5 Hidden Gems
3-10-12
Recently my friend, Wendy, (who I met on Twitter because that's a thing now...) invited me to the Asia Society to see an art show. I've lived in Hong Kong four years and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the city. So when she tells me it's in Admiralty by Pacific Place I'm like "I got this..." 40 minutes after leaving the MTR station and walking up the GIANT ASS hill I arrive at the Asia Society looking a hot mess, breathing like an elephant about to give birth and telling the receptionist that the Google map for this place is crap. The cute photographer next to me who is also sweaty and out of breath goes "At least you're not on IO6." I have no idea what he's talking about but he's attractive, so I smile, nod and run to the ladies room to squeeze the sweat out of my bra.
The venue for Wendy's art show was beautiful and get this... they have TWO performance spaces in Admiralty for theatre! TWO! How did I not know about this?! And one of them is an outdoor venue that's all feng shui with waterfalls and shit - perfect for so many theatrical experiences. It got me thinking... Often times we only stick to our familiar surroundings and safety theatres. I'm not sure for the reasons. Maybe it's because we don't want to get lost or we want to make sure we can get wasted at ladies night afterwards. But we always tend to stick to the same treading ground. So I'm going to share with you 5 amazing hidden gems that you may not have heard about. Some are venues, some are not. But they are sure to open your mind as an audience and artist about what this city has to offer. Don't worry about getting lost..."it's about the journey not the destination."
1) Asia Society- Admiralty
I've already talked about this one. I saw it this week and had my mind BLOWN by how beautiful it was. It's a gallery, a theatre, a restaurant, a cinema. It has endless possibilities as an artistic space in town. Go see it if you can. They have art shows and theatrical experiences happening. Check out their website.
An under-used theatre space that has a youth hostel attached to it. Stylish and hip looking with one of the coolest staffs in Hong Kong I love seeing shows at the Y-2. It has 2 theatre spaces and rehearsal rooms available for rent. It's affordable (by HK standards) and has discounts for non-profits. Check it out if you haven't. I know Chai Wan is out of the safety zone but it's got an express bus from Central that takes 20 minutes tops.
3) The Space- Sheung Wan
A new comer on the block is actually a flexible space that can become anything you want it to be. It can be an art gallery, rehearsal space, party venue, theatre, photoshoot location, pop ups, etc. I saw this really weird show here where a girl covered herself in butter. I'm not kidding. I like a space with flexibility in its usage and it's a great location. Check it out if you haven't.
I know, it's a bar... But I love this bar and I feel it is under appreciated for what it does for the art community. Monday nights they do free movies, they have poetry jams, they have open mic nights, they hire starving artists to work the bar and hang local artists work up on the walls. If you are wanting an intro 101 into HK's art scene, this is the place to do it.
5) PechaKucha
Can you even pronounce this word? Started in Japan in 2003, PechaKucha is an open forum to discuss anything! PechaKucha HK started up last year and has at least one performing arts topic every month. Each speaker gets 6 minutes and 40 seconds to talk about what they do and 20 slides. (20 secs per slide). Everyone drinks, learns and has an open dialogue about what people are doing in the city that makes them happy. PechaKucha is super cool and fun to attend. Highly recommend it. Check it out on facebook for the next location and date. (Hopefully this time there will be aircon!)
Comments
vlad
You're writing style is so funny! I laugh every day because of you. Thank you. Tell me more about the girl covering herself in butter. Were pancakes involved?
03 October 2012Gwell
Asia Society is truly an amazing place !!!
03 October 2012mike
sonia and pechakucha are awesome. thanks for talking about them!
08 October 2012