Experienced contemporary art venue administrator Euan Upston has been appointed to lead the operation of the Central Police Station compound, which is currently being transformed into a centre for heritage, contemporary art and leisure for the public to enjoy.
As Director of CPS, Upston will be responsible for guiding the operations on the site to become a leading cultural destination in Hong Kong. He will oversee the overall management and maintenance of the compound, develop and coordinate site-wide activities involving the Heritage and Contemporary Art Operator and the not-for-profit and commercial operators, and develop long term partnerships with key stakeholders.
Upston will be supported by a dedicated management team, and one of his duties is to transfer knowledge and train up local talents who will over time succeed him to lead the operations.
Formerly the chief operating officer of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) of Australia in Sydney, Upston has more than 30 years of experience in contemporary arts. These included administration of contemporary art venues, leading a major MCA extension and refurbishment of MCA venues in a heritage building, and organising large-scale contemporary visual art events. In these and other roles, Upston worked closely with federal, state and municipal governments in Australia, curatorial and programming teams and other key stakeholders.
Upston will assume office on 26 June 2014.
About the Central Police Station Revitalisation Project
A partnership between The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Central Police Station Revitalisation Project is an important initiative to conserve and revitalise the heritage site comprising the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison for adaptive reuse. The Project includes the conservation of 16 buildings of historical or architectural significance and several open spaces on the 3.37-acre site. To support activities on the revitalised site, an international renowned firm of architects, Herzog & de Meuron, has been engaged to design two new buildings. These new buildings will provide additional floor space for contemporary art programmes and plant rooms, and will help to reduce interventions to the heritage buildings. The site is expected to be open to the public in 2016, following the scheduled completion of revitalisation works in 2015, and fitting out and licensing arrangements by the operators. Project website: www.centralpolicestation.org.hk.
Euan Upston
Director of CPS
Euan Upston is the Director of CPS, a position he took up in June 2014, and is responsible for guiding the development of the Central Police Station compound to become a leading cultural destination in Hong Kong. He oversees management and maintenance of the site, develops and coordinates site-wide activities involving various not-for-profit and commercial operators, and develops long term partnerships with key stakeholders of the project.
Prior to this role, Euan has more than 30 years of experience in art venue administration, including senior roles in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) of Australia and the Sydney Biennale, managing a theatre company, an art administration and project consultancy and a production academy.
One of Euan’s achievements is the planning and execution of the refurbishment of the MCA building (an Art Deco-style heritage building formerly accommodating the Maritime Services Board on the western edge of Circular Quay, Sydney) and a 50,000 square-foot extension to house galleries, education centres, a cafe, a theatre and a new access.
In these and other roles, Euan worked closely with curatorial and programming teams and has good understanding and appreciation of artistic vision and curatorial programming. He also worked with multiple stakeholders including the federal, state and municipal governments in Australia, funders, service providers and contractors.
Euan was educated in New Zealand, obtaining a teaching degree majoring in Drama and English at Wellington Teachers College.
|
Mr. Euan Upston, Director of CPS.
|
