Asia Society Hong Kong Art Gala Honors Do Ho Suh, Xu Bing, Wucius Wong, and Shahzia Sikander

Art Basel in Hong Kong kicks off with Asia Society's stylish annual Art Gala.

Xu Bing, Do Ho Suh, Wucius Wang, and Sikander.

 

Xu Bing, Do Ho Suh, Wucius Wang, and Sikander.

Xu Bing, Do Ho Suh, Wucius Wang, and Shahzia Sikander.

Armory week was so, well, last week. New week, new art fair–oops, I mean three art fairs, in Maastricht, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Where to go? Don’t worry about it because artnet News sent staff to ALL OF THEM so we have you covered for all the latest art fair news and gossip. But before the fairs begin there is always some serious partying, I mean fundraising, sorry, to be done.

Want to know what the hottest party was in Hong Kong last night?

What: Asia Society’s third annual Art Gala during Art Basel in Hong Kong.

When: March 11, 2015.

Where: Asia Society Museum in Hong Kong + the Conrad hotel.

Who: Honorees Do Ho Suh (see Do Ho Suh Explains His Ethereal Rubbings), Xu Bing, Wucius Wong, Shahzia Sikander, Cai Guo Qiang, Chinese businessman Ronnie Chan, art advisor Yung Hee Kim, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden director Melissa Chiu and artnet CEO Jacob Pabst.

Why: The institution’s annual Art Gala honored the four contemporary Asian artists for their outstanding contributions to contemporary art.

How: The night kicked off with a cocktail reception at Asia Society’s Hong Kong Center (built in 2012) which has on view a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. Cocktails were followed by a dinner at the adjacent Conrad hotel, where several trustees and scholars made speeches. Before the end of the night, an auction was held where guests could bid on works including Zhang Xiaogang’s lithographs (two sold for $17,000 and one for $20,000) and a Wang Keping work on paper which secured the highest bid of the evening, selling for $26,000.

The Moment: Trustee Emeritus Jack Wadsworth (former head of Morgan Stanley Asia) added a touch of humor. When presenting the award to Xu Bing, he half-jokingly said, “I love being in a room when half the people are talking when the presenter is talking—this is what Hong Kong is all about…Making deals on the side. Just make sure to cut a check for 10% to Asia Society on your way out.”


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