372 Recreation, Sport and the Arts
Exhibition', the 'Hong Kong Art School Graduation Exhibition 2008′ exhibiting works of the graduates of the school's award bearing programmes, 'Yayoi Kusama I Adore Myself', a documentary on the prominent artist at work from 2006-2007 and 'Art of Commercials 2008' presenting masterpiece commercials from all over the world.
The Arts Centre also joined Casterman, one of the biggest European comics. publishers, in publishing the French version 'L'Enfer de Jade', created by Hong Kong comics artist, Lai Tat Tat Wing.
The Fringe Club
The Fringe Club is housed in what used to be a cold storage warehouse built in 1890, now designated a historical building. After the Fringe Club moved in in 1983, the building underwent major renovation to make it suitable for contemporary arts shows and related activities. In 2001, the building won the Government's Heritage Award for innovative adaptive use of a historical building.
The Fringe Club has two studio theatres, three exhibition areas (including a photography gallery), a pottery workshop and showroom, a rehearsal studio, a restaurant, two bars, a roof garden and offices. It runs a diverse programme of theatre, dance, music and exhibitions. It is committed to an open access policy and to the nurturing of budding artists by providing venue and publicity support, as well as opportunities to go on overseas tours. During the past two decades, more than 500 arts groups from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America have used the premises for cultural exchanges.
The Fringe Club presented the annual City Festival, an urban culture festival covering an array of interests and activities, including performing and visual arts, cultural exchange projects, heritage and living history programmes, and workshops on urban studies and design. In 2008, one of the highlight programmes was Creative China, which showcased new works by young theatre groups from Shandong, Guangxi, Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai, and an exhibition of 'New Photography in China' by 27 photographers. During the year, the Fringe Club produced Ho Chi Minh in Hong Kong, a historical legal drama which was staged at the Central Police Station and the Fringe Club. It also assisted visits by Hong Kong and Mainland artists to Bangkok Patravadi Theatre and the Seoul Fringe Festival.
The Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre
In 2005, the Hong Kong Baptist University set up a strategic partnership with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong Arts Centre, and sought a substantial donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to convert the decommissioned ex-Shek Kip Mei Factory Estate into a venue for creative arts and arts groups, to be called the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre. In 2007, the Government entrusted the university with the task of carrying out conversion works and the centre was officially opened by the Chief Executive on September 26, 2008.