ArtHouse

ArtHouse takes the architectural memory of Hong Kong as its point of departure, reconsidering how a small exhibition space might carry forward the texture of an older urban fabric within a contemporary context. To articulate this dialogue between past and present, the façade draws on the visual language of the city's pre-war tong lau — in particular, the Art Deco inflections found across many of these shophouse typologies. The entrance is anchored by a deep-green door frame with geometric detailing and a full-width sliding gate, paired with matching mouldings and a half-height dado wall to establish a strong, immediately recognisable street presence. The result is a frontage that feels at once familiar and precise — rooted in local vernacular yet distilled into something decidedly contemporary. Inside, the space resists over-refinement. Floors and walls are left deliberately raw, their patina of wear and age preserved as a kind of lived-in honesty — surfaces that carry warmth, time, and trace. At the rear of the gallery, a full-height bamboo scaffolding structure forms a richly layered backdrop for artwork display, echoing the improvisational character of the city's everyday streetscape while lending depth and dimension to the viewing experience.