For thousands of years, artists have tried to capture the human figure in their work. Sometimes they've represented individuals realistically, as in sculptures of famous people. Sometimes they've idealised them, in the form of gods and goddesses. Towards the end of the 20th century though, a few sculptors began to create hyper-realistic figure sculptures. Australian artist Patricia Piccinini takes hyper-realism one step further.

Patricia Piccinini's works present us with a sort of “artificial nature”, a glimpse of a possible future in a hybrid world. Paris-based Syrian artist Ziad Dalloul says his aim is to open pathways between the visible and the imagined, the real and the metaphysical, through examining the relations between static objects, lived spaces, and the ever-changing natural environment. On show at Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery as part of Le French May Arts Festival, “Shimmer of Memory” showcases 20 of Dalloul’s oil paintings and works on paper created in the past 11 years.

Upcoming presentations by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in their world music series include lecture demonstrations focusing on the Japanese shakuhachi, West African Mande music, Flamenco from Spain and Central Asian classical music. This Saturday, you can hear classical Indian music forms such as the raga and the dhun and even a folk music piece, in a sitar recital by Anil Singh. He's with us right now.