West Kowloon Cultural District, the burgeoning arts district on the southern tip of Hong Kong’s Kowloon peninsula on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, has announced a series of new partnerships with institutions in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Australia and Germany as part of an ongoing campaign to boost its international network.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), the body behind the Hong Kong arts hub, signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with 12 cultural institutions across the world this week in a bid to foster relationships with other culture hubs. The memoranda were signed ahead of the latest Hong Kong International Cultural Summit (23 March) which was attended by more than 1,000 delegates.
“The MOUs cover diverse areas, including programme development, talent exchange and professional training,” says a statement. In 2024, WKCDA signed 21 memoranda (the total number of partnership agreements signed is 46). Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, WKCDA chief executive told the South China Morning Post that 85 per cent of the agreements signed in 2024 “have been realised one way or another”.
As part of the new agreements, an artist-in-residence pilot programme will be established with the Misk Art Institute in Riyadh. Meanwhile there will be “collaboration on exhibitions and other programmes” between WKCDA and Museums Victoria in Australia, home to Melbourne Museum.
WKCDA will also partner with the China Association of Auctioneers to “strengthen talent development and promote professional exchange between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland art market”, says a statement. The WestK Performing Arts division will link up with the UK organisations—Factory International Manchester and Studio Wayne McGregor in London—under the new agreements.
Private arts complexes around the world
The Hong Kong International Cultural Summit included panels on subjects such as “Multi-disciplinary Arts Districts in the 21st Century— Challenges and Opportunities.” Panellist Douglas Gautier, the chief executive of The Royal Arts Complex (RAC), revealed plans for the mega Saudi arts complex due to open late 2027 in Riyadh, the latest project designed to promote the cultural credentials of the conservative Middle East kingdom.
“It’s 90% complete,” he said. The complex includes the Museum of World Cultures, led by former British Museum director Hartwig Fischer, which focuses on “global cultures in a Saudi context… showcasing key themes of human civilisation through collections of artefacts from around the world alongside treasures of Islamic and Arabic art”.
The complex will also be home to a “sculpture pavilion” which will show “sculptural forms and installations” by Saudi artists. There is a “genuine desire for [RAC] to be an intersection between cultures”, said Gautier.
For the talk, “Entrepreneurship and Innovations in Museums”, Manuel Rabaté, former Louvre Abu Dhabi director, described his experience of taking on another significant role in the museum world, the post of chief executive and director of the private Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. It is, he said, a “challenge to open another mega infrastructure museum [this time] in Delhi”.
Nadar has created a “first-rank collection of South Asian art”, he added. Upon its completion in two to three years’ time, the David Adjaye Associates-designed complex will be the “largest museum and cultural centre in South Asia”, said Nadar. Rabaté says the challenge is to make art accessible in a country with “0.3% museum penetration”.