eternity and eternity, like a fountain of youth, makes you forget your age. A land where, in the space of the immensities of light years, as cosmic dust in the universe, you learn what is humility. A land where nature is virgin and where life follows the cycle of the planets and seasons.

A Sanctuary Frozen in Time where nomads signed a pact to live in harmony with the natural world and settled to live of nothing other than the fruits of mother nature—a heritage that Marc Progin perpetuates through his photography.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

Hope Never Sleeps - 33 hours non-stop art project by La Galerie Paris 1839 French Artist Cyril Delettre will take part in a 33 hours non-stop project welcoming the visitors from Thursday March 28 at 11:00am until Friday March 29, 8:00pm.

During these 33 hours visitors are welcome to interact with Cyril Delettre, let him take portraits of you, he will print them, then display the photos on the window of the gallery to create the word 希望. The shooting will take place in front of La Galerie. The audience will be able to watch the shooting from the street. An original art installation Inspired by his series HOPE ( an ongoing project since 2022), art photographer Cyril Delettre creates an original installation for visitors to physically experiment entering into an art piece. Cyril Delettre's installation symbolizes the human ability to transform darkness into colours: you enter into the Black and White portraits of the artist and come out with colourful characters to brighten the hidden hope. On the path, by entering the artist’s spirit, you are invited you to go through his HOPE and rediscover yours. The audience is invited to touch, explore and take pictures.

"In the continuation of my series on the space adventure "Space Utopia" I went to Iceland in August 2021 to photograph the Iceland Moon Mars Simulation expedition. It is a collaboration between the Icelandic Space Agency and Professor Michael Lye with the participation of NASA/Johnson Space Center whose goal is to test a new spacesuit of the Artemis generation: the MS2. The sites for the Iceland Moon Mars Simulation Expedition were selected for their resemblance to an environment similar to that which would be found on the Martian surface and which could serve as landing, research and habitation sites for future planned missions to the Moon and Mars. These sites include lava tunnels, glaciers, glacial debris fields, basal- tic black sands, volcanic craters, and remote areas containing buried ice. Research will determine how astronauts can train to identify signs of Martian life using geothermal energy and explore how frozen water sources in the polar regions of the Moon and Mars can be reused as fuel for rockets and for long-term human habitation.

Iceland has played an important role in the history of space exploration. In the 1960s, NASA sent the Apollo astronauts to northern Iceland to train for their missions to the Moon."

Opening reception: Thursday, 6:30pm

​Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie invites you to step into an extraordinary realm where the artistry of Camille Levert , a 3D collage artist and Cedrix Crespel, a painter intertwine, come experience the convergence of creativity and vision in our mesmerizing duo exhibition
Both Crespel and Levert excel in evoking emotions through their respective artistic expressions, creating a powerful and immersive experience for viewers.
Crespel’s paintings capture a range of emotions, from sensuality to vulnerability, inviting viewers to connect with the human experience on a deep and personal level. His bold use of color and expressive brushwork elicits a visceral response, evoking feelings of passion, desire, and introspection.
On the other hand, Levert’s collages evoke emotions through the juxtaposition of detailed elements and the exploration of disappearing icons. Her meticulous attention to detail and careful selection of colors create a visual narrative that prompts viewers to reflect on the changing environment around them, evoking a sense of nostalgia, curiosity, and contemplation.
Together, their works create a harmonious interplay of emotions, allowing viewers to engage with the artworks on a profound and emotional level, and fostering a deeper connection between the audience and the art.
Opening reception: 30 November, 6:30-8:30pm

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie is proud to commemorate a significant milestone in its artistic partnership as it celebrates ten years of collaboration with Zhang Kechun. This momentous occasion signifies a decade of profound artistic exploration and unparalleled creative synergy.

In celebration of this harmonious journey, La Galerie is delighted to present the exhibition “The Yellow River” and “Between the Mountains and Water.” The exhibition will be held from 28th September to 28th October.

Spanning the entirety of his decade-long collaboration with La Galerie, we witness the artist’s evolution, from the nascent explorations of his previous work “Yellow River” to the current work “Between the Mountains and Water” of his artistic prowess, exemplified by his mastery of capturing the mountains and river views in China.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

In the high insomnia megalopolis, splashed by stunning lights like so many islands of solitude, a heart beats, fragile, human. Alone on her balcony, Floriane de Lassée, suspended above the city, never stops watching night falls. Inside Views are so many open windows on the outside. On the ravenous city sprawling. On the inside too, inside the silence of solitude.

Gallery addr5ess: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie is delighted to present Stage of Mind with JeeYoung LEE, our newly represented artist, one of the most up-and-rising figureheads of the younger Korean artistic world. JeeYong LEE is turning La Galerie’s art space into her ethereal dreamscape with her installation constructed in real life. A collection from the Stage of Mind series will be exhibited.

“ When I exhibit an on-site installation, I think I invite the audience directly to my inner world through the installation.
Also, my installation is space-specific, and therefore it is highly influenced by the location. For example, even if it is the same work, the structure, scale, and design of the installation will be different depending on the characteristics of each location. This also means that once an installation is exhibited in a specific site, it is unique as it is. I draw a rough sketch and spend time deciding on the details. I test different materials to recreate what I envisioned and design the props and narrow down on the color scheme, etc. In my studio, there is a wooden stage that is adjustable in terms of size. The walls can be adjusted to make the set smaller or larger depending on the project. Once the set is fixed, I start building the elements from scratch. I paint the walls, make the objects, and place them where they are needed. ”

Gallery address: 74 Hollywood Road Central and Western

La Galerie is delighted to present a solo exhibition from Almond Chu’s newest series “IN THE FUTURE”, a collection of his platinum prints with his painting on each unique piece.

What will we build in the future?

The world before the crisis has been changed.

The Red & Grey Sculpture is a milestone in the story of our civilizations,

as well as the colorful insertion in the black & white pictures.

Humans believe they can rule the world, but within the passing years, the world fell into a state of chaos, confusion, and panic. Politics and disease have modified us. It has been a huge blow: we have lost our normal life, the economy has collapsed, and the global order has lost its balance as countries blame each other…All kinds of behaviors have exposed humanity’s prejudice, selfishness, and ignorance…

We also have discovered new things about ourselves. Did it modify what we care for and what we want? When we get back on our feet, our thoughts about the future are probably much changed.

We experimented the end of many certainties: it is the door towards a new future.

Gallery address: 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie Paris 1839 is delighted to present ASIAN ENCOUNTERS, an exhibition showing multiples series of photographic works by Asian artists Almond Chu, Zeng Nian, and French artist Cyril Delettre.
Opening Reception : 5 May I 6:00 - 8:30pm

Gallery address: 74 Hollywood Road, Central

UNEXPECTED BEAUTY is an invitation to look at the things and people around us with different eyes, to detect beauty where we would not imagine it.

 UNEXPECTED BEAUTY gives us hope for the beauty that the world around us and our lives offer that we should all cherish, and not miss. Our prejudices can keep us away from certain forms of art and prevent us from discovering the others. This cross-cultural and mixed art exhibition is an ode to curiosity and openness to others, a space to be surprised by the unknown and to go beyond our preconceived ideas.

​UNEXPECTED BEAUTY artists help us to “see” the beauty hidden in the most insignificant details of a quite ordinary building, the beautiful uniqueness of a stolen life moment captured on the spot, and the enhanced beauty of mixed different art techniques, when literature meets with photography for example or when century-old techniques are magnified by a modern twist.

​UNEXPECTED BEAUTY resonates to the Children of the Mekong’s mission to offer unexpected life opportunities to underprivileged children through education in Southeast Asia. Children of the Mekong helps them reveal their beauty and their potential to embrace professional careers.

Gallery address: 74 Hollywood Road Central

In 2017, La Galerie has presented the first part of Space Utopia by Vincent Fournier. It tells the story of both the past and the future of space exploration, the photographs are a mix of historical and documentarian vision of space adventure with scenes staged inspired by cinema and Fournier’s childhood memories. “The Space Project explores Earth-bound landscapes which, in their strangeness, remind us of our lifelong yearning for the great beyond. The series evokes the blurring of science fiction, imagination, reality and dreams.” – Vincent Fournier

The artist has been looking at space through all sorts of space observatories in Chile, the US, the North Pole and even China. In 2021, Fournier continued his journey of Space exploration through the extended series SPACE UTOPIA. He continues to explore futuristic fiction and discovers glimpses of the future in our present and past. In this new series of works, Fournier shifted his focuses to another landscape: Iceland.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie is delighted to present 3 original series of unique pieces by Camille Levert.

Camille Levert has created thousands of pictures of her adopted town of Hong Kong. Her sharp eye captures the local culture and fragile historical testimonies, which becomes more fleeting as these visual markers continue to disappear.

Through a combination of original photo documentation, found imagery, and mixed media, she creates layered three-dimensional objects with assiduous care. Each piece consists of a combination of more than ten layers of photographs, collaged vintage magazine imagery and/or hand sewn embroidery. The effect is of a time-space clash. The viewer is invited to immerse in these poetic and meticulous works where present and past meet, continuing to reveal Levert’s strong connection to Hong Kong.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

Giraffe Leung Lok Hei, a Hong Kong based post-90s artist, worked as an interior designer for a year after graduating from university, he was then determined to pursue a career as a full-time artist.

As an artist, Giraffe shows great concern about his home city Hong Kong in various aspects such as local culture, collective memories of the local people, construction and urban development, etc. His artwork often features material that were once highly valued to many Hongkongers in everyday lives but became obsolete in rapid urban development.

VIP Preview: 29 September I 3 - 6pm *By invitation only

Opening Reception: 30 September I 6 - 9pm *RSVP

Deep Pola is a series of paintings inspired by the Polaroids of Cédrix Crespel’s wife and muse, Tiphaine. This series is a conversation between the couple: Tiphaine, a photographer, transforms herself through her lens into an object of desire; Crespel, a painter, divulges himself through his brush. The result is what they have managed to reconcile in their daily life as a couple. Without tricks and aesthetic pretence, Tiphaine’s photography is sincere and immediate; On the other hand, Crespel’s romanticism injects imagination into every detail of his paintings.

Through his work, Crespel examines the representation of women in society. His paintings are likened to a sensual odyssey; he depicts images of independent and passionate women who really defy what society expects from them.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

Cyril Delettre’s Explorations consists of 3 artwork series exploring the contrasts in life’s rhythms. Don’t Walkare pictures taken at crossed roads, where pedestrians are like actors, and passing buses become a veil between the spectator and stage. Rythmes is a collection of photography in motion, combining moving and still images to enhance the multiplicity of layers in one environment. In Bird Parade, Delettre invites artist Grand So to paint on his photography, creating unique pieces where tradition meets modernity.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie chooses to exhibit works by four women photographers.

LAU Wai and Kayee C express the unique viewpoints of the new generation. They were both born in Hong Kong and with international experience.

Anat Givon and Catherine Henriette were born in Israel and France respectively, and lived in Asia for years. Both nourished their artworks with their former experiences as photojournalists.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Chinese photographer Zhang Kechun featuring a selection of images from his photographic series The Yellow River, Between the Mountains and Water and Chinese Landscapes. This exhibition brings together works from more than a decade of Zhang’s photographic journey, celebrating his most renowned series of photography.

Best known for his large format photographs of post-industrial Chinese landscapes, Zhang produces epic vistas that dwell on the significance of the landscape in modern Chinese national identity. His works depict scenery beyond the magnificent natural landscapes, it is an observation of economic reform and development in China.

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central

La Galerie will stage an exhibition encompassing 30 works from the private collection of a well-informed collector who dedicated years to his passion for art. At the heart of the show is a remarkable group of photographs by many of the most important Chinese artists of the 20th Century, including Hong Hao, Li Nan, Qiu Zhen, Wang Qingsong, Wang Tong, Wu Jialin, Xiao Zhuang, Xie Hailong, Yang Yankang, Zhou Jun and Zhu Xianmin. It displays the development of Chinese photography across decades (its earliest part dates from the Cultural Revolution Period 1966-1976) and presents the new generation of photographers raised in China. This extraordinary collection also consists of works of other media including printmaking and porcelain by renowned Chinese contemporary artists Liu Jianhua, Su Xinping and Wang Guangyi.

Gallery address: 74 Hollywood Road

La Galerie Paris 1839 is proud to present FUTURE CLASSICS, an exhibition presents the most recent elaboration of sculpture art by POLO BOURIEAU and photographic work that explores the spirit of nostalgia and futurism by VINCENT FOURNIER. This exhibition is a pleasant encounter of parallel visions between the two artists, their powerful work take the audience on a journey from Paper to Stone, Traveling to Stillness, and beyond the Sky and the Earth. 

Gallery address: G/F, 74 Hollywood Road, Central