Hong Kong artist dismayed as works stolen hours before exhibition due to open

Hong Kong artist ‘dismayed’ as works stolen hours before exhibition due to open

Local artist says the social media-inspired styrofoam sculptures are unlikely to fetch much money on the black market

Hong Kong police are investigating the suspected theft of five styrofoam sculptures created by local artist Keith Lam Yan-kit. The sculptures were discovered missing from Hong Kong City Hall in Central hours before the opening of a major new exhibition.

At just after 2.30pm on Friday afternoon, officers received a report from the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2026 about the missing art pieces, which are part of an eight-piece work. The case has been classified as theft and assigned to the Central district crime investigation team.

An officer from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the scene said a carton containing five of the eight pieces intended for the exhibition was understood to have been delivered to the venue earlier. The carton subsequently disappeared, and police would coordinate with City Hall management to review CCTV footage as they tried to trace the missing items.