Progress on M+, the much-delayed flagship project of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, is finally picking up speed. The vast new museum of 20th- and 21st-century culture is expected to open by 2019, two years later than planned. Construction began 18 months ago.
On-site visits reveal that excavation has begun around the Airport Express rail tunnel, which will run underneath the institution. Above the subterranean track is the gargantuan Found Space, a central gallery used for a rolling programme of exhibitions and events. The entire project’s budget stands at “HK$1.7 billion NPV [in 2008 net present value] for the collection and related costs”, or around $220m, says a spokeswoman.
Before the official launch, exhibitions will take place in a new pavilion designed by the Hong Kong-based architects Vincent Pang, Tynnon Chow and Lisa Cheung. M+ has organised a series of off-site shows since 2012, but the M+ Pavilion will be its first permanent space. A solo exhibition dedicated to the Hong Kong-based artist Tsang Kin-Wah will inaugurate the 300-sq.-m venue in September, followed by the first M+ exhibition focusing on design (November-January 2017).
The museum has recently acquired works by Danh Vo (We the People detail, 2011-14), Alfedro Jaar (Untitled, Water, 1990) and Yoko Ono (four works including Painting to Hammer a Nail In, 1961/66). At Art Basel Hong Kong in March, curators also bought two works by the Vietnamese artist Tiffany Chung. The search for a new director to replace Lars Nittve, who stepped down in January, is ongoing. Gareth Harris