K11 is the new shopping mall in Kln (below "Masterpiece") branding itself as the first "art mall". Honestly didnt go in with too much expectation. The open space leading to the entrance is fine, but the Chow Tai Fok jewelry shop right at the door really kill the whole "art" atmosphere quite rapidly.The shopping mall was badly designed, narrow aisle, same shops as any other malls; there were dead ends as well, and the escalator system was confusing at best (I am sure it was "designed" to maximise people's wandering in the mall, but honestly it was just annoying).
So, what about the art part? Yes there are a few installations (in their own "Kollection", so at least they supported art that way), but the installation works were too small for the space. The saving grace in the whole project was the curated local artist showcase, by Jeff Leung. Particularly liked the Lam Tung Pang's (strong works from him!) and Wong Chun Hei's moody pianting which reminded me of the urban, lonely landscapes seen in Ed Rascha's early works.
Cant help but think that this mall wont drive too much traffic, esp with new competition in iSquare and The One...and the giantic Harbor City and increasingly crowded Elements (where you start to see queue outside of the carpark, in the once desserted carpark there!)
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