7. Site for Artist-in-Residence and Exhibition Venue

Venue: vA!

Location: 7A Kennedy Road, Central, Hong Kong

Description: Located at the top of Hong Kong Park, vA! is housed in Cassel Block, which was built in the first decade of the 20th century as an extension of the British Army's Victoria Barracks to provide married quarters for officers. The barracks were handed over to the government and incorporated into the Hong Kong Park project in 1985. A new wing with a glass canopy was added when Cassels Block was converted into vA! which was opened in 1992. Constructed in a cascade down the hillside, this Grade I historic building originally comprised four three-storey quarters with a brick, limewashed façade and a triangular gable in an ancient Greek style between the blocks. The east and west sides featured open colonnaded verandas typical of the Edwardian Classical Revival style.

vA! provides a series of well-equipped studios for trained artists practising in the field of sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, etc. Details are as follows:

Ceramic Studios

Covering 160 m² in total and equipped with electric potter’s wheels and electric kilns, these two studios allow ceramics artists to work in a safe, comfortable and well-ventilated environment.

Sculpture Studios

These three studios, covering a total of 228 m², are designed for creating sculptures in metal, wood and stone. Advanced mechanical tools are provided, including drilling machines, bench saws, electric arcs and argon welders.

Printmaking Studios

Covering a total of 309 m², these three studios are equipped with stretching machines, screen printing machines, hot plates, dust boxes, vacuum exposure units and blending machine printing presses for making intaglio, relief, planographic and serigraph prints.

Multipurpose Studios

These two multipurpose studios cover 104 m² and 82 m², respectively, while the latter also serves for relief printmaking.

You may refer to the image gallery below for the outlook appearance of vA!, the interior view and layout plan of the public area of vA!, and the images of the studios: