Anne Imhof Discusses 'House of Swans' at Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong
At Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong, Anne Imhof presents "House of Swans," an exhibition that showcases sculpture, painting, and a four-act story ballet featuring dancers from both the American Ballet Theatre and Hong Kong Ballet. This work builds upon themes from her 2017 Golden Lion-winning piece, Faust, and her upcoming 2025 project, DOOM: House of Hope. Imhof emphasizes that the limitations of ballet allow for expressive liberation, with the sculptural mise-en-scène representing external control. The story centers on Amalia, who escapes a conformist world, encounters the Swans, and intervenes to avert violence. Notable characters include Devon Teuscher as Amalia and Qingxin Wang as Connie. A crashed Jumbotron counts down to the exhibition's conclusion, which will be on display in 2026.
Key facts
- Anne Imhof's exhibition 'House of Swans' is on view at Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong in 2026.
- The exhibition includes a four-act story ballet performed by dancers from American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and Hong Kong Ballet (HKB).
- Imhof won the Golden Lion for Faust at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017.
- Her previous work DOOM: House of Hope was presented at Park Avenue Armory in New York in 2025.
- The sculptural elements include crowd barriers, metal lockers, cages, and marley flooring, with barriers serving as ballet barres during performances.
- Characters were developed collaboratively with dancers: Devon Teuscher (Amalia), Qingxin Wang (Connie), Michael de la Nuez and Gouta Seki (Hanno), Toon Lobach (Vania), Remy Young (Juliet), and Ryo Kato (Angel).
- A crashed Jumbotron counts down to the exhibition's end, symbolizing ruin and the temporality of art.
- Original music was composed by Levi Strasser, Jacob Madden, Iggor Cavalera, Ville Haimala, and Luke Hülsmann.
Entities
Artists
- Anne Imhof
- Devon Teuscher
- Remy Young
- Toon Lobach
- Qingxin Wang
- Gouta Seki
- Ryo Kato
- Michael de la Nuez
- Levi Strasser
- Jacob Madden
- Iggor Cavalera
- Ville Haimala
- Luke Hülsmann
- Nadine Fraczkowski
- Louis Lu
- Ying Kwok
- Tiffany Leung
Institutions
- Tai Kwun Contemporary
- American Ballet Theatre
- Hong Kong Ballet
- Venice Biennale
- Park Avenue Armory
- ArtAsiaPacific
Locations
- Hong Kong
- China
- New York
- United States
- Venice
- Italy
- Asia