Culture
Tai Kwun, Central
One of the most expensive heritage renovations in Hong Kong’s history, the tasteful transformation of this colonial-era police station and magistracy into a cultural destination is money well spent. Herzog & de Meuron added a contemporary-art gallery and auditorium to Tai Kwun’s existing Victorian architecture. The former parade-ground-turned-courtyard is a wonderful spot to linger after seeing a show, exhibition or film screening.
M+, West Kowloon
If you only have time for one museum during your stay, then make it M+. The Herzog & de Meuron-designed waterfront building – Hong Kong’s answer to the Tate Modern – incorporates art from across Asia and is among the best of its kind in the region. Billed as a museum of visual culture, M+ has an impressive film-and-architecture archive. The M+ Sigg Collection of contemporary Chinese art is permanently on display and a perpetual crowd pleaser.
Broadway Cinematheque, Yau Ma Tei
Hong Kong’s leading independent cinema is tucked away inside Yau Ma Tei’s unassuming Prosperous Garden housing estate. Opened in 1996, just before the handover of Hong Kong, the walk from the cinema to the Yau Ma Tei subway station after a late screening can still feel like a colonial-era Wong Kar-wai film set. Its on-site bookshop, Kubrick, is also worth a look.
Para Site, Quarry Bay
One of Asia’s oldest independent art institutions, Para Site is backed by a who’s who of the Hong Kong art world and regularly partners with likeminded contemporary galleries across the region. Executive director Billy Tang and his team of curators produce boundary-pushing exhibitions throughout the year, which encourage critical debate about art and society in Asia.
Gallery Exit, Aberdeen
Hong Kong artists have been quietly making a name for themselves in recent years. Gallery Exit has been a leading platform for local art since 2008 and represents painters such as Chris Huen Sin-kan and Stephen Wong Chun Hei. From the Blue Box Factory Building in Aberdeen, continue your art tour in nearby Wong Chuk Hang.
