Why M+ is Hong Kong's must-see cultural crossroads

Since opening in November 2021, Hong Kong museum M+ has welcomed more than 10.8 million visitors, around 80 per cent of whom are aged between 18 and 44, reflecting its modern approach. Acting as a forum for contemporary artists to thrive, the museum has excelled at offering space for nuanced perspectives that are often underrepresented in Western institutions. It mirrors the city’s role as a global crossroads, presenting cutting-edge visual culture through a distinctly Asian lens.

Architecture has been significant in shaping M+’s identity. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the building responds directly to the striking verticality of the Hong Kong skyline, and visitors can enjoy sweeping vistas across Victoria Harbour from its galleries and terraces. Its commanding form – an expansive horizontal podium paired with a slender tower – is anchored in the Hong Kong landscape, reflecting the architects’ reading of the city’s distinctive building typologies and urban density.

For museum director Suhanya Raffel, the institution’s agenda has always been to operate beyond the conventions of a traditional cultural space. ‘M+ is conceived to be a museum for the 21st century, and it is now recognised to be a distinctive cultural institution presenting a collection of works of art, design, architecture and moving image that are not reflected in existing museums in the West,’ says Raffel. ‘M+ talks about the histories that emanate from this part of the world that lead to important discussions that inspire and enrich.’

According to artistic director and chief curator Doryun Chong, the institution’s global relevance is shaped by its portfolio, with a particular highlight being the M+ Sigg Collection, the world’s most comprehensive acquisition of contemporary Chinese art, which offers a singular perspective on its rise and transformation from the 1970s to now. The collection forms part of the larger M+ Collections, which encompass a broad geographic reach, from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland to East, South and Southeast Asia, and Asian diasporas in the West.

‘International visitors can discover stories of global contemporary visual culture from an Asian perspective at M+, highlighting thus-far understudied or undervalued aspects of the culture and its connections with other parts of the world,’ says Chong. ‘To give a few examples, in our collection galleries, you can see preserved interiors from Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower and Shiro Kuramata Kiyotomo sushi bar, opened in Tokyo in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively, as well as work by leading South Asian architects such as Charles Correa, Raj Rawal and Geoffrey Bawa, seen together with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.’

Raffel notes, ‘M+ will continue to be the pioneering institution that we envisioned, even as we move into a world increasingly shaped by digital developments, AI and other developing technologies. But the speed at which we relate to these forms means that we also need to take a step back and provide more analytical expressions of what [they] mean. Our long‑term goal is to build a collection that looks at the world from an Asian perspective, filtering global developments in contemporary visual culture through what is relevant to the city’s place in the world.’

mplus.org.hk