Cover Overlooking Victoria Harbour, cultural and business leaders gathered to toast the Hong Kong debut of The Next Move—grounding a regional conversation about longevity and ambition within Asia’s visual culture capital. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
Overlooking Victoria Harbour, cultural and business leaders gathered to toast the Hong Kong debut of The Next Move—grounding a regional conversation about longevity and ambition within Asia’s visual culture capital. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
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At the inaugural event for HSBC’s The Next Move content series, held in conjunction with the opening of M+’s Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia, the museum director Suhanya Raffel and architect Grace Cheung reflect on navigating doubt, partnerships that fuel ambition, and what it truly takes to step into the unknown
"Once you have that trust and know you share those values, you can do anything," said Suhanya Raffel, M+ museum director. "HSBC did that from the start, and it enabled us to fly."
That idea drives The Next Move, a collaboration between Tatler Asia and HSBC examining how meaningful growth is built on decisive moments and trusted relationships. Released across print, digital and video, the three-part series pairs each film with a dedicated companion event, starting with this Hong Kong gathering centred on art and architecture.
Read more: Tatler's Most Influential: Grace Cheung
Above Following the premiere of Framing the Future, Raffel, Cheung and Tatler's Sean Fitzpatrick explored the true anatomy of trust: having the audacity to back an untested premise before proof exists, and assembling the partners who give ambitious ideas the runway to endure.(Photo by Jeffrey Hui/Tatler Hong Kong)
Following the premiere of Framing the Future, Raffel, Cheung and Tatler's Sean Fitzpatrick explored the true anatomy of trust: having the audacity to back an untested premise before proof exists, and assembling the partners who give ambitious ideas the runway to endure.(Photo by Jeffrey Hui/Tatler Hong Kong)
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On October 13th, guests at M+ walked through Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia, the sixth special exhibition HSBC has presented as lead sponsor. Excerpts from Godzilla, illustrated books from the 1850s, and drawings from Ghost in the Shell explored the role of fantasy as a creative tool to confront the unknown, process moments of crisis, and reimagine how we move forward.
Speaking to guests, Janet Pang, managing director, head of retail business, retail banking and wealth, Hong Kong, HSBC, noted that HSBC's partnership with M+ is now in its fifth year, and looked ahead: "The Next Move is a project about vision. It asks, what's next? And how we can bring together people who are ready to build something new, from art and design to business, finance and social innovation."
Above Marking the fifth year of HSBC’s lead partnership with M+, Janet Pang highlighted The Next Move as a platform for decisive vision—convening pioneers across design, finance, and social innovation who possess the conviction to build what’s next. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
Marking the fifth year of HSBC’s lead partnership with M+, Janet Pang highlighted The Next Move as a platform for decisive vision—convening pioneers across design, finance, and social innovation who possess the conviction to build what’s next. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
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What it takes to make the next move
Above Told early in her career that she lacked talent, architect Grace Cheung relied on sheer conviction to chart her path. Today, through the Hong Foundation, she champions non-transactional sponsorship—backing creators when they have only the start of an idea, and granting them the complete freedom to pursue concepts others consider impossible. (Photo by Jeffrey Hui/Tatler Hong Kong)
Above Reflecting on the museum’s regional impact, Suhanya Raffel underscored that visionary scale requires shared values over short-term metrics: “Once you have that trust and know you share those values, you can do anything. HSBC did that from the start, and it enabled us to fly.” (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
Told early in her career that she lacked talent, architect Grace Cheung relied on sheer conviction to chart her path. Today, through the Hong Foundation, she champions non-transactional sponsorship—backing creators when they have only the start of an idea, and granting them the complete freedom to pursue concepts others consider impossible. (Photo by Jeffrey Hui/Tatler Hong Kong)
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Following the premiere screening of The Next Move: Framing the Future—the series’ inaugural film—Raffel and Grace Cheung, principal architect of Xrange and executive director of the Hong Foundation, joined Tatler Asia’s chief experience officer, Sean Fitzpatrick, for a fireside chat.
For Cheung, it begins with doubt. A celebrated architect once told her she had no talent. “Thankfully, I was young and foolish enough to tell myself not to believe what he said,” she said. “I had made up my mind.”
Above Mirroring the evening’s theme of stepping into the unknown, the curated clear cocktails revealed unexpected flavor profiles upon tasting—a subtle nod to how creative perception shifts when looking beyond surface conventions. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
Above Electronic violinist Olivia Dawn framed the evening’s sonic atmosphere, bridging classical precision with contemporary experimentation to reflect the dialogue between heritage and forward-looking reinvention. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
Mirroring the evening’s theme of stepping into the unknown, the curated clear cocktails revealed unexpected flavor profiles upon tasting—a subtle nod to how creative perception shifts when looking beyond surface conventions. (Photo by Patrick Leung/Tatler Hong Kong)
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Today, she channels that resolve through the Hong Foundation, backing creators when they have “nothing to show you yet—perhaps only the start of an idea.” Doing so, she explained, means letting go of transactional expectations: “You have to sponsor with the purest of hearts and ask for nothing in return.”
“I think that’s the definition of trust,” Fitzpatrick replied.
Trust also means freedom, she said: the artists she backs can “do whatever they want, even change the whole scheme”, and she can “facilitate ideas they’ve been told are bad, impossible or too far-fetched.”
Asked what lies ahead for M+, Raffel looked to the future: “The next move is to continue the journey and build on that foundation.”
From the sincere revelations shared on film to the honest conversation that evening at M+, both Raffel and Cheung echoed the same conviction: the next move takes courage to act on an idea before there’s proof, and build trust with the people who help it grow.
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