How do you blend the best of international street art with fine French cuisine, in Hong Kong? That was the challenge handed to creative design agency Substance by the owner of Bibo – also an avid collector of contemporary urban art – and their partnership’s outcome is nothing short of excellent. Bibo is half gallery/half restaurant, located on Hollywood Road amid offices, boutiques and galleries, and at first glance Bibo doesn’t shout about its restaurant function.
Substance’s HK Creative Director Maxime Dautresme collaborated with Bibo on the interior in a 1930s style as an elegant common ground to that tricky marriage of contemporary art and fine dining, complete with a fictional history as the former headquarters of the Compagnie Générale Française de Tramways, later to become the Bistro Bohème (Bibo). The space is filled with work by some of street and contemporary art’s biggest names. Kaws, Vhils and Mr Brainwash are among the stars to have contributed an installation at Bibo, and the hanging work is by an equally impressive list; guests will find themselves dining among pieces by Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Shepard Fairey and Takashi Murakami to name-drop but a few. Just remember to chew with your mouths closed.
