Step out of the Central crush, ride the lift to the seventh floor of an old colonial building, and the city falls away into pure colour. The James Turrell exhibition now at Gagosian Hong Kong turns light itself into the artwork — and, in a city built on neon and glass towers, that is a quietly radical thing to do.
What is on show?
"Lifting the Veil" is a five-decade survey of how James Turrell shapes light and perception. The American artist, now in his eighties, has spent a lifetime treating light not as a way to illuminate objects but as the object itself. This is the first Hong Kong show to pull that practice together in one place.
The centrepiece is a trio of Glassworks — Resolute (2025), Patmos (2024) and Of One Mind (2024) — each installed in its own purpose-built chamber inside the gallery. Around them sit Turrell's holograms, aquatint prints, a room-filling Ganzfeld light installation, and the site plans, photographs and models that document Roden Crater, his vast observatory carved into an Arizona volcano since 1977.
Why is James Turrell such a big deal?
Turrell is the defining figure of the California "Light and Space" movement. Since the 1960s he has built a body of work that you do not so much look at as stand inside, letting your eyes slowly adjust until a flat wall reveals itself as deep space, or a coloured field dissolves at its edges.
That slow, durational quality is the whole point. In a gallery, the works ask you to stop scrolling and simply watch the colour breathe. For visitors building a wider art itinerary, the show sits neatly alongside the season's other big draws — see our round-up of the best art exhibitions in Hong Kong this summer, and the much-discussed Lee Bul retrospective at M+. There is even a thread back to music: M+ is currently honouring composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, another artist obsessed with how we perceive time and sensation.
What should I look out for?
Give the Glassworks time — they reward patience, not a quick photo. Each one hides computer-controlled LEDs behind a shaped aperture (an ellipse, a diamond, a rectangle), so the colour seems to pulse from the centre to the edges and back. Linger and the surface flips between looking solid and looking infinitely deep.
The Roden Crater material is the other quiet highlight. You may never make it to the Arizona desert, but the models and plans here let you understand the scale of Turrell's life's work — an artwork the size of a landscape, designed to frame the sky. The Pedder Building itself is part of the experience, too; it is one of Central's great gallery hubs, a short hop from the heritage complex at Tai Kwun, so you can easily fold a visit into a wider afternoon among the city's best art galleries.
How to visit Gagosian Hong Kong
Gagosian occupies the seventh floor of the Pedder Building (畢打行), a two-minute walk from Central MTR. Entry is free and no booking is needed, which makes this one of the easiest world-class art experiences to slot into a Central day. The gallery is closed on Sundays, Mondays and on 1 July 2026, so plan around that.
Lifting the Veil — Visitor Info
Details per Gagosian's official exhibition page and gallery listing. A full press release is available to download. Always check the gallery site for any short-notice changes before you travel.
If you only have an hour in Central, this is a rare chance to see a major living artist's work for nothing — and to remember that the most memorable thing in a city of screens can be a single, slowly changing field of light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan your culture week
From light art to blockbuster shows, browse our guide to the best art exhibitions in Hong Kong this summer and never miss an opening.