Asia Society Hong Kong Center

This is now the second time that I have been to the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. I subscribe to their e-​mail info and they send out all the great news about upcoming exhibitions, installations, events, workshops, cultural movies, etc. that they have going on at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.
Located across the road from the Conrad hotel and around the bend from the British Consulate (or at least I think that is what that is), this is a great place to check out. The front desk staff has been super welcoming and friendly on my two visits and I was impressed with the art exhibitions we were able to see both times (Yoshitomo Nara and Bat Cave). The exhibition space is not large, so don’t have the expectation that it is large like a multi-​level museum. It is more like a one wing, one floor of a museum in size. Both exhibitions were also reasonably priced. The Bat Cave I saw today was $ 30HKD.
This place not only showcases art, but has events, has a restaurant, has a history being a fortress of amunition back in the day, is an architecturally cool building to wander around, has feature films from time-​to-​time and also has a little gift shop. This is kind of a happening place!

Just came here my first time for the Yoshitomo Nara exhibit (today was the last day). It gives you the feeling of being secluded despite being near PP, right next the the British Consulate and across from Shang-​ri-​La. Admission was free which was great! You don’t normally get world-​renowned artist exhibits for free anywhere in the world ;) unless it was a specific day. So I was surprised! We were asked to leave backpacks at their coat check (also free!) and we walked along this bridge to the exhibit. The corridor was very serene with a small waterfall below, refreshing rushing water in the background and surrounded by lush greenery. It felt like I was on my way to a botanical garden instead!
Once we arrived, they reminded us no flash photography inside and we can download their audioguide via their wifi as well. I didn’t bother with it though. They had a guide every couple hours in the day. Nice little gallery here. Had 3 bigger rooms, 1 room for video and one corridor. There were various paintings and drawings as well as a fountain and the molded dogs. Good selection, especially for something that’s free! Probably about a 20 – 30 minute walk if you look and skim the readings. I’m not sure if other exhibits are bigger.
After we went down and they had an «art jamming» session which was really just paper and colouring pencils/​crayons for kids. But then that was free too so can’t complain. The giftstore was downstairs and they had nice iphone cases of the exhibit as well as some plates. They actually looked really nice but slightly overpriced. Decent size gift store with ample selection.
***
Tip: Follow their newsletter to get their latest gallery updates.
Favourites: Free admission when I went!
Meh: No photography inside
Last Words: Convenient location, nice mini escape from the city!

Just the building itself is a work of art. It is a rariety in Hong Kong for a building being able to submerge itself into its surroundings. A river running through underneath with a glass and stone pedestrain bridge over it.

The Asia Society’s Hong Kong center was founded in 2012 and was built (rather apropos) on the old British colonial barracks right across from the British Council and the JW Marriott Hotel. I believe there was even a live mine beneath the barracks and had to be removed with the risk of it being set off!
With breathtaking views of the city, this beautiful building designed as Suanne C notes by a very influential architectural firm Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects New York (or rather spaces and nooks and crannies) makes it an absolutely gorgeous space to visit, eat, relax, see…
The society plays hosts to a series of extra curricular activities including lectures, film screenings and art exhibits.
They invite some of the most influential leaders in the arts — writers and artists and their curated programs keep going from strength to strength. I’d say their educational programs for children are also fun and enriching for the community — they run a well oiled machine.
I recently attended a talk and reception for two authors who were in town to promote their books at the HK Book Fair. Both have written about Hong Kong and expat life; Lawrence Osborne and Oliver Lebe. The evening began with a lovely courtyard reception before we attended a very interesting discussion on writing about expat life and what the difference is between their perspective of Hong Kong and those, like myself, born and raised here.
The evening culminated in the Asia Society’s AMMO restaurant, a spanish themed joint with lovely staff and an excellent wine selection.

Asia Society Center is definitely one of the rare successful cases in building conservation in Hong Kong, a secluded sanctuary. Formerly being Victoria Barracks and Explosives Magazine that dates back to 1843, it is a Grade 1 Heritage site (highest) and was revitalized by the renowned Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects from New York.
Exterior of the old military structures are mostly recovered, with minor alternations to improve weather tightness and allow air-​conditioning. They are given a new use inside, housing exhibition spaces, lecture /​theatre hall, etc. All new additions are less than three floors (you don’t need to climb stairs that exhaust you), keeping the original horizontality of the place. You can see rail tracks in brown brass colour inscribed into the outdoor ground, which are the remains from the old magazine, for ease of transportation of the ammunitions by carts over rails. The green and grey tones of the stone used for the new building exudes a calming, almost meditative quality to the space.
Connectivity between the scattered barracks and storage huts is enhanced by covered walkways echoing the ‘heritage rail tracks’, and especially by the newly added double-​deck walkway, tying in the whole complex, the low and high block, the new and the old.
Strolling through the building is like meandering through a series of routes with both permanent and temporarily installed artworks strategically placed along the way, reminding me of the experience of passing through a Suzhou Garden. I wonder if it is part of the inspiration for the designer?
I particularly love the treatment of the upper deck of the walkway, where there is a lowered strip of bench seating along the edge. This allows you to stop anywhere along the way, and have a seat to savor in the view down at admiralty and even out to the sea over some of the rooftops.
For the Center you can enter mostly for free except for some periodic special exhibitions (though I mostly go there for walks to enjoy the building itself instead), and if you feel like a drink, there is Ammo, a small yet refined bistro in the new block. (A stunner in interior design! For which I would have a separate review.)
(A little side note: Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects is the firm who designed the American Folk Art Museum in New York City right next to MOMA which, sadly, is to be demolished and make way for an extension of the MOMA, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) who’s the designer behind the vibrant Highline Park in NYC. The decision is such a pity, even though I have much respect for DS+R as well…)