Cover Haw Par Mansion today (Photo: Getty Images)
Haw Par Mansion today (Photo: Getty Images)
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Run by the Foundation for Art and Culture, the historic Haw Par Mansion begins a new chapter as a new cultural house, which will open in September
Haw Par Mansion, the former residence of Burmese-Chinese tycoon Aw Boon Haw and his family in the 1930s on Tai Hang Road, is entering a new era. Set to open in September, the property will be transformed into Villa Haw Par, a new cultural destination operated by the Foundation for Art and Culture, a non-profit organisation co-founded by Arthur de Villepin.
The space will undergo three main phases of development: renovation, residency and cultural programming. The team began renovation work this month and is planning to remove the contemporary decorations and refurbishments added by the previous operator, the Haw Par Music Foundation Limited, which used the venue as a social enterprise focusing on Chinese and Western music training between 2019 and 2022.
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Arthur de Villepin at Villa Haw Par (Photo: courtesy of the Foundation for Art and Culture)
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“The idea isn’t to return it to its original state since we are not a museum. It’s not so much about bringing back the past but making sure the rooms and halls are in the best condition for our art exhibitions [structurally and aesthetically], for example,” says Julien-Loïc Garin, the foundation’s executive director, referring to the exposed air vents and display boards installed on the walls of a guest hall.
The garden will be transformed into an art garden. De Villepin plans to feature established sculptors as a start to draw global attention to Villa Haw Par, and then introduce emerging artists to exhibit alongside the major names. “We hope this will draw more attention to artists who are still developing their careers,” he says.
The concept of Villa Haw Par was inspired by New York’s famous La Villa Albertine, a project by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs powered by the Cultural Service of the French Embassy in the US. Since its inaugural season in 2021, it has supported 80 residents across disciplines including dance, visual art and new media. De Villepin names one of these beneficiaries, Hugo Toro, as an example. He noted that the French interior designer has, since the residency, gained public attention for his work, and he hopes to achieve the same at Villa Haw Par for local artists.
Above The garden featuring a fountain in Haw Par Mansion, which will be turned into an art garden (Photo: courtesy of the Foundation for Art and Culture)
The garden featuring a fountain in Haw Par Mansion, which will be turned into an art garden (Photo: courtesy of the Foundation for Art and Culture)
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“Hong Kong has a robust art programme and spaces. Our vision is not to replace any of the existing venues but to add to them. We see that there is a gap: the city is good at promoting the arts, but we can do more with building a space for artists to create,” says De Villepin.
He and his team will launch an artist residency programme that will support two to three artists for up to three months each. “When the programme matures, we hope to expand that to 10 to 20 people,” he adds. Two rooms from Haw Par Mansion will be dedicated as the work stations of the artists; De Villepin is currently discussing partnerships with hotels to host the residents. He is also reaching out to other arts villas in Spain, the Middle East, Japan and Italy to decentralise Villa Haw Par’s residency programme. “I want to bring Hong Kong artists to the world and showcase their creations at these other villas, and vice versa,” he says.
Above From left: Arthur de Villepin and Sara Mao at Villa Haw Par (Photo: courtesy of the Foundation for Art and Culture)
From left: Arthur de Villepin and Sara Mao at Villa Haw Par (Photo: courtesy of the Foundation for Art and Culture)
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As the final phase, Villa Haw Par will introduce new cultural programming. “This is what brings life to the space,” says De Villepin. Details are yet to be announced, but visitors can already expect cinema programmes and art exhibitions which will be open to the public. One of the halls of the villa will also be converted into a bookstore. De Villepin is still identifying the bookstore to partner with and the direction of the book selections, but he confirms there will be a book about the history of the villa.
“In the long run, we hope this will be a place the public will visit and come back for the bookstore or art exhibitions,” he says. The different phases of Villa Haw Par will be unrolled gradually. “We don’t want to rush this and shock the public by turning this into something completely different from the cherished memories of Hongkongers. After all, this historic place is unique, and we, as a private organisation, want to run it for the public to share and enjoy.”
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
