As soon as the elevator doors open to the entrance of Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy’s (HKGTA) private members’ Town Club space on top of New World Tower, visitors are greeted by a statue of a life-size swimmer, enveloped in an omelette, carrying a Japanese flag.
Unexpected and surreal, this sculpture is part of the exhibition, The Flavour of Art, featuring the work of Japanese artist Kunihiko Nohara. Known for juxtaposing unusual motifs in his surreal wooden sculptures, Nohara’s pieces have subtly taken over HKGTA’s Town Club. The space, which opened in 2022, has three restaurants, three bars, four private rooms, and a “pub-like” space that functions as a lounge area.
Currently, cloud-like shapes attached to sundry objects—from which figures can be seen emerging—are ubiquitous throughout the space. This happens to be a hallmark feature of Nohara’s work. In one piece, for instance, a large white cloud rises from a cup of milky coffee, with a figure wearing swimming goggles and with his head and feet sticking out from either side of the cloud as if he’s swimming through it.