Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Art

This public art commission by Alicja Kwade is the Polish artist’s first site-specific installation in Hong Kong, and is available for viewing at Tai Kwun until 2026. Historically and socially contextualised objects make references to Tai Kwun history while exploring the passage of time and the present. Six glass structures stand in conjunction with eight bronze cast Monobloc chairs that are each positioned dynamically with a boulder. Drawing on the history of Tai Kwun’s Prison Yard as a place of waiting and confinement, Kwade’s art reflects on the burdens that we carry, and the idea of waiting as a form of punishment in contemporary times, with glass structures representing invisible barriers in our lives.  ‘Waiting Pavilions’ is a precursor to the artist's upcoming inaugural solo exhibition ‘Alicja Kwade: Pretopia’, which will open in Tai Kwun’s JC Contemporary on January 10, 2025.

Open the Box returns for its second edition in Tai Kwun, literally opening up galleries and white cube spaces, inviting spectators to step into venues usually reserved for curators and art professionals and become artists themselves. Led by Japanese artist Shinji Ohmaki, ‘Bloom of Light’ encourages participants to create floral motifs and patterns in an ever-growing gallery, weaving their memories into a shared space that is constantly evolving. The period of co-creation runs until July 27, then the space will be open for public viewing from July 29 to August 3. Participation will require an admission fee of $180 for a maximum of two people and $240 for up to three (inclusive of art materials), but viewing the space when it’s completed will be free entry.