Asia Society Hong Kong Center

A hidden gem in Admiralty! Asia Society Center is surrounded by trees and quietness. Its architecture is sophisticated and elegant. Highly recommend to visit when you need some quiet time and calmness.

Beautiful, serene architecture. Green and peaceful with gorgeous views. Very well curated exhibits, I'm never disappointed with the art on show. Explanations in English & Chinese. Also the gift shop has some well chosen art magazines and books.

Unique art center and event space on the site of a British arsenal. Some nice views of the area and a terrific gallery in the old ammunition storage building with rotating exhibits. Peaceful and not terribly crowded. Take a break, enjoy some free art and soak up the atmosphere. Paintings were lit with care.

Lovely revamped of historical site. Interesting and nicely curated exhibitions. The bridge connecting different sites is astonishing

Wonderful heritage space for exhibitions and events, and just the venue itself is worth an hour or so of touring. I joined Asia Society's free public tour and learned a lot about the history and architecture of the center. Located in the former Victoria Barracks area, the Asia Society has taken over the former Explosive Magazines A and B as its venue of events and exhibition. The whole area comes with a holistic approach to historical preservation, art, ecology and architecture. Of the many heritage sites at the Asia Society, I found the explosives track to be the most interesting. Arsenal Street used to be where the raw materials for ammunition and explosives were transported to the Victoria Barracks by the coolies. The workers must wear lint-free garment to avoid causing sparks when they transported the explosives. The architects have preserved the transportation tracks as a way to celebrate the unique history of the former Victoria Barracks.

A serene escape in the city. I attended many events at Asia Society Texas when I lived in Houston, and this location did not disappoint. Fabulous contemporary architecture + historic buildings. Free admission to just visit and enjoy the art exhibition and rooftop garden. Wish I could have attended some of the lectures and events.

An interesting find behind the woods! Right across Conrad Hotel in Admiralty hides an explosives magazine compound of the Victorian British army, showcasing restored architecture with the original tracks used to transport ammunition. Don’t miss the free art exhibition of the renowned local artist Gaylord Chan and the refreshing view from behind the hustle and bustle of the downtown area.

Beautiful park architecture design with historical significance. Mix of modern and history. Do beware of mould inside the older buildings, as there’s no ventilation inside.

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!

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... )

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.

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!