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Marlene Taschen opens up about her family’s latest store, which is set to open a new chapter in Hong Kong’s cultural scene.
Ferrari by Pino Allievi
When art book publisher Taschen was looking at opening its first Asian store in Hong Kong a couple of years ago, the stars were about to align — both for the celebrated German company and for Hong Kong’s stately new arts compound, Tai Kwun.
After being tipped off about the new multibillion-dollar development by Hong Kong restaurateur Bonnae Gokson, Marlene Taschen visited the site and “instantaneously fell in love” — and the feeling was reciprocated this summer when Taschen’s 14th store materialized in the courtyard of the former Central Police Station. “It’s the perfect match,” she beams.
The 33-year-old found herself in the driver’s seat when she was unexpectedly promoted to managing director of the firm two years ago by her father, Benedikt, the company’s founder. “That was a funny idea of my father’s,” she recalls. “We were opening our store in Berlin, giving an interview to a German newspaper, and he just announced it!”
Such instinctive — and, some might say, impulsive — moves are a Taschen trait. “Everything has really happened from good intuition,” she explains.
“We have never done market research. My father has always made his decisions based on what he likes and what he believes in, and we have a very similar vision.”
That said, the daughter believes the move to Hong Kong was quite strategic: “We have seen growth in the area over the last years and the response we’ve gotten so far in Hong Kong has been very positive. It’s a crossroads between East and West, and it’s a very good point from which to do other things.” She says the Hong Kong mentality and the language factor make the company feel at home, too. “It’s not the same as, say, Tokyo, where communication may be really difficult.”
While Taschen’s books often straddle the culture and luxury markets, the company has accessible books for as little as HK$140 ($18). Taschen isn’t tempted to emulate the extravagant marketing drives of other high-end Western brands in the Asia-Pacific region, including the mainland, which she feels has become “a bit saturated” with luxury items. “I think there’s more demand for arts and culture now,” she says. “Our company is not always run in the most commercial way — we are kind of an anachronistic business, doing books, but we
This is the other thing about books — you get inspiration from them. A picture like this can inspire everything we see here.” Marlene Taschen
art book publisher
also take the time we need to do things right. Some of our books take years to produce.”
A case in point is the publisher’s latest project, a collaboration with Ferrari that took 17 years to complete — coinciding neatly with the opening of the Hong Kong shop. The book’s presentation case was created by acclaimed industrial designer Marc Newson in the shape of a racing engine.
While the long gestation of Taschen books doesn’t allow the company to cater to specific markets such as Hong Kong, it will be on the lookout for artists, photographers and designers from the city to present to the rest of the world. “We want to reach out and make new relationships,” she says. “I hope we can find collaborations with galleries, auction houses and so on.” To this end, she wants the Hong Kong store to be a place for people of all stripes to meet. “I love the outside,” she says, indicating the Tai Kwun courtyard. “I hope we will make good friends with the cafes around.”
Taschen will host talks in conjunction with as yet undetermined local partners (“to mix it up a little bit”) and established ones like the Financial Times. There will be book signings, raising the possibility that locals may get to meet a few of the publisher’s star names, which include photographer David LaChapelle, cartoonist Robert Crumb and artist David Hockney.
Yet it’s the more unassuming books that fuel her own passions. She opens one, Entryways of Milan, and points: “That is our color inspiration for the store — red, blue and yellow.” It’s a drawing by 20th-century architect and designer Gio Ponti, whose grandson Salvatore Licitra has worked on the interiors of Taschen’s recent stores, including the one in Hong Kong. “This is the other thing about books — you get inspiration from them. A picture like this can inspire everything we see here.”