The new 3,000-square-foot gallery in The Hennessy is working with up-and-coming artists from around the world—and launching with an exhibition by young Mainland Chinese artist Zhang Zipiao
This year, the week of Art Basel Hong Kong features more than the usual round of exhibition openings, champagne brunches and cocktail parties—it marks the opening of a brand-new gallery space in Hong Kong.
Titled Mine Project, the gallery is the brainchild of Winnie Yau, a Hongkonger who worked for many years in finance, including at BlackRock in New York, before leaving the industry last year to pursue a burgeoning interest in art.
Mine Project
Mine Project is located in a 3,000-square-foot space inside The Hennessy. Notably, the space has nearly four-metre-high ceilings.
“That was so important,” says Winnie. “The main condition when I started looking for a space was that it had really high ceilings, so that we could easily show all kinds of work. The Hennessy is also just a short walk from the Convention and Exhibition Centre, so is easy to reach for collectors who are going to Art Basel.”
Up-and-coming talent
Winnie plans to differentiate Mine Project from existing galleries in the city by representing up-and-coming talents from around the world, rather than working with established, big-name artists.
“It was really important to me that we offered something totally different to international galleries like Gagosian and Pace,” says Winnie. “There are so many great young artists around the world who don’t have representation in Hong Kong yet. We’ve already signed 10 artists.”
Many of these artists were identified with the help of Michael Xufu Huang, a collector, curator and arts patron who is the co-founder of the M Woods museum in Beijing and an old friend of Winnie’s.
See also: 6 Hong Kong Artists On The Rise
Curated by Michael Xufu Huang
“I’ve always collected younger artists, emerging artists, artists who grew up in the same age as me,” reveals Michael. “That’s my main focus in terms of collecting and curating, so when Winnie explained what she wanted to do with Mine Project, I thought it was perfect."
"Some of the young Mainland Chinese artists I love don’t have representation in Hong Kong and have never had exposure abroad, and some of the Western artists I love have never had exposure in China. With a gallery like Mine Project in Hong Kong, you can support both those groups of artists.”
