The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (June 13) visited the new extension of the Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) in North Point to appreciate the art projects there and its new look.

     Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu, viewed different projects in Oi!, including two art exhibitions in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, namely "Joyful Trees (Arbores Laetae)", which features a number of Chinese junipers, and "d'strict Remix", which combines art and technology to present rolling waves and a swimming blue whale. Mrs Lam also received a briefing on the expansion project of Oi!, which started in 2019, and the operation since the opening in late May.

     Oi! is located at a red-brick Grade II historic building with a tile roof. The building was the staff quarters of the former Government Supplies Department and a storage facility of the Antiquities and Monuments Office. Under the planning of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the structure was revitalised in 2013 into an art space named Oi!, as inspired by its address at Oil Street. The new extension of Oi! features a two-storey building for staging exhibitions and holding activities and is integrated with more than 3 000 square metres of adjacent open space, enabling the display of large outdoor art installations.

     "I am pleased to learn that Oi! has become another important platform under the LCSD's Art Promotion Office (APO) after the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. The expanded Oi! provides broader artistic recreational space in the district. In addition to inviting artists to showcase their works, it engages different communities to participate in relevant activities, integrating culture and art into daily life. It is particularly meaningful to promote and display contemporary visual arts as well as nurture young local artists in this Grade II historic building built with the Arts and Crafts architectural style," Mrs Lam said.

     Mrs Lam affirmed the efforts of the APO to connect the community with art by providing high-quality and diversified visual art activities and services since its establishment in 2001. She expressed the hope that the APO, and the future Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, will continue to create unique cultural and artistic landmarks in different districts of Hong Kong, giving full play to Hong Kong's distinctive appeal of an East-meets-West culture and alluring blend of the ancient and the modern, and also develop culture and art into a sector to enrich people's life as well as an industry to add to the city's economic vibrancy.

Ends/Monday, June 13, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:00

NNNN