M+, billed as Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, has opened to the public in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District.
Dedicated to collecting and showcasing visual art, design, architecture and moving image, M+ is one of the world’s largest museums for modern and contemporary visual culture.
The institution is displaying approximately 1,500 works from its collections across 17,000 square metres of exhibition space. M+, which boasts 33 galleries, is opening with six thematic exhibitions:
Six thematic exhibitions at M+
- Hong Kong: Here and Beyond
- M+ Sigg Collection: From Revolution to Globalisation
- Things, Spaces, Interactions
- Individuals, Networks, Expressions
- Antony Gormley: Asian Field
- The Dream of the Museum
Designed by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with TFP Farrells and Arup, M+ covers a total of 65,000 square metres. It boasts three cinemas, as well as a mediatheque, learning hub and research centre.
Amenities at M+ include two museum shops, restaurants, and the roof garden, which offers incredible views of Hong Kong’s skyline. The Other Shop and CURATOR Creative Café at M+ opened earlier this year.
Contemporary visual culture
“When you look at institutions such as the Pompidou and MoMA, we are very similar in the sense that we have that expanded interest, in terms of disciplines and exhibitions,” M+ director Suhanya Raffel told blooloop.
“We are a new museum. But we are not only building a museum, we’re also establishing an institution, which is very unique, given the scale of what we’re doing,” she said. “Contemporary visual culture is something that is very special to Asia. And we will be the first institution that spans those interests on this scale for Asia.”
Construction of the M+ building started back in 2014. Admission to M+ exhibitions, bar special exhibitions and events, is free to all visitors for the first 12 months of opening.
Images: Herzog & de Meuron
