I kind of snuck in. I did. They were actually closed and open for appointments only, but I slid…read morein to check it out. The question of "are they open to the public or are they only open for appointments to potential buyers" is a slippery slope around Hong Kong. "Are you just looking or are you buying?" is another slippery slope. Without a solid contemporary art museum to anchor from, I seek out art any way I can...even slipping into Gagosian. Do as I say and not as I do: I suppose it would be best to call first and simply ask to say "can I come by and take a look, not to buy, but just to look" to be on the up and up with their blessing versus the sneek in approach. If you love contemporary art, this is your church. Their is a fine line between public museum and private gallery in Hong Kong and access to see what is out there in the contemporary world can really only be viewed in the private gallery. I cant lie though. Between several places like Gagosian and Pace, these places are the holy grail of contemporary art and absolutely go if you have an opportunity to be in this space because without doubt whatever is on their walls is spectacular.

I am a fan of art. Contemporary art is my wheelhouse of understanding. So if I can go to a mall…read moreand also be exposed to contemporary art, then I am one to subscribe to the notion that this is a good thing. Too many people, art is not a worthy endeavor for daily consideration, so they would think differently. K11 Art Space is a break in the routine in the sea of shopping malls that blanket Hong Kong...yes it is a mall, but the niche is that it has a designated space to pause in this large urban landscape and contemplate contemporary art. Membership is free by simply signing up or a $20HKD admittance charge if you are not, you will be exposed too a small art space with an installation that seems rotate every few months. We visited while Urban Sense (March 3, 2016 thru May 15, 2016) was up. This exhibition looks at the features of contemporary urban life which shape our experiences - architecture, people, space, work, leisure, technology, sound, vision...elements that work together or compete against each other for our attention. When I am back in the K11 Art Mall (really a shopping mall with some art about), I will always pay a visit to the K11 Art Space. It is a quick stop versus a giant museum (which I would visit if Hong Kong had that...bring on M+!), it changes the narrative of a regular visit to the mall and it exposes me to different perspectives...all while buying an overpriced macaroon at a kiosk and buying a new pair of ballet flats on sale.

Contemporary urban art may not be everybody's cup of tea. Most of the time, it goes right over my…read morehead but every now and then, I would get an inkling of the artist's message. What I find interesting about Oi! is that it is not your conventional art gallery. Oi! is not big. It sits on the corner of Oil Street and Electric Road in Fortress Hill on the island. A century ago, the waterfront was right outside this property. It was logical for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club to set up base here and operate until the government took over thirty years later in the 1930s. The historic brick buildings are specimens of the post-Victorian Arts and Crafts Architectural Movement. On the day of my visit, the theme was to stimulate our audio, visual, and tactile senses. The artists encouraged people to actually touch their creations. I like when art can be approached from more than one dimension. There was one exhibition room that was stark empty except for a porthole in the floor; and another one in which I had to duck my head because a block TV set was hanging from the ceiling. I also got to interact with other eclectic and obscure art pieces. Unexpectedly, the co-op kitchen was offering visitors complimentary miso soup on site. I guess if wine and hors d'oeuvres are served at the traditional art openings, why not offer hot soup at Oi! The idea was "they cook, you clean" so people had to do the little chore of washing the bowls they had used. I thought that was pretty neat. Everything was cool. Before heading out, I decided to use the restroom. I really wish I hadn't. They were either understaffed or negligent to have left the facility in a ghastly state. It might have been the visitors. What a shame to end my visit this way. For me, Oi! was an experience. I enjoyed the history aspect. I didn't have a full grasp of the pieces I saw but art is subjective. New exhibits rotate in periodically. Maybe next time I'll make a connection with one of them. 3.5

As we were simply walking by, I knew that this was clearly an old set of buildings that had been…read morerestored, but I was not sure what this space was exactly. With the kind staff at the customer service booth that went the extra mile to show me key parts of the facility and pointed out the specifics of the art installation spaces and the Social Gastronomy experiment space, I think I am a bit of a fan of this place. Once an old boat yard and covered mostly by water, this is a perfect example of Hong Kong recycling, reusing and re-purposing public building space. Part museum (with two installations currently: North Point Dream Properties Limited and 7-Paperholic), part social experiment on food with XCHANGE (turning leftovers and seasonal ingredients from participants and neighborhood markets into mouthwatering dishes), part community service/social hub (with talks, lectures, workshops, etc), part historical venue (Oi! is a Grade 2 Historic Building and they provide daily tours at 2:30pm, 4:45pm and 6:30pm daily). Art is really the driving factor for me with Oi!, but clearly their aim is really to connect with the community on a socially conscious level much greater than just art. But if you are not driven by social matters, note that admission to Oi! is free. The space is not large, but there is intellectually a lot going on to absorb at Oi! Although I did not have time to really understand all pieces of this space, I took a Oi! newspaper to go and have visited their website to sign up for news and events going on here. I will absolutely return to discover a bit more.

I've been to 3D museum in Bangkok and it was so much fun, so when I learned that there's one in…read moreHong Kong I just have to visit!! I was warned that this place is small, so I know not to expect the two storey high gigantic backdrops I've seen before. The museum is actually not as tiny as I expected, but the backdrops are really small. They should find a building with taller space, and expand the drawings a few feet each way. Right now you have to be very careful not to include the outside area and the spot lights in your photos. Also, the low ceiling means that the light makes the seams between floor and walls more obvious. Another disappointment I have is that there are only a few scenes that are Hong Kong related. Otherwise it's over 90% related to One Piece. For people who are not anime fans, this just isn't very interesting. They seem to change their artworks regularly, many of the photos I saw in the reviews are no longer around. Nonetheless, we still have fun, and there is a nice guy who goes around showing us how to pose (he also snap pictures which hopefully you'll buy from him but there isn't much pressure.) Some scenes posted a sample pics to give you an idea how to post but unfortunately a lot of them don't have one and left us rather clueless as to where we are supposed to stand. The 4 stars here is a bit generous but I do want this place to succeed and improve and see similar businesses opening up. You do need to have friends to go with you. And better some friend who's a perfectionist, instead of just pressing the shutter, to advise you where to stand, how to pose, and don't mind stepping around a bit to get at the perfect angle for the best effect. Useful tips: - they have lockers available but charge for it. - wear jeans/shorts but not dresses and skirts which are less gravity defying. - if you go on your birthday with a friend, it's $149 for two instead of $128 each.

Ahh so fun!!! Came here with my dad because he was the best at taking pics (girl gotta get that…read moreinsta pic right??) and surprisingly, we both had a great time!! They changed some of their pictures when I went (for example there wasn't a water wing) but it was still a great experience. They have different sections such as an area for One Piece and another one for HK lifestyle. There's an area where the place gets a bit crowded but I didn't care much for those backdrops so I just skipped ahead. We made two rounds around the place before leaving and it wasn't overwhelmingly long :) Came on a Saturday afternoon too! But...a huge crowd came in right after we left so thank god we left!