Hong Kong’s art scene is bursting with fresh, bold talent, and The Hari Art Prize 2025 has just crowned three standout artists who are redefining the city’s contemporary landscape.

At a special award ceremony on March 13, The Hari Hong Kong—together with London-based art advisory A Space for Art—announced that Chan Ka Kiu took home first prize for her playful yet thought-provoking video installation Tickle Tickle. The win comes with a HK$100,000 cash award, personally donated by Dr. Aron Harilela, CEO and chairman of Harilela Hotels Limited and founder of The Hari Hong Kong.

Nicole Wong secured the first runner-up spot with The Definition of Rain, a mesmerizing, floor-to-ceiling suncatcher curtain made of glass and opalite that translates the word “rain” into binary code. Wu Jiaru, the second runner-up, captivated judges with her abstract oil-on-linen series spillover i & ii, a stunning exploration of subtle violence and tension. Both artists received a luxury two-day stay at The Hari Hong Kong, complete with breakfast and a dining experience at either Lucciola or Zoku.

A Prize That’s Gaining Momentum

This year’s competition saw nearly 600 applications from emerging Hong Kong-based artists—double the number from its 2023 debut. The prize is open to self-taught artists and recent graduates within the first decade of their careers, offering them a major platform to showcase their work.

The 2025 finalists included APO, YY Chan, Dony Cheng Hung, Itit Cheung (Weera it Ittiteerarak), Gianluca Crudele, Ho Hou Wun, Inkgo Lam, Vincent Lee, Jeremy Leung, Livy Leung Hoi Nga, Edwin Lo, Karen Mai, Geoffrey Palmer, Amy Tang, Gavin Tu, and Angela Yuen Ka Yee.

A panel of respected industry figures, including Dr. Harilela, A Space For Art’s Charlie Smedley, TASCHEN’s Frankie Ho, Ben Brown Fine Arts’ Amanda Hon, and curator Anqi Li, judged the competition.

The Stories Behind the Winning Works

First-prize winner Chan Ka Kiu’s Tickle Tickle is a sharp, surreal look at everyday absurdities, featuring a script written by the artist alongside a moving image collage of pop culture references, pet videos, and AI-generated content. At its core? A playful but unsettling exploration of what it would mean if dogs had hands.

Nicole Wong’s The Definition of Rain takes a completely different approach—her delicate curtain installation freezes a moment in time, symbolizing falling rain through 105 strings of binary-coded opalite and glass beads.

Wu Jiaru’s spillover i & ii blends abstract and figurative elements, encouraging viewers to reflect on the quiet, underlying forms of violence in the world.

The Hari: A Home for Art

Beyond the prize, The Hari Hong Kong continues to solidify itself as a cultural hub with initiatives like The Hari Chronicles, an ongoing conversation series on art, design, and Hong Kong’s creative identity. The hotel itself is an evolving gallery, featuring a rotation of exceptional works curated by A Space for Art.

Several of this year’s finalist pieces will be on display at The Hari Hong Kong through May, including Vincent Lee’s disposable cutlery sculpture Hammerhead Shark, Ho Hou Wan’s four-piece sculpture Above the Granite, and Amy Tang’s painting The Form of Territory: Spread.

For an inside look at the prize and the artists’ creative processes, visit The Hari Art Prize website.