Hong Kong
Exhibition: 
SIDE CORE
under city

21 March -16 May 2026

wamono art presented SIDE CORE’s “under city” in Hong Kong for the first time.

SIDE CORE is a Tokyo-based art collective active since 2012. Members Sakie Takasu, Tohru Matsushita, and Taishi Nishihiro work with video director Kazunori Harimoto. Grounded in the ideas and histories of street culture, SIDE CORE’s practice asks how individuals can communicate—and leave traces—in urban and public space. Their projects often involve collaborators from other fields, resulting in works that emerge from the city’s blind spots, gaps, and overlooked infrastructures.

The exhibition’s central theme is “urban underground spaces.” For “under city,” SIDE CORE filmed rarely accessible sites such as massive underground reservoirs, disused water treatment facilities, and abandoned subway stations. While recent technological advances have made cities increasingly digitized and “visible,” many subterranean environments remain unknown or difficult to grasp. The work follows skaters moving through these underground spaces, then edits the footage into a continuous sequence—stitching separate locations into a single “virtual underground city.” The project brings together multiple lenses: skateboarding as a way of reading Tokyo’s underground, alongside geology and disaster preparedness, technology and urban theory, as well as urban legends and fiction. Japanese street skater Takahiro Morita participates through skate video production company “FESN”, performing in the work and directing skate sequences.
wamono art is located in an industrial building in Wong Chuk Hang, a redeveloped industrial area in ​​Hong Kong that remains in active use. In March 2026, SIDE CORE created a new work as all members stayed together in Hong Kong for the first time. The work, titled “hello hong kong / cutting a path with scissors” is an installation includes video, photographs, drawings, cloth, the text below, and the environment in which the gallery is located, with the meaning of “greetings” to Hong Kong.

. . .

Wamono art 首次在香港展示SIDE CORE的「under city」。

SIDE CORE 是一個自2012年以來活躍於東京的藝術團體。成員高須咲恵、松下徹和西廣太志與影片導演播本和宜合作。植根於街頭文化的思想和歷史，SIDE CORE 探索個體如何在城市和公共空間中進行交流並留下痕跡。他們的項目經常涉及來自其他領域的合作者，從而產生作品，這些作品源於城市的盲點、空隙和被忽視的設施。

展覽的核心主題是「城市地下空間」。在「under city」中，SIDE CORE 拍攝了如大型地下蓄水池、廢棄的水處理設施和被遺棄的地鐵站等難以進入的地方。儘管近年的技術進步使城市變得越來越數碼化和「可見」，但許多地下環境仍然未知或難以理解和接觸。這部作品跟隨滑板者在這些地下空間中移動，然後將拍攝的素材編輯成一個連續的序列——將不同的地點串聯成一個單一的「虛擬地下城市」。這個項目結合了多個視角：滑板作為解讀東京地下空間的一種方式，還有理解日本地質學和災難防備、科技與城市理論，以及城市傳說和虛構作品的方式。日本街頭滑板者森田貴宏透過滑板影片製作公司「FESN」參與這個作品，既在作品中表演，也負責指導片段中的滑板動作。
wamono art 位於香港黃竹坑的一棟工業大廈，2026年3月，SIDE CORE 因為所有成員首次留在香港，創作了全新作品。作品名為〈hello hong kong／用鉸剪劃出一條路〉，是一件裝置作品，當中包含了影片、照片、繪畫與布料、展示空間牆上貼了的一篇文字，以及畫廊所在地的周邊環境。這件作品表達對香港的致意，亦可理解為「向香港打招呼」。

One of the 5 unique drawings.

One of the 5 unique
video works.

Text is as follows

“HK trail club” video installation
We’ve attached 40 pieces of cloth to the mountain trail visible from this room, 20 of which have drawing on them. The video hanging on the wall is a documentary filmed from this building showing the scene.
The cloth is fluorescent green, so I think it’s easily visible from this room. If you are interested, we’ll give you one of the drawings, so please go and get it by hiking up the mountain. Just be aware that it will be quite difficult if you’re not used to hiking.
This project was made possible with the cooperation of Ms. Nakagawa, the gallery director. She knows everything about the trails, so if you are interested in hiking, please talk to her.
SIDE CORE

“香港步道會” video installation
 我哋喺呢間房可以見到我地哋喺山徑上面貼咗嘅40塊布，當中20塊係圖畫嘅。
牆上嘅影片係喺呢座大廈拍攝嘅紀錄片。塊布係螢光綠色，所以喺呢間房入面應該好容易睇到。如果你有興趣，我哋會畀其中一幅圖你；唔該行上山去攞返佢哋。不過，要注意，如果你唔習慣爬山，呢個過程會幾有挑戰性。呢個 計劃係同畫廊主任中川女土嘅合作下成功完成嘅。佢知道所有關於步道嘅嘢，所以如果你對登山有興趣，可以同佢傾吓偈。
SIDE CORE

. . .

SIDE CORE

SIDE CORE is a Tokyo-based art collective founded in 2012. Members are Sakie Takasu, Tohru Matsushita, and Taishi Nishihiro, working with video director Kazunori Harimoto. Drawing on street culture, SIDE CORE explores how people can transmit messages in urban and public spaces, producing projects that vitalize the city’s overlooked zones. Recent exhibitions include “New City” (Dec 2025, CCBT, Tokyo), “Living road, Living space” (2025-26, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa), “5th Anniversary Exhibition New Utopia – The New Ecosystem We Create” (2025, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, Aomori), “SIDE CORE Exhibition | Concrete Planet” (2024, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art + outdoor space, Tokyo), and the “8th Yokohama Triennale ‘Wildflowers: Alive Here and Now'” (2024, Yokohama).

SIDE CORE 是一個於2012年成立的東京藝術團體。成員包括高須咲恵、松下徹和西廣太志，並與影片導演播本和宜合作。植根於街頭文化，SIDE CORE 探索人們如何在城市和公共空間中傳遞信息，創作能夠活化城市被忽視區域的項目。最近的展覽包括「新城市」（2025年12月，CCBT，東京）、 「生活道路，生活空間」（2025-26年，金澤21世紀當代美術館）， 「第五周年紀念展 新烏托邦 – 我們創造的新生態系統」（2025年，弘前當代美術館，青森）、 「SIDE CORE 展覽 | 混凝土星球」（2024年，東京Watari當代美術館 + 戶外空間），以及「第八屆橫濱三年展 ‘野花：當下的生命’」（2024年，橫濱）。

Photo by Shin Hamada