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.

Hong Kong magazine has written great articles as of late about the small, off the beaten path, cool…read moreneighborhoods around Hong Kong. It was from one of these recent articles that I read about Odd One Out. My husband and I took the Ding Ding from Sheung Wan on a Sunday morning seeking out a cup of coffee to discover an uber cool art gallery that has a tiny cafe attached. It was the perfect way to start our day exploring this great little neighborhood, off the beaten path of Queen's Road in Wan Chai. Odd One Out is an active art gallery featuring lesser known artists producing small batches of lithographs, risprints, etchings, prints, etc. Artists were from Japan, US, Austrailia, China, etc. They also have some handmade greeting cards and small figurines as well. You could walk out with a small lithograph for $300HKD or an etching from the featured artist for $2500HKD. Prices are not out of sync or high for what you would expect to find for a numbered print by a quality artist. During our visit, the work of Kyoko Imazu was installed in their tiny space. The cool thing about this installation is that Kyoko does etchings, which is a craft that goes unappreciated by people outside the art world. It is a painstaking process of etching (scratching with a tool like a needle) a picture on a copper plate. At Odd One Out, Kyoko has a small vintage etching press that is right there in the studio where you can actually see and understand the process of how an artist makes an etching. This small press is unique and super cool. The gallerist (Kylie was her name and she could not have been sweeter or more interested in sharing her knoweldge in an unintimidating way) was saying that Kyoko has hosted some university students showing the the process of etching at Odd One Out. I believe this exhibition is up until November 17, 2015. We had a coffee in the tiny cafe called SFS that is attached. Coffee was a good bean and exactly the neighborhood local variety we were seeking. There is a small house pomerainean named Dim Sum who is there on sight too if you are a dog lover. Everyone we saw in store seemed to know this gentle little dog. He was kind of an added feature accentuating the vibe of Odd One Out. Odd One Out is a great neighborhood gem!

Lovely art gallery at the front and a cafe at the back, combining my love for art and delicious…read morecoffee in one place, es muy excelente! A bit of a trek from the Admiralty Star Street exit, so be sure to allocate 10 mins additional travel time if you are meeting friends there. I ordered a flat white while my friend ordered an Ecuadorian hot chocolate specialty drink. Pleasant environment and outdoor patio to just chill, and even play music (they have a classical guitar on display)! :)

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.

This was the fourth year that I attended the VIP Preview of Art Basel Hong Kong as a guest of my…read moredaughter, who's a VIP of the world-class exhibition since it was launched in 2013.  She was invited to the VIP Preview and could bring 1 guest with her.  We had also been to Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and twice to Art Basel Miami.  Art Basel HK is as good as all the Art Basel shows, if not better.  It had successfully propelled Hong Kong into an art capital of Asia. Art Basel HK 2026 featured 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific.  The exhibition took place on Level 1 and 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and was truly huge.  If you like modern or contemporary art, this is the show for you.  It is also a perfect place for people-watching, as some attendees are very fashion-forward or very innovative with what they wear.  No matter what you wear, remember to wear comfortable shoes, as people usually spend 3 to 4 hours walking through the entire 2 levels of show. This year we were also invited to the Opening Reception celebrating the launch of the Ray-Ban Lounge in the foyer of the Collectors Lounge.  There was a live performance by artist Kwonny painting on the mural of her artwork. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne.  The friendly hostesses who checked us in were amazed that we'd come all the way from the US! Food and drinks inside Art Basel are pricy as expected. We didn't buy anything this year as we attended the Ray-Ban opening reception, but we had made purchases each year in the past inside the exhibition hall or in the collectors lounge. Expect street food like egg tarts and egg waffles to be like 3 times the price outside, so was bubbles, wine and other drinks. If you would like to go to Art Basel Hong Kong, please plan ahead and purchase tickets well ahead of time.  If you book an Uber ride, make sure that you get dropped off or picked up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center HKCEC Phase 1 Entrance. I enjoyed the exhibition and would like to return again.

Art Basel has become one of the biggest annual art exhibitions in town for quite some years now…read more Are people in Hong Kong passionate about Art Basel? Hell yeah. Are poeople in Hong Kong passionate about art? Oh well, it really depends on how do you define it. It is a Facebook/Instagram heaven for a lot of us. And bigger, shinier, fancier arts are the ones usually get more attention. It's like where you go to a fashion show and the models who dress least will get most pictures taken. Nothing wrong with that, really, whatever floats your boat I guess. Art Basel is a collective exhibition of a lot of art galleries, art dealers, individual artists and all. So it is not quite as organized as you go to an art museum. The good part is you never know what you'd expect, and never get bored walking around two / three floors of arts. If you really want to appreciate closely, you need a solid 4 hours time at least. I'll see a bit of Impressionism like Sisley or Monet, and then a bit of Cezanne, Picasso, and then mostly the modern arts with Warhol, Miro, Magritte, Dali, Calder, Nam June Paik, etc.. and a bunch of Chinese / Asian artists that I don't recognize. If you like taking pictures of arts and having a healthy annual dose of arts, then Art Basel is your perfect place. If you are an art lover, you may find it a bit repetitive after a few years, because the it is not only about exhibition, but also a platform for galleries / dealers trying to sell similar arts over and over.

Looking for unusual gifts? I thought this place was full of unique, cool, unusual gifts and…read morethings. As noted in some information I saw, the HKTDC (Hong Kong Trade Developement Council) mission is to promote creativity, innovation and product excellence. They showcase the newest and best products of Hong Kong designers and brand manufactures. They use the gallery to launch and test market products and build brand awareness among international clientele. Local as well as an interesting concept....I like that. Quirky, fun, MOMA type gifts for self, spouse, friend or kid. As noted the great tunes playing on the showroom floor (an ambiance perk for a retail shopper!), you can browse everything from a cat shaped purse to a chicken electric kettle. From the bizarre to the functional, this store has a little something for everyone. They appear to have shop operations here a the Convention Centre, at the Departure Hall of the airport and also PMQ in Central.

OK, I get it, you need to get a gift for a friend back home, but you have absolutely exhausted…read moreLadies Market. There is no more Hong Kong tat that you can buy, now that you have already gifted the chopsticks in the little silk sleeve, the fake Mulberry bag, the belts that hide away your money, the waving fortune cats - arghhh, who would have thought you would run out of rubbish presents to buy! If this is indeed you, I would thoroughly recommend a visit to the HKTDC Design Gallery in the Convention Centre, Wan Chai. This haven of "stuff" is all 100% designed in Hong Kong, which means it is just that bit more genuine then those tea sets from Stanley Market. With a focus on young HK designers, and local brands, this is about as Hong Kong as you can get. Sure, the range of products is quite eclectic, anything from jewellery and iPhone cases, through to plates and lacquered boxes, and the designs themselves range from funny and childlike cartoon characters, through re-imaginings of historical photographs from Hong Kong. But this does make it an ideal place to shop, because you are bound to find something that you like. For me, it is a great place to buy greeting cards, and small gifts to take home. They even have a shop in the airport, in case of last-minute visits to Auntie Norah - you can't visit your auntie empty-handed now, can you? The prices of the products vary as much as their range. Nothing is too expensive, but in the same vein, nothing is particularly cheap. The products are very well-made, though. There is an ethos and focus on being a gallery, but I don't think it really resembles a gallery at all. The store is a retail store - bottom line, but if calling themselves a gallery helps shift a few more silicon ice-trays, then call yourself Dave for all I care.

The HK Museum of Art is one of the best museums to visit. It has a good size collection of classic…read moreand modern art. We especially loved the representation from local artist, amazing pieces capturing the history and richness of Hong Kong's past. The exhibits were well laid out and not overwhelming and offered a distinct and engaging experience. We also found out that the museums in HK are totally free thanks to an endowment. We would have paid for admissions tickets but it's really nice that they make art free for all. The next time you're in HK in the TST area, I highly recommend paying a stop at the Museum of Art.

Our second visit here. We decided to splurge on the Special Exhibit. Well worth it - and the view…read moreof Victoria Harbour/Kowloon Bay from the building is breathtaking. Recommended. PRO-TIP: Bring a shawl or jacket. The exhibition rooms are extremely cold.