Every year, the art-focused charity’s gala dinner draws the best of Hong Kong’s art community. This year’s event, which took place on November 10, was no exception
In celebration of its 23rd anniversary, the Asia Art Archive (AAA) held its annual fundraising gala at the Hong Kong Country Club on November 10. The event saw 164 aesthetes, including Dee Poon, Geoffrey Chuang and Stephen King, in attendance.
With the theme being an ’80s style disco, it was a night of nostalgia and vibrant energy. The evening was a kaleidoscope of bold colours and flashy outfits. Guests arrived in style, donning their best interpretation of ’80s fashion: AAA co-chair Benjamin Cha wore joggers, while Benjamin Vuchot’s fun prints paid homage to the era’s funky aesthetic.
The auction featured more than 50 pieces donated by artists, galleries and individuals from around the world, including leading names in the art field, like New York-based visual artist Angel Otero, Hong Kong-based artist and curator Ellen Pau and German contemporary artist Neo Rauch.
Saloni Lodha, the womenswear designer and founder of her eponymous clothing label, designed the gift boxes. A special touch were the napkins that were wrapped around each gift box, which were inspired by the work of the late Indian sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee, whose art is on show at the AAA until February 2024.
Touching speeches were made by Cha, along with AAA founder Claire Hsu and executive director Christopher K Ho. “In our current geo-political climate, our work has gained extra significance,” said Ho. “In a world where nations seek to conquer, we collaborate. In a world where individuals compete for limited resources, we create and share abundance.” He went on to highlight the AAA’s achievements in the past six months alone, including an educators-in-residence exchange with the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City; sponsorship of a mobile library in Nepal; and the participation of forums in Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan. In addition, the AAA welcomed 3,550 visitors, organised 52 public programmes and 53 school tours.
Live auctions by Hauser & Wirth’s managing partner in Asia Elaine Kwok and Christie’s auctioneer Georgina Hilton ramped up the excitement. Proceeds from previous years’ fundraisers had gone towards building AAA’s library and research collections, as well as keeping the materials free for education purposes, fulfilling the non-profit’s mission to preserve and document Asian art history, and to make it accessible to the public. “Each time you raise your paddle, you blur borders and you temper ideologies,” Ho said. “When you bid tonight, you place yourself alongside artists and say: ‘we are in this together.’”
The evening was a great reminder of the ability of art to transcend cultural, linguistic, and societal barriers—and foster a strong sense of community.