White Cube

Success Stories
“Hong Kong plays a pivotal
role as a base in Asia, and
as an ideal platform for
debuting artists from around
the world to showcase
themselves in this region.”
Aenon Loo, Director
White Cube Hong Kong
White Cube to Broaden
Contemporary Art Horizon
UK’s largest art gallery makes Hong Kong its first choice for promoting world-class contemporary artists to enthusiastic and wealthy Asian art-lovers
White Cube, with two galleries in the UK, chose Hong Kong over
other regional cities for expansion shortly after opening its
60,000-square-foot gallery in Bermondsey, London, in 2011.
of the art scene here. “M+ has a certain future now. It will play a
leading role in educating and encouraging Asian collectors in
the years to come,” Loo said.
White Cube said Hong Kong was its immediate choice, as the
vibrant city has the energy of New York and access to the
commerce of Mainland China. It is a post-colonial territory with
ties to Europe, but is also quintessentially Asian, and offers
a platform for doing business far more easily than any other
location in the world.
“There’s also a new generation of collectors in Asia, as young as
25 years old. They are well informed and collect contemporary
art on an international scale,” he added.
Rapid Growth of the Art Scene
Opened in 2012 and situated in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central
district, White Cube occupies an impressive two-storey gallery
space. Its exhibitions have included artists like Gilbert & George
(Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore), Damien Hirst, Anselm
Kiefer, Antony Gormley, Jake and Dinos Chapman, and Marc
Quinn, among others.
“Since opening in 2012, we’ve seen an exponential interest from
our China and southeast Asian collectors in collecting Western
contemporary art,” Aenon Loo, Director, White Cube Hong Kong,
said.
Most companies go to Asia for economic reasons, but for a
gallery of this calibre and size the motivation was the challenge
of doing something new. White Cube’s aim is to create a deeper
dialogue among art collectors, artists, curators and the general
public, which can change the way that people see contemporary
art in Hong Kong.
With developments like the West Kowloon Cultural District
underway, White Cube sees massive and rapid development
Loo also notes a growing trend of collectors who do not travel to
London, as it is much easier for them to come here. “Hong Kong
plays a pivotal role as a base in Asia, and as an ideal platform for
debuting artists from around the world to showcase themselves
in this region,” Loo says.
Commenting on local talent and government support, White
Cube said it been very satisfied with the level of professionalism
of the local staff it has hired, and with the publicity support
offered by InvestHK.
White Cube
• Two galleries in London and one in Hong Kong
• Represents more than 50 world-renowned contemporary
artists • Hong Kong gallery was opened in March 2012 and
employs seven staff
whitecube.com
investhk.gov.hk
Original date of publication: September 2015
© Copyright Invest Hong Kong, September 2015. All rights reserved.