Hong Kong’s best outdoor art spaces: from Tai Kwun to Tamar Park, Victoria Harbour and the West Kowloon waterfront, here’s where to get a dose of culture on the go
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![Pictured in September 2022, Inner Glow at Tai Kwun in Central used digital and 3D mapping technology to project animations and images onto the building facades of the historic complex. Photo: Edmond So](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/02dd2b8a-a4dd-46f7-9ff5-365850bbd0c7_30d8faa1.jpg)
Transforming Tai Kwun into a place for artists to reach audiences has perhaps paved the way for the growing number of outdoor and public exhibitions that now take place across the city. Both the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade and the expansive stretch of lawn space in Tamar Park outside the Central Government Complex have frequently played host to interactive installations.
![Seen here in June 2023 in Tamar, Admiralty, Rubber Duck is a series of giant floating sculptures of yellow rubber ducks, designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. Photo: May Tse](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/03407d3c-ca7b-40fb-9c47-737374b24f52_592b58d0.jpg)
Such projects demonstrate the power art has to engage the public and spark conversation. Many Hong Kong public spaces can be used in a myriad of creative ways to embrace the city’s growing appetite for accessible art.
![An anti-fraud mascot of the Hong Kong Police Force, Little Grape went on show at the West Kowloon waterfront in February 2024. Photo: Yik Yeung-man](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/be718e7d-53ef-40f1-b84e-16387db31159_a84b4ef7.jpg)
The success of bringing together simple messages with a lighthearted approach is an important reminder that art can be fun for all ages, and need not always be behind velvet ropes in formal spaces.
![Part of the large-scale outdoor art project Art@Harbour 2024, at the Central and Western District Promenade in Admiralty, TeamLab: Continuous will run through June 2. Photo: Edmond So](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/8ffe5dc7-ee1a-4827-9bc8-749b39998665_1126e908.jpg)
At the waterfronts of Tamar Park and the Central and Western District Promenade, TeamLab: Continuous is a colourful display that forms part of the Art@Harbour 2024 programme, now in its third year.
The installation, which will light up the Central waterfront until June 2, features egg-shaped inflatables that glow in different hues and are accompanied by changing sounds. The eggs dot Tamar Park lawn and spill into Victoria Harbour itself, paving a colourful path from the city into the water.
![Visitors in July 2023 to “Vital Signs”, an exhibition curated by Tetra Neon Exchange, and on display at Tai Kwun, Central. Photo: Sam Tsang](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/245fa927-3456-4f50-8bf3-f5d12920e1ea_664663a3.jpg)
Ultimately, though, the public’s growing interest in art has shone a brighter spotlight on venues such as Tai Kwun and M+, where various exhibitions and artist-driven events have been given a home.
![Inner Glow at Tai Kwun, Central, September 2022. Photo: Edmond So](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/1b736149-624d-4580-9b6f-d17636ab2ac0_fe11459f.jpg)
Held in association with Art Basel Hong Kong for the first time, Tai Kwun Contemporary on March 28 hosted Artists’ Night, enabling selected creators to access spaces for making and showing their craft.
![Tai Kwun regularly hosts Artists’ Nights, with the last one, in March 2024, being the first time the event was held in association with Art Basel Hong Kong. Photo: Handout](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/e8fc1eea-6fad-4266-bfbc-3187dffd6a44_b3ee84ec.jpg)
Perhaps the most crucial takeaway from the city’s efforts to engage the public in conversations about art is that more events are happening.
M+ has a venue for hosting a diverse range of events that touch on different spectrums in the art scene. The various spaces within the museum, including M+ Cinema, show films and works that explore the very nature of art, with many events taking place after hours.
![“Vital Signs”, Tai Kwun, Central, July 2023. Photo: Sam Tsang](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/11/0fcb2b9c-948c-487b-ad33-5bd2b9cfa9c6_9e817489.jpg)
Events centre on more than just displaying art – they often take the form of intimate talks, interactive events, and visual and music performances to encourage interaction and dialogue between artists and the public.
While cartoon purple grapes taking over the West Kowloon waterfront might not seem a deeply artistic concept, there’s no denying the positive impact that accessible art in public spaces can have on democratising art and inspiring interest in the average Hongkonger.
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- Tai Kwun – the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison compound – provides a space to enjoy art beyond the structured, buyer-driven confines of traditional galleries
- TeamLab: Continuous plopped giant fluorescent ‘eggs’ in the harbour, Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck made a big impression in 2023, and the West Kowloon waterfront was once hit by a sea of anthropomorphic grapes