Cover Marisa Yiu, Aric Chen, Suhanya Raffel and Eric Schuldenfrei (Photo: Winnie Yeung at Visual Voices, courtesy of M+)
Marisa Yiu, Aric Chen, Suhanya Raffel and Eric Schuldenfrei (Photo: Winnie Yeung at Visual Voices, courtesy of M+)
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On March 20, a day before Art Basel officially opened in Hong Kong, the museum hosted a grand affair for international guests and art patrons to kick off the West Kowloon Cultural District Art Week, one of the organisation’s most important annual events
Where? M+ museum
What? M+ party to kick off the West Kowloon Cultural District Art Week
Who? Suhanya Raffel, Alan Lau, Aric Chen, Marisa Yiu
Here’s what you missed:
Events held on a Monday night at the M+ museum are special. It is the only day of the week the space is closed to the public—and gatherings on this day at the venue are usually reserved for those that push the culture of Hong Kong forward and brings together the best of the city’s art community.
On March 20, a day before Art Basel officially opened in Hong Kong, the museum hosted a grand affair for international guests and art patrons to kick off the West Kowloon Cultural District Art Week, one of the organisation’s most important annual events.
The event marked the opening of Hong Kong: Here and Beyond, a showcase of Hong Kong’s visual culture at the Main Hall gallery of the museum. With Hong Kong reopening to the world, guests including Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron were in attendance. The founding partners of the Herzog & de Meuron architectural firm that designed M+ spoke at an intimate fireside chat with Uli Sigg, famed Swiss collector and member of the M+ board, as well as M+ museum director Suhanya Raffel. Guests then sat down to an exclusive dinner on the museum’s ground floor.
“This year’s West Kowloon Cultural District Art Week is exceptionally important,” said Raffel. “With our first international open house, dinner and party, we are finally able to share this amazing global museum of contemporary visual culture with the world.”
Maria Balshaw, director of Tate London; Cécile Debray, president of the National Picasso-Paris Museum in Paris; and Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York were also among the VIP guests.
Mimi Brown, Suhanya Raffel, Wendy Lee and Winnie Tam
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The theme of the night was Hong Kong visual culture, with neon signs as the star attraction. Having enjoyed a long-standing presence in Hong Kong, neon signs have played a large role in the visual identity of the city, and the evening celebrated this cultural icon. The M+ is dedicated to preserving them—since 2013, it has acquired the famed neon signages of the Sai Ying Pun dining institution Sammy’s Kitchen and Kwun Tong’s former Kai Kee Mahjong, among others.
After dinner, it was really time to party. Doors opened to the masses, where 2,600 guests made their way from the Main Hall to the outdoor patio. The city’s stunning skyline made for the perfect backdrop for the groovy tunes of DJ Arthur Bray. The visual stimulation was off the charts: calligraphers made traditional Chinese favours for guests; artist Taguchi Yukihiro brought vibrancy with a traditional dragon dance featuring his recycled fabric piece Spun Dragon. Performance artists Pang Jing and Florence Lam presented Silent Reading by Red Witch and Étude for Free Hugs respectively, while contemporary dancer Yang Hao entertained with A Decent Chinese Man.
High on adrenaline, guests spilled out to the streets as the clock stuck midnight, giving them just enough time to rest before the doors to Art Basel swung open the following day.
Credits
Photography: Winnie Yeung at Visual Voices, courtesy of M+, Hong Kong
As Content Director at Tatler Hong Kong, Tara shapes the brand's editorial vision and reports on Asia's most influential figures — from CEOs and business leaders to designers. In her dual role as Head of VIP, she curates star-studded events and builds the relationships and communities that define the brand. Born and raised in the Middle East, she honed her craft in Dubai, crafting communication strategies for luxury brands across the Gulf. Follow her on Instagram @tarasobti.
