On March 25, a day before Art Basel Hong Kong officially opened to VIPs, the museum hosted The Party at M+, a grand affair for international guests and art patrons, to kick off Art Week
Where? M+ museum
What? The Party at M+
Who? Henry Tang, Betty Fung, William Lim, Lavina Lim, Fabio Rossi, Stephanie Ho-Poon
Here’s what you missed: When 3,000 people gather at M+ museum, you know it’s for something special. Mondays marks the only day of the week where M+ 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 bring together the best of the city’s art community. This year was no different.
The Party at M+, which kicks off Art Week, marked the opening of M+’s meticulously curated exhibitions, including The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Noir & Blanc—A Story of Photography, M+’s first exhibition dedicated to exploring the medium of photography. Created in collaboration with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), it features more than 170 internationally acclaimed photographers and showcases more than 250 important photographs from BnF’s collection, which are complemented by more than 30 photographs from the M+ Collections.
As the evening kicked off, guests sat down for an exclusive dinner on the museum’s ground floor; the list included prominent international and local artists, museum directors, curators, collectors and art critics alike. After dinner, guests, including Tobias Burger, Henry Tang, William Lim and artist Refik Anadol, made their way from the Main Hall to the outdoor patio for the after-party, where they were joined by throngs of others.
The city’s stunning skyline made for the perfect backdrop for performances by local arts groups, like the The Hong Kong Dance Company; the legendary artist Frog King; musician and visual artist Rainbow Chan, whose showcase is arranged by the contemporary art centre Para Site; and the masked five-man band The Tetorapotz & Snatch, organised by The Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile. The performers took to the museum’s grand staircase and left not a single seat empty.
Between sets, partygoers posed for selfies at photo booths and had their portrait taken by photographer Kwai Bun; viewed an A Eye, an interactive AI transformation by Giovanni Lion, presented by the Hong Kong art space Current Plans; listened to DJ Natalie Dunn on the decks while sipping champagne; and watched street dancers put on surprise performances between the crowds.
High on adrenaline, guests spilled out onto the streets as the clock struck midnight, giving them just enough time to rest before the doors to Art Basel swung open the following day.