Herzog & de Meuron

HONG KONG, 11 November 2021 – M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District opens to the public on Friday, 12 November 2021. The museum hosted an official opening ceremony and a media tour today, finally unveiling the opening displays that include six thematic exhibitions with over 1000 works drawn from different areas of strength in the M+ Collections.

The West Kowloon Cultural District emerged gradually from the seaport, where section by section the natural harbor was filled with earth. On this reclaimed land sits the site of M+, connected to the city and overlooking the sea—not only anchored in its surroundings, but also formed by them. The M+ building is a focal point between the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Park, the Avenue and Victoria Harbour.

A cultural centre for 20th and 21st century art, design, architecture, and the moving image, M+ embraces the entire spectrum of spaces, means of display and activities related to exhibiting and viewing these media.

Through its specificity, it becomes a distinctive, singular and unmistakable piece of Hong Kong. But above all, M+ is a public forum, a built platform for the exchange, encounter and activity of people and art.

A covered entrance podium forms a bright, welcoming public space that can be entered from all sides and levels, making accessible the activities of the museum and inviting visitors into the diverse display topography. The precise and urban, almost archaic shape reiterates the iconic character of Kowloon’s skyline on one hand, yet on the other hand, this convention is subverted by artistic messages transmitted on the surface of the façade. This oversize screen acts as another gallery, one that can be seen from Hong Kong Island, broadcasting the site of M+ in constant renewal.

M+ expresses a vision—for a new institution of visual culture and art for Hong Kong and the world. Rooted in the ground, above a train tunnel, the building rises up to the sky with its face towards the city. It will speak a powerful, yet poetic language of art. After nine years in the making, M+ is finally open to the public.

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