Absolut Art Bar

ROOM SERVICE

An Art Bar with artist João Vasco Paiva debuted during Hong Kong Art Week

Absolut has collaborated with Portuguese-born, Hong Kongbased artist João Vasco Paiva to create a site-specific Art Bar titled Room Service. Exhibited during Hong Kong Art Week at Potato Head, the installation was the artist’s vision of a timeless oasis, where nature and the contemporary world coincide.

Paiva drew inspiration from the opening scene of Terrence Malik’s film A Thin Red Line, where Sargent Witt wanders around a desert island. This intimate moment between man and nature forms the basis for his Art Bar. The installation featured a series of sculptures, film projections along with resting nets.

The Absolute Art Bar offered guests a showcase of Artist Cocktails, specifically curated by Paiva in collaboration with an Absolut mixologist. The cocktails, aptly named Private Witt, Fletcher and Paddy Button reflected the theme of Room Service. Private Witt, named after Sargent Witt in “A Thin Red Line” features Absolut Blue with Lillet Blanc, Tonic and sugar syrup to taste, along with lemon, grapefruit and orange garnish. Fletcher is a cocktail in honour of Fletcher Christian, master’s mate on board HMS Bounty during Lieutenant William Bligh’s voyage to Tahiti for breadfruit plants. In the mutiny on the Bounty, Chrisitan seized command of the ship from Bligh. This featured Absolut Elyx, lemon juice, lemongrass syrup, yellow Chartreuse, and topped up with Champagne. Paddy Button was a gallery cook that survived a shipwreck in the novel The Blue Lagoon. This cocktail featured Absolut Elyx along with Havana Club 7 Years Old with Sichuan pepper infused maple syrup, smoke and peat bitters.

Along with delicious Absolut cocktails, The Art Bar also featured a diverse music program, highlighting the contrast of day and night, from acoustic performance to electronic acts and DJ sets. Names like Mike Cooper, Danae and Xiao graced the stage, along with sets by Nicolas Jaar, Arca, Kuedo, DJ Marfox, Rich Chigga and Senking.

COCKTAILS:

Left: Paddy Button Right: Fletcher Below: Private Witt

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