Amid sweeping views of the East River and the Manhattan Financial District, the M+ American Friends Foundation celebrated a forthcoming season at M+ Museum of design and architecture-focused programs at M+ Museum. Coinciding with NYC Design Week and AAPI heritage month in May, the gathering was a perfect occasion to spotlight M+ Museum’s rich offerings in the design fields, including landmark exhibitions I.M. Pei: Life is Architecture; Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication; and Guo Pei.

With a host committee co-chaired by Karen Wong and Dominic Leong, the event brought together members of the M+ AFF Visionaries groups as well as graphic designers, architects, artists, and patrons.

Pointing to the creative accomplishments of the attendees, Leong noted that such gatherings can amplify “the significance of M+ beyond Hong Kong and . . . create connections to our communities here in NY and the US.” He continued, “this is what is so special about M+ — it creates a new space for those of us who have interest in the visual culture of Asia to come together and to renew old conversations with friends and colleagues, and hopefully begin to shape new conversations and new constellations.”

Serendipitously, the downtown venue for the dinner, WSA at 161 Water Street, overlooks the office where I.M. Pei worked for many years. Aric Chen, who co-curated Pei’s M+ retrospective with Shirley Surya, noted the seminal architect’s continued relevance to designers and artists working today. Li-Chung (Sandi) Pei and Calvin Tsao, who had recently previewed the exhibition in a conversation with critic Paul Goldberger, underscored the significance of the retrospective and the excitement that the project was generating in both Asia and North America.

In her welcome remarks, Wong highlighted the sheer density of creative talent in the room by making reference to another architect, Rem Koolhaas, and his treatise Delirious New York. “This is an assembly of culture of congestion,” she said, “bringing together practitioners and supporters of architecture, fashion, graphic design onto one floor of this tower to find out more about a museum in Hong Kong, a sister metropolis.”

The event’s host committee included Rei Inamoto, Patrick Li, and Wen Zhou. WSA and Water Street Projects generously provided the venue and sponsored a menu overseen by culinary director Darryl Raymond.

Design and Architecture is one of the three curatorial disciplines at M+, alongside Visual Art and Moving Image. On view through November 10, Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication surveys the work of the American-trained graphic designer responsible for iconic contributions to postwar Hong Kong’s visual culture. I.M. Pei: Life is Architecture is on view through January 5, 2025, and Guo Pei, a career survey of the Chinese fashion designer, will open September 21.

May 2024