Absolut is pleased to present a new collaboration with the prominent Guru Jimmy – artist James Ostrer’s spiritual guide – on two site-specific Art Bars in Hong Kong. Both titled ‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’, the Art Bars will premiere at Art Central and ZUMA Hong Kong in March 2016.
Art Central, Hong Kong’s newest contemporary art fair on Hong Kong’s Central Harbour front, will host the Art Bar daily from 21-26 March. The ZUMA edition of the Art Bar will be open from 12pm daily on 21-28 March, making ZUMA the perfect place to relax after visiting the fair.
Following his celebrated appearance at the 2015 Venice Biennale, Guru Jimmy has been given carte blanche to fully conceptualise and create his Art Bar, from drinks to décor, and entertainment to ambience. Inspired by his own outlook that the future is not a given, and that all people should have the right to create their own, Guru Jimmy has imagined an Art Bar that gives way to a type of spiritual transcendence that he feels should be available to the masses. Art Central’s installation clearly demonstrates this, and consists of a technicolour dream-state complete with beanbag chairs, ‘material wealth’ rugs, and other spiritual endeavours, making it the ideal location for replenishment, relaxation and reflection.
Guru Jimmy has collaborated with some of Hong Kong’s top mixologists from both Maximal Concepts and ZUMA, resulting in seven brightly coloured cocktails that each resemble a colour of the rainbow. The Art Bar at Art Central will serve the blue, violet and yellow coloured cocktails. It’s All About Me is a violet hued cocktail comprised of violet blossom liqueur, lemon, and ginger, which reflects imagination and spirituality, whilst the blue concoction, Absolut Clarity, using blended orange, lime, and a homemade citrus cordial, symbolises the qualities of creativity and intelligence. The three vibrant cocktails will be available through April at Limewood.
ZUMA represents the energy of the colour red with, the Happy Inner Selfie, a cocktail infused with pomegranate, cinnamon and yuzu, whilst the balance and harmony of the colour green is characterised in, Liquid Assets, a kiwi and pandan-based cocktail. The four cocktails on offer at ZUMA are sweetened only by the fruits’ natural sugars, paying tribute to Ostrer’s battle with sugar addiction as represented in his body of work Wotsit All About. ZUMA, recently named one of Asia’s Top 50 Bars, also promises to enlighten visitors through the various meanings of colour with an extensive food-pairing menu featuring colourful maki, sushi, and interpretative fruit platters. The bar and lounge will feature a live DJ from 7pm throughout the week and a special Art Session on Saturday, 26 March from 2.30pm.
Guru Jimmy will journey between the two venues, offering visitors a glimpse into his colourful world as well as presenting opportunities for ‘happy inner selfies’ for those looking to attain the ultimate happiness. To enhance his vibe of chilled tranquillity, Guru Jimmy will also travel between venues with his specially curated playlist of electro, funk and pop music.
The artist’s Art Bars are reminiscent of Absolut’s newest limited edition bottle design, Absolut Mix, which builds on the six colours of pride in a unique way, allowing the colours to mix together when the bottle is moved while still maintaining their individuality. The new bottle reflects Absolut and Guru Jimmy’s shared beliefs in an inclusive world that allows people to connect without labels. Absolut Mix will be available in Hong Kong this summer.
Additionally, Art Central hosts Ostrer’s latest body of work, Ego Systems, an amalgamation of celebrity icons who seduce their onlookers through traditional and social media with their promises of success, beauty and glamour. ZUMA concurrently hosts Ostrer's critically acclaimed body of work Wotsit All About, a photo series referencing icons of contemporary sugar worship, the artist’s imagined result of a corrupted globalisation and increasingly dangerous methods of food production.
‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’ is the latest in a series of collaborations between Absolut and leading contemporary artists to create Art Bar installations – ambitious sculptural environments which double as fully operational pop-up nightspots. This installation follows critically-acclaimed installations by SANGREE at Material Art Fair in Mexico City (2016); John Kørner at Chart Art Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark; Yazan Khalili at Art Dubai (2015); and Nadim Abbas at Art Basel (2014) in Hong Kong.
“It is Guru Jimmy’s greatest delight to help, support and empower people to mix up the emotions of absolute fun, friendship, music and art,” said James Ostrer.
“We are excited to be working with both Guru Jimmy and James Ostrer on ‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’. The Art Bars will be unique spaces where people can come together and relax, and we look forward to bringing both Art Bars to life in Hong Kong,” says Saskia Neuman, Global Art Manager, Absolut.
Cocktails
All of the below cocktails are crafted with Absolut Vodka:
RED: Guru Jimmy’s Happy Inner Selfie
Pomegranate, cinnamon, and yuzu
ORANGE: Guru Jimmy’s Happy Ending
Kumquat
YELLOW: Guru Jimmy’s Inevitable Joy
Pineapple, passion fruit, spice syrup, black pepper, mint
GREEN: Guru Jimmy’s Liquid Asset
Kiwi, pandan leaf
BLUE Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Clarity
Blended orange & peel liquer, lime, homemade citrus cordial
INDIGO: Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Spirituality
Infused flower, blueberry, cardamom
VIOLET: Guru Jimmy’s It’s All About Me
Violet blossom liqueur, lemon, ginger beer