The opening of Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, M+, is one of the most anticipated events this year. Here’s what to expect from the newest addition to the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Hong Kong’s arts and culture scene is about to unveil one of this year’s most anticipated openings. After six years of construction, as well as nine years of curation to build an extensive art collection, the M+ museum will open to the public on 12 November 2021.
M+, West Kowloon Cultural District
Located at the tip of West Kowloon, M+ was designed by world-renowned architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. The 65,000-square-metre building is panelled with LED lights on the south facade, bringing the vibrancy of the museum all the way across the harbour. Viewed in profile, the building appears as an upside down “T”, with an expansive bottom podium structure topped by a strikingly slender tower clad in terracotta tiles inspired by traditional Chinese roofs.
Let’s talk about art at M+
Around 1,500 works drawn from the M+ Collections will be presented in the 17,000 square-metre exhibition space that includes 33 galleries. The opening exhibitions include; Hong Kong: Here and Beyond, M+ Sigg Collection: From Revolution to Globalisation, Things, Spaces, Interactions, Individuals, Networks, Expressions, Antony Gormley: Asian Field, and The Dream of the Museum. The exhibitions explore the different contexts that have shaped arts and culture in Hong Kong, Greater China, Asia, and beyond.
In addition to the main exhibition galleries, M+ will also present a series of commissions and displays throughout its public spaces, including the M+ Facade, the Grand Stair, the Studio, the Roof Garden, and the Found Space.
M+ museum’s world-class facilities
The museum includes several public spaces, such as museum shops, restaurants, and a roof garden with stunning panoramic views of Hong Kong’s skyline. If you can’t wait until November, you’ll be happy to know that The Other Shop and CURATOR Creative Café are already open to the public.
“I firmly believe that the future history of the art museum will be written, to a significant degree, in Asia,” says Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director of M+. “Few institutions will be more pivotal to that story than M+, a brand new centre for visual culture and a world-class landmark for a great international city. M+ delivers the stories from our part of the world, told by voices participating in and influencing the global conversation.”
M+ will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am–6pm, and open on Fridays until 10pm. To commemorate the grand opening, Hong Kong residents can enter the museum free of charge for 12 months from the date of opening!
To know more, visit the museum’s website.
