M+ is finally here after 10 years’ efforts
As the first museum of modern visual art in Asia
It’s located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong
Facing the Victoria Harbor
16,000 people crowded into the museum on November 12th, 2021, the first day of its opening
Suhanya Raffel, the director of M+, gave Yit an online interview
To interpret the new landmark of Asia
M+ will be covering 65,000 m2
Including 33 galleries, 3 cinemas
A learning hub
A roof garden
Designed by world-renowned architect firm Herzog & de Meuron
A podium and a slander tower
That fuse into the shape of an upside-down T
In Hong Kong, a quite vertical and crowded city
The architects built a relatively horizontal and flat building
The birth of M+ started with a challenge
Architects and engineers had to work around MTR airport express which lay beneath and diagonally across the building site
The design obstacle ended up serving as a driving force
Produced a Found Space
Around which provides an ideal space for dynamic and rotating installations
Where many of us live in very very small tight spaces
It’s great to be able to offer such a generous, open and complete relaxing space
For people to enjoy
The museum is using the terracotta, the bamboo and concrete
Referencing traditional Chinese roof tiles
Buildings are made from a special clay mixture
Reflecting the changing conditions of light and weather
M+ Museum boasts a collection of nearly 8,000 pieces
The first 6 exhibitions will display around 1,500 pieces
Among which Hong Kong: Here and Beyond in the underground hall shows
The stories and dynamics of the city the most
And Things Spaces Interactions in the eastern hall exhibits
The most “down-to-earth” art works
Gary Chan, Hong Kong designer and architect
His flat, 34 m2
Very familiar to many Hong Kong people
He redesigned it as spacious as possible
It’s a fine example of how good design results in greater quality of life
We have objects that are part of everyday life
A rice cooker, a flask, chairs
Including a great sushi bar made by Kuramata in Tokyo
It’s very interesting how the most informal objects are also in that exhibition
What’s more, Uli Sigg, an important collector of Chinese modern art works
He donated 1,463 pieces of art, with a total value of 170 million dollars, to M+
These works review the development of modern art in China over the past 4 decades
There’s a solo exhibition hall for Antony Gormley
The sculptor created Asian Field with more than 300 farmers in Guangdong Province
Showing the tight connection between human and earth
Exhibitions are not just limited to within the walls of M+
Facing Victoria Harbor
Paneled LED lights transform the building into a coarse-grained display screen
That invites visitors to enjoy the museum’s programs from afar after dark
And visitors can relax here and enjoy the stunning greenery
Into the early days
That was a three-year period of public consultation
Asking the people of Hong Kong what kind of cultural institutions they wanted
We had a pandemic. Our supply became a big problem
Finally, M+ Museum is here after 10 years
It was the ambition of Hong Kong
To develop major cultural capital into the city
Because as a global city
Cultural capital is as important as other parts