When? November 3, 2022

Where?: The Hong Kong Country Club

Who?: Ronald Arculli, Claire Hsu, Benjamin Vuchot, Yolanda Choy-Tang

Here's what you missed:

The Asia Art Archive (AAA) celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year and on November 3, the foundation held its annual fundraising gala at the Hong Kong Country Club. The event saw 170 aesthetes, including Masaaki Matsuzawa and Ann Cha, on hand to once again raise money for a good cause.

Under the helm of executive director Christopher K Ho, this year’s auction featured 54 works by artists from around the world, including Doris Wong Wai Yin, Nibha Sikander, Sin Wai Kin, Maria Taniguchi, Charlotte Mui and Movana Chen, which were generously donated by the artists, individual donors, institutions and galleries.

Touching speeches were made by Ho, co-chair Benjamin Cha and the AAA founder Claire Hsu, who dedicated her speech to Jane DeBevoise, board member and chair of the AAA in the US. “I cannot overstate how instrumental [DeBevoise] has been over the last 17 years to the growth and success of the AAA. Her generosity is without limits and her home has been an open door to every single Asian artist that has come through Hong Kong and New York. She is the guardian angel of the AAA,” Hsu said, to cheers from the audience.

“Change is important for the evolution of any organisation. Sometimes it can be unsettling. But no mud, no lotus. Despite the many challenges we [have faced] in our city, I have to say the AAA is in excellent condition and we’ve been growing from strength to strength,” she added.

The evening’s tablescapes were created by womenswear designer Saloni Lodha, who flew in from Bangkok for the occasion. In support of Lodha’s social impact initiative, Connecting For India, each table was adorned with unique hand-embroidered designs by Indian artisans. Guests were allowed to take the décor home, much to their delight. “I love that everyone is most excited about the table linens,” Ho said, laughing.

The AAA’s onsite and online archival records have topped 120,000, a 10,000 unit increase since June 2021. Within every bid lay the opportunity for transformation, and Christie’s auctioneer Georgina Hilton encouraged guests to dig deep into their pockets to support the cause.  All funds raised during the evening have gone towards building collections on the history of contemporary art in the region, which are made free and accessible for research and education, as well as renovating the AAA’s library, which opened on November 23 and houses over 50,000 books. The evening was a great reminder that when it’s for a good cause, it’s always worth it.          

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