Hong Kong's role as Asia's art hub is manifest in its busy auction houses, the Art Basel fair that has grown in strength, as well as its proximity to China. Singapore, with its government support, has made strides as a serious player in the region. But Hong Kong still retains its lead, confirming the notion of where there is surplus economic capital, there's also room for art.
The government of Hong Kong has consistently worked to put the city in the world creative and design spotlight. In 2010, it assisted the local art community to create a new design hub by permitting the use of government's pricey land plot on Aberdeen Road in Central.
Known as PMQ — Police Married Quaters, or flats for Hong Kong policemen and their families — the lot was transformed into stylish yet affordable rental spaces for art studios and offices for local and foreign designers. PMQ also offers free exhibition space for designers to showcase their works or launch activities, workshops to enhance their capacities or build their brand profiles. Opened last year, PMQ now rents 130 spaces of small offices, studios and shops for designers.
"PMQ is able to connect shops and galleries in nearby areas, and we do have regular design festivals," William To, director of creative & programme at PMQ, said during Hong Kong's BODW (Business of Design Week).
PMQ manages to attract global brands such as Hermes, Van Cleef and Arpels, and others, to run design exhibitions. But PMQ just does not want to reserve itself to an artsy clan, it wishes to engage with the public. "The whole idea is to build a community that offers fresh and interesting things that can inspire the public, especially youngsters," said To.
Like other forgotten urban spaces that become art enclaves, PMQ also makes its mark as an up-and-coming tourist destination. Thanks to the cozy and community-like atmosphere, the place is the latest hangout spot in Hong Kong, especially for teenagers.
PMQ also provides commercial space for design shops and clothes, as well as restaurants and also cooking workshops. The building — renovated by local architect Billy Tam — provides a vast and casual public space where visitors can sit and relax. But many visitors usually flock to the central exhibition space called "The Cube", which regularly displays art projects.
The creation of PMQ is a showcase of urban revitalisation, which upholds the preservation of traditional communities' way of life and architecture. Tam, the architect, decided to keep original structures of two buildings to make sure PMQ would blend with the surroundings while keeping the history of the place.
Anyone familiar with Hong Kong's TV cop shows won't have any trouble visualising the rigid bureaucratic atmosphere of police flats. Yet, the architect manages to soften the hard concrete and angular structure of the rather obtuse 50s style architecture by employing light materials such as glass panes and sleek aluminium railings. The original white and light-green colour scheme is kept, instead of following the urban trend of painting the building in black and white.
The interior has been kept intact, as well. In many renovation projects, especially for commercial purposes, most architects and developers usually remove the inner structures to create more usable space. The decision not to alter too much interior floor plan means new offices have to contend with limited space, and PMQ retains that character and land use of Hong Kong, particularly the small rooms and shared facilities.
PMQ is attracting visitors who come for art exhibitions, shopping or even dining at hip restaurants. If you get tired of PMQ, you can also wander along small roads as the area is the so-called Soho district of Hollywood Road (nothing to do with the film industry; "Holly" is just a name of trees grown along the road).
PMQ is a unique place in Hong Kong because it shows how old and vacated buildings can be reborn into something new without having to erase the old character.
Inside Hong Kong’s PMQ.
Billy Tam, the architect responsible for PMQ’s renovation, decided to keep original structures and the original tone of the old buildings.
