Hauser & Wirth’s new Hong Kong gallery to open in Central on Wednesday, aims to make art more accessible
- The new street-level gallery at 8 Queen’s Road Central is around a third bigger than Hauser & Wirth’s previous location at H Queens
- It will kick off with an exhibition of Chinese artist Zhang Enli featuring nine new works
The hoardings are finally coming off of the building at the bottom of Duddell Street. On Wednesday, multinational art gallery Hauser & Wirth will unveil its new street-level Hong Kong space, a move that the gallery says aims to make art more accessible.
Founded in 1992 in Zurich, Switzerland, Hauser & Wirth set up its first Asia outpost in Hong Kong six years ago, on the 15th and 16th floors of H Queen’s, in Central. Its new home is located in another A-grade office block nearby at 8 Queen’s Road Central.
The ground floor space used to be the flagship Longchamp store. The gallery is also taking over the first floor, which will be used for private viewing rooms and educational events.
The total gallery space, excluding private viewing rooms, is around a third larger than the previous location, with most of it on the ground floor. Most importantly, the gallery’s artists are thrilled to be in a far more visible space, says Asia managing partner Elaine Kwok.
“Our opening show is Zhang Enli’s ‘Faces’. He has been with us for nearly 20 years,” Kwok says of the Chinese artist.