In the last few decades, Hong Kong's art market has been steadily growing. One key component of this growth is the city's status as China's Special Administrative Region (SAR). As an SAR, this region has a unique governing, legal and economic system different from those of mainland China. Tourists, and particularly, businesses from all around the globe flock to Hong Kong for its free market, low taxes, and publicly traded economy. Every year, countless people attend Art Basel Hong Kong, art auctions hosted by renowned houses (like Christie’s and Sotheby’s), and other arts and cultural activities. Hong Kong's SAR status and its international connections are critical contributors to its burgeoning gallery industry.

Hollywood Road

Many of Hong Kong’s new galleries opened due to its strong economy and rapidly developing local art market. In the city’s early days, Hong Kong’s art galleries were mainly concentrated on Hollywood Road. If you walk along the road, you would see dozens of galleries scattered along the way. But due to the area’s ever-increasing rent, as well as the surge of retail shops and restaurants, most of the galleries moved from the road into the city centre's cramped office spaces, lowering their visibility and accessibility.

▲Hollywood Road’s location on Google map

However, we can still catch a glimpse of some beautiful galleries on Hollywood Road today, such as Yan Gallery and Contemporary by Angela Li.

▲Yan Gallery

Founded in 2011 by Fong Yuk Yan, an artist with a strong legacy in the Contemporary Chinese Art market, Yan Gallery represents a renowned group of artists, such as Wu Guanzhong, Cao Xiaodong, Liang Liqiang. The gallery is also committed to publicising and promoting works by emerging artists.

Address：1 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Mon – Sat: 10:30 – 18:30

▲Contemporary by Angela Li

Founded in 2008, Contemporary by Angela Li houses a collection of contemporary art and avant-garde art. It exhibits art by Chinese and worldwide artists in curated solo and group exhibitions, such as Li Hongbo’s solo exhibition and Tony Oursler’s solo exhibition.

Address：248 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Mon – Sat: 10:00 – 18:30

Wong Chuk Hang & Chai Wan

As Hollywood Road's increasingly costly rents drove out many galleries, the opening of the city's new metro railroad, South Island tub line, made industrial zones such as Wong Chuk Hang and Chai Wan into new and more cost-effective art centres.

▲Wong Chuk Hang and Chai Wan’s locations on Google map

In these two industrial zones, there are a respectable number of art galleries and spaces: Gallery 27, f22 foto space, Blindspot Gallery, De Sarthe Gallery and so on.

▲Gallery 27

Gallery 27 is located in the Alan Chan Design Company's Chai Wan office. Founded in 2002, the gallery exhibits design and art exhibitions. It is unique in its dedication to promoting design-driven creativity and aesthetics.

Address：Harcourt House, 39 Gloucester Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Mon – Fri：11:00 - 18:00

▲f22 foto space

f22 foto space, established in 2017, focuses on photographic arts, contemporary design and contemporary art. By working with local and other regional photographers, the gallery has already presented various exhibitions like artist Michel Eisenlohr’s solo exhibition.

Address：5/F, Amber Commercial Building, 70-74 Morrison Hill Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Tue - Fri：14:00 - 19:00 ; Saturday：14:30 - 19:00

▲Blindspot Gallery

Blindspot Gallery was founded in 2010 as a Hong Kong-based contemporary art gallery. It showcases contemporary photography, image-based and media art by both emerging and established artists.

Address：15/F, Po Chai Industrial Building, 28 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Tue - Sat：10:00 - 18:00

▲de Sartre Gallery

Originated from Paris, Set de Sartre Gallery, founded in 1977, opened its spaces in America, Hong Kong and Beijing respectively. Through focusing on contemporary art of the highest quality and historical significance, the gallery made huge contributions to groundbreaking exhibitions by artists like Zao Wou-Ki, Hans Hartung, and Auguste Rodin.

Address：20/F Global Trade Square, 21 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Tue - Sat：11:00 - 19:00

H Queen’s

So where are Hong Kong’s renowned international art galleries right now? To this, we first have to discuss the enormous influence of Art Basel Hong Kong on the city’s gallery scene. The art fair accelerated the evolution of Hong Kong art market and encouraged the development of international galleries. Under Art Basel’s influence, the city attracted famous international art galleries like Gagosian Gallery, White Cube Hong Kong, Lehmann Maupin and Pace Gallery, to settle and profit from Hong Kong's booming art scene.

According to a 2018 FINANCIAL TIMES’S report, the emergence of an affluent middle class and rise of wealth in Asia contributed to an increasing number of people interested in collecting art. A Wealth-X report pointed out that in 2018, the number of people with a net worth of $30m or more increased by 18.5% from 2017 — and amongst these people — Hong Kong has the highest concentration of high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals. The city has a group of substantial art collectors and young people with enormous purchasing power. For instance, Kristine Li, one of the most prominent property developer of Hong Kong's newly established gallery conglomerate, H Queen's, created this brand-new art zone due to the city’s geographical and demographical advantages.

▲The location of H Queen’s on Google map

H Queen’s designed to be at the center of Hong Kong’s art and lifestyle. The building’s architect, William Lim, said H Queen’s is a solution to Hong Kong’s overly expensive and limited art space problem.

Even though the rent of spaces in Wong Chuk Hang and Chai Wan are relatively cheaper than those of the city's centre, its distance from the city centre became a major source of inconvenience and an obstacle to attracting visitors, especially during the weekdays. Because H Queen's gathered a number of international art galleries into one centralised building, it makes visitation much easier, and hosting exhibitions much more cost-effective. H Queen’s is a new chapter for Hong Kong’s art scene.

▲H Queen’s

The building’s well known international art galleries include David Zwirner, Pace Gallery, Pearl Lam Galleries, Galerie Ora-Ora, Hauser & Wirth, Whitestone Gallery, Tang Contemporary Art, and SA+ Seoul Auction.

▲David Zwirner

Founded in 1993, David Zwirner has gallery spaces located in metropolitan areas around the world, including London, Hong Kong, and New York. Representing more than sixty artists, the gallery is famous for its groundbreaking exhibitions and elite professional teams.

Address：5-6/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Tue - Sat：11:00 - 19:00

▲Pace Gallery

Pace Gallery originated from the United States and has contemporary and modern gallery spaces around the world. It currently represents over 80 artists and artist estates. As a leading contemporary art gallery, Pace has more than 50 years of experiences and in-depth knowledge in the art business world.

Address：H Queen's, 80, 12/F Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Opening hours：Tue - Sat：11:00 - 19:00

▲Pearl Lam Galleries

Founded by a Hong Kong-born international gallerist, Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Gallery is famous for its promotion of Asian contemporary art and modern art. So far, the gallery has presented a broad selection of exhibitions, such as showcasing works by famous artists like Leonardo Drew, Jenny Holzer and Carlos Rolón/Dzine.

Address：Hong Kong, Central, Queen's Road Central, 9/F H Queen's 90

Opening hours：Tue - Sat：11:00 - 19:00

In addition to what has been mentioned above, there are a lot more art galleries in Hong Kong — including 3812 Gallery, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Galerie Perrotin, and more. For the past few years, Hong Kong's booming art market attracted not only art lovers from around the globe, but also emerging street artists like Shepard Fairey. It injected new blood and energy into the city’s art scene. In the future, we expect art spaces and nonprofit art institutions to emerge into the forefront of this scene, as they offer even more accessible platforms to showcase works by local artists. Hong Kong's flourishing art scene is an example of how thriving art scenes are created not only by a few groups of passionate elites but also by the public's enthusiastic reception.