Lush; Abundance of Food and Art with Duddell’s
By Jo Phillips
Art and food lovers, good news for you.
Duddell’s, Hong Kong’s acclaimed social and cultural destination brand, is coming to London for the first time this autumn. Duddell’s London will be the brand’s first restaurant outside of Hong Kong, serving modern yet authentic Chinese cuisine.
What’s the best way to inaugurate the new opening? Here it is.
A pop-up exhibition, running from the 21st June until 15th July, will take place in the future location of the new restaurant: Borough’s St Thomas Church. The Hong-Kong artist Nadim Abbas will bring new life to the former church site with his sculptural installation. His exhibition “In Human Rhinovirus 14” consists in representing a visual mock-up of the eponymous virus – the common cold – projected onto several beach balls floating in the air.
It is an exhibition that gives a sense of intriguing strangeness. The physiological effect of catching a cold is familiar to everyone, yet each of the balls, which are kept floating at fixed points by centrifugal blower fans (a popular method of demonstrating Bernoulli’s principle in fluid dynamics), and the abstract imagery of the enlarged virus make unusual sensations. The artist superimposes these threads to offset the seemingly solid rampart that marks the antagonism between the real and its phantasms.
“Duddell’s London is thrilled to be presenting our arts programme for the first time in the UK, reflecting the brand’s ongoing commitment towards global initiatives. Duddell’s prides itself on curating quality contemporary art events and we are excited to bring work from one of Hong Kong’s leading artists, Nadim Abbas, in what will be our inaugural London exhibition.”
says Kylie Ying, co-host for the opening event.
Duddell’s in Hong Kong is renowned for its cultural and social offerings, providing an inspiring backdrop where people could meet, eat, drink and socialize in the frame of art exhibitions.
More Information:
Duddell’s presents Nadim Abbas: Human Rhinovirus 14
20th June – 15th July
Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 1pm, 2pm –6pm
St Thomas Church
9a St Thomas Street
London, SE1 9RY
Free entrance
About Nadim Abbas
Nadim Abbas is a visual artist from Hong Kong. Abbas was awarded with the Asian Cultural Council Altius Fellowship and the HK Arts Development Award (Young Artist / Visual Arts) in 2014. Recent exhibitions include: Camoufleur (VITRINE, London), Chimera (Antenna Space, Shanghai), The Last Vehicle (UCCA, Beijing), 2015 Triennial: Surround Audience (New Museum, New York), Unseen Existence (HK Arts Centre), Going, going, until I meet the tide (2014 Busan Biennale), The Part In The Story Where A Part Becomes A Part Of Something Else (Witte de With, Rotterdam), Tetraphilia (Third Floor Hermés, Singapore).
About Duddell’s
Duddell’s vibrant art programme offers a flow of lectures, talks, screenings and exhibitions of the most relevant artwork to the region today. The ambitious exhibition programme is guest-curated by respected forces, bringing the best of international modern and contemporary art to Hong Kong and London, many on special loan from the rarely seen archives of private collectors. Duddell’s is a cultural and social destination in Hong Kong created for people who have an active appreciation of the arts. Founded by three of Hong Kong’s most influential young minds, Duddell’s is neither museum nor gallery – it is an inspiring backdrop against which ideas are shared and developed, connecting art and people in a new way. With interiors as noteworthy as the art on its walls, entering Duddell’s feels like being welcomed into the home of a great art collector – one that also happens to have a Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, a lush 2,000 square foot Garden Terrace, and sophisticated salon with artisanal cocktails and vintage champagne.
