No Stage, No Front Row: Anne Imhof’s House of Swans

Description

Contemporary dance performed in a circle — no stage; with dancers, props and overhead screens displaying visual art at the centre.

That staging is the heart of Anne Imhof’s House of Swans exhibition and performance, set in an imaginary future and depicting a heroine struggling on her path to love through a chaotic landscape. Co-curated by Tai Kwun‘s Tiffany Leung and Ying Kwok, the show juxtaposes the classical art forms of oil painting, bronze sculpture and ballet with elements of urban infrastructure. Imhof creates charged encounters in the gallery space.

The first major solo exhibition in Asia by the visual artist, choreographer, House of Swans features a commission of monumental new works that construct a powerful multisensory experience through atmospheric scenography, sonic installations and live performances. Born in Giessen in 1978 and now working between Frankfurt and Paris, Imhof is best known for the durational performances. After winning the Golden Lion at the 2017 Venice Biennale with the  historic five-hour durational performance Faust, came Natures Mortes (2021) at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Doom: House of Hope (2025) at New York’s Park Avenue Armory.

On 25 and 26 September, opening week performances with Hong Kong Ballet and an international cast will take place at 15:00 and last around 70 minutes each. Adapted performances by Hong Kong Ballet follow on selected dates from 3 October to 29 November 2026, at 14:30–15:15 and 15:45–16:30.

Then, on 26 September, Imhof joins American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Devon Teuscher for a Tai Kwun Conversation on their cross-disciplinary partnership. Introduced by co-curator Tiffany Leung, Imhof explains how she synthesises the languages of different artistic genres, while Teuscher reflects on how contemporary ideas are translated into classical ballet.