The announcement of the Sigg Prize 2025 winners will be postponed from 4 December to 16 December 2025 in respect for those affected by the devastating fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong.

M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, is pleased to present the Sigg Prize 2025 exhibition. The exhibition will showcase commissioned and recent works by the six artists shortlisted for the third edition of the Sigg Prize. Generously supported by Lead Sponsor Cathay, the exhibition will open to the public free of charge from Saturday, 6 September 2025 to Sunday, 4 January 2026 in The Studio.

Established in 2018, the Sigg Prize is a biennial award that celebrates outstanding contemporary artists from the Greater China region and its diasporas. The Sigg Prize brings global attention to the region’s vibrant cultural landscape, showcasing the richness and diversity of its artistic practices. Winners of the past two editions include Samson Young (2019) and Wang Tuo (2023) respectively.

For its third edition, the six finalists all hail from different cities around the world. They include Bi Rongrong (born 1982, Ningbo, works Shanghai), Ho Rui An (born 1990, Singapore, works Singapore), Hsu Chia-Wei (born 1983, Taichung, works Taipei and Maastricht), Heidi Lau (born 1987, Oakland, works New York and Macau), Pan Daijing (born 1991, Guiyang, works Berlin), and Wong Ping (born 1984, Hong Kong, works Hong Kong). All born in the 1980s and 1990s, these artists represent the youngest and most diverse cohort of finalists to date. Working across mediums spanning ceramics and textiles to mixed reality and AI, their works explore cultural memory, history, and technology.

Co-curated by Ariadne Long, Associate Curator, Visual Art, M+, and Pauline J. Yao, guest curator, and supported by Mankit Lai, Curatorial Assistant, M+, the Sigg Prize 2025 exhibition presents newly commissioned and recent works by six artists:

• Bi Rongrong’s new work To Connect, To Cut, To Draw (2025) is a multilayered monumental textile backdrop that combines Chinese oracle bone script with geometric patterns inspired by ancient civilisations in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Supported by a grid-like metal structure, Bi uses weaving techniques, such as cutting, connecting, and withdrawing, to show how these patterns have evolved. Bi explores the diverse artistic contexts and cultural traditions that produced these designs.

• Ho Rui An’s Figures of History and the Grounds of Intelligence (2024) and his newly commissioned text-based work A History of Intelligence in ((South)(East)) Asia (2025) examine the complex dynamics between systems of power and AI technology. Ho explores how narratives shift when images are removed from their historical contexts and reinterpreted through machine learning. Set within a bed of sand, the installation features two screens: the left shows Ho’s lecture with an entry point of a realist painting by Singaporean artist Chua Mia Tee, expanding into topics such as colonial history, machine learning, and tech-driven governance. The right screen shows images accompanying his lecture, generated by AI in real time. A History of Intelligence in ((South)(East)) Asia presents a detailed timeline of international events from the 1940s to 2025 that reveals the complex dynamics between state power and the digital world.

• Hsu Chia-Wei’s video installation The Sound of Sinking (2025) explores the intersections of regional history and collective memory through shipwrecks in the Taiwan Strait. Hsu’s work uses a combination of virtual reality and archaeoacoustics, an interdisciplinary field that studies archaeological sites through sound. Hsu weaves sonar data, experimental music, and local folk songs into an immersive underwater soundscape. At its centre, a buoy ball with an attached VR headset plays footage that combines an animated ship with a live feed of the exhibition space. It is surrounded by images of archaeological artifacts displayed across the floor. The work reveals how historical narratives are constructed and explores the boundaries between reality and virtuality.

• Heidi Lau’s suite of ceramic sculptures Pavilion Procession (2025) is inspired by the creatures and monsters of the Shanhaijing, a Chinese mythological text. Her work resembles ancient spiritual relics arranged on an altar-like platform. They are positioned either close to the ground or suspended in midair, symbolising the connection between Heaven and Earth. A robotic spider sits at the centre, while a sculpture resembling a human spine hangs above. These hybrid beings embody Lau’s complex emotions surrounding the loss of loved ones.

• Pan Daijing’s installation Bent (2025) combines elements of performance, sound, light, and sculpture into a sensorial experience tailored to the gallery space. The steel railings on the floor, the ladder by the window, the shadowy bodies on the screens, and the irregular chrome objects echo viewers’ movements around the space. As with much of Pan’s work, this commission uses sound as its main element to heighten the viewer’s awareness of their sensations and emotions.

• Wong Ping’s new video installation Debts in the Wind (2025) is a toy-like playhouse setting, with artificial turf and a rooftop flagpole interrupting the space. Set on a golf course, the video follows ten characters, including a wealthy golfer, secret lovers, and an ancient tree. The film is voiced entirely by Wong, whose dialogue combines absurd humour with thought-provoking insights. Wong’s narration reveals the subtle relationships between these characters and delves into themes of violence, power, desire, and absence.

M+ hosts an opening ceremony today, 4 September 2025. In attendance will be Bernard Chan, Chairman of the M+ Board; Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; members of the Sigg Prize 2025 Jury, including Suhanya Raffel (Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong and Chairwoman of Sigg Prize), Maria Balshaw (Director, Tate, United Kingdom), Gong Yan (Director, Power Station of Art, Shanghai), Mami Kataoka (Director, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo), Glenn D. Lowry (The David Rockefeller Director, Museum of Modern Art, New York), Dr Uli Sigg (collector and member of the M+ Board, Switzerland), and Xu Bing (artist, Beijing); the six shortlisted artists; Pauline J. Yao, guest curator; and Ariadne Long, Associate Curator, Visual Art, M+.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, and Chairwoman of the Sigg Prize, emphasises the significance of Sigg Prize in advancing the region’s art, saying, ‘The Sigg Prize 2025 exhibition underscores the vitality and global resonance of contemporary art practices emerging from the Greater China region and its diasporas. The award not only recognises artistic excellence but also offers a lens into the region’s evolving creative landscape. This year marks an exciting moment, with all six finalists presenting their recent and newly commissioned works in person for the first time. The Sigg Prize will remain a vital force in spotlighting the region’s most compelling voices and shaping the future of Asian visual culture.’

Ariadne Long, curator of Sigg Prize 2025 exhibition and Associate Curator, Visual Art, M+, and Pauline J. Yao, guest curator of the exhibition, reflecting on the exhibition’s curatorial approach, note, ‘We aimed to craft a visually compelling presentation that celebrates the individuality of the six finalists. They offer a rich cross-section of artistic trajectories shaped by technology, memory, myth, and materiality. We highlight shared threads without imposing narrative, ensuring each artist stands on their own. We hope they are appreciated independently yet also in dialogue with the evolving landscape of contemporary art in the region.’

Edward Bell, General Manager, Brand, Insights and Marketing Communications, Cathay, says, ‘At Cathay, promoting arts and culture has always been close to our hearts, which is why we have partnered with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority as their exclusive Travel Partner. This reaffirms our commitment to supporting Hong Kong’s position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. We are proud to be the Lead Sponsor of this exhibition at M+, and to support this exhibition through our cargo and passenger flight services, helping to nurture these artists’ development. We would like to express our gratitude to the museum for its unwavering trust and confidence in us.’

M+ will present the free public talk Sigg Prize 2025 Finalists in Conversation on Saturday, 6 September 2025. The six shortlisted artists will join exhibition co-curators Pauline J. Yao, guest curator, and Ariadne Long, Associate Curator, M+, to share their insights into the work. The talk will be held in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese depending on the speaker, with simultaneous interpretation available in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese throughout. Please refer to the M+ website for more event details.

The Sigg Prize 2025 exhibition is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Cathay and Hotel Partner Rosewood Hong Kong.

Members of the Sigg Prize jury will select one winner from the six shortlisted artists based on their artworks in the exhibition. The final result of the Sigg Prize 2025 will be announced in December 2025.

Members of the Jury

• Suhanya Raffel (Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong)
• Maria Balshaw (Director, Tate, United Kingdom)
• Gong Yan (Director, Power Station of Art, Shanghai)
• Mami Kataoka (Director, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)
• Glenn D. Lowry (The David Rockefeller Director, Museum of Modern Art, New York)
• Dr Uli Sigg (collector and member of the M+ Board, Switzerland)
• Xu Bing (artist, Beijing)

About the Shortlisted Artists

Bi Rongrong

Bi Rongrong (born 1982, Ningbo, works Shanghai) received her MA in traditional Chinese landscape painting at Sichuan University in 2008, followed by an MFA in painting from the Frank Mohr Institute in the Netherlands. In recent years, her creative approach has involved collecting and extracting patterns from nature, architecture, and everyday objects. Working across various mediums, from painting and textile to animation and installation, Bi seeks out new ways to create organic connections between materials. She was a resident at TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance in 2024 and participated in the 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art at the Zhejiang Art Museum in 2022.

Ho Rui An

Ho Rui An (born 1990, Singapore, works Singapore) holds a BA in fine art and art history from Goldsmiths University and an MA in anthropology from Columbia University. Known for his lecture performances, Ho recently expanded his practice to installation and film. He often maps and traces the forces that shape geopolitics, globalisation, and media production. He has held a solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (2021), and his work has been presented in the Centre Pompidou, Paris (2024); Centre for Heritage, Arts & Textile, Hong Kong (2024); 14th Shanghai Biennale (2023); and Singapore Art Museum (2022).

Hsu Chia-Wei

Hsu Chia-Wei (born 1983, Taichung, works Taipei and Maastricht) graduated from Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in 2016. As an artist, filmmaker, and curator, Hsu works primarily in moving image, exploring transregional history and memory as well as the connections between humans, materials, and places overlooked in dominant historical narratives. In 2018, he held a feature screening exhibition at the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. His work has been presented in the Hong Gah Museum, Taipei (2024); 3rd Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai (2023); 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane (2021); and esea contemporary, Manchester (2019).

Heidi Lau

Heidi Lau (born 1987, Oakland, works New York and Macau) received her BFA from New York University. Drawing inspiration from ancient mythology and Taoist philosophy, Lau proposes alternate configurations of time and space through her ceramic practice, channelling generative diasporic perspectives through ritual, grief, and memory. She has held solo exhibitions at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn (2022) and the Macau-China Collateral Exhibition at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (2019). Her work has been presented in the 14th Shanghai Biennale (2023); UCCA Dune, Beijing (2022); and Shanghai Museum of Glass (2020).

Pan Daijing

Pan Daijing (born 1991, Guiyang, works Berlin) is an artist and composer whose artistic practice lies at the intersection of visual art and music. Informed by her background as a composer, musician, and performer, Pan engages primarily with sound, film, performance, installation, and choreography. Pan has held solo exhibitions at the Haus der Kunst, Munich (2024); Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2021); and Tate Modern, London (2019), with an upcoming exhibition at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, in 2025. Her work has been presented in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (2023) and 13th Shanghai Biennale (2021).

Wong Ping

Wong Ping (born 1984, Hong Kong, works Hong Kong) received his BFA from Curtin University in Perth. An animator and graphic designer, Wong creates vivid, dreamlike worlds that reflect modern society while alluding to social and political issues. He has held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (2023); New Museum, New York (2021); and Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (2019). His work has been presented at Somerset House, London (2024), and Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul (2022).

About M+

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese contemporary art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)

WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong’s new cultural tourism landmark, spanning forty hectares alongside Victoria Harbour. WestK comprises a mix of landmark arts and cultural facilities, including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues the Xiqu Centre and Freespace, the eleven-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade, and the upcoming WestK Performing Arts Centre.

Hosting over 1,000 exhibitions, performances, programmes, and events each year, WestK provides a vital platform for both emerging and established artists. WestK welcomes more than ten million visitors each year, evolving as the international cultural brand of Hong Kong and strengthening the city’s strategic role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.