How LACMA restarted Hong Kong’s Art Scene

The hottest party of Art Basel lit up the city when “The ReStart Art Club,” the annual private party hosted by Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani during Art Basel Hong Kong returned this year after a hiatus due to the global pandemic. Held on Thursday, 23rd March 2023 at K11 ATELIER King’s Road, this one-night only event brought together the global creative community and luminaries from different disciplines across regions to celebrate the reinvigoration of the international art scene in Hong Kong.

Curated by Jason Swamy, the theme of this year was an exploration of the binaries of art – familiar and foreign, digital and analog, acoustic and electronic, while showcasing the confluence of age, ethnicities, and cultures. To highlight the concept of dualisms, the event was held at a contemporary office space with a vertical creative city concept, while the set paid homage to the industrial heritage of the area.

Alongside the hosts, this event was brought together by 5 distinguished Host Chairs: Adrian Cheng of K11 Group, Alan Lau of M+ Museum, Eva Chow of LACMA, along with Michael Govan of LACMA and Philip Tinari of UCCA, both of whom have participated in previous editions of the event. As guests arrived the venue, they were instantly met with a blend of cultures through a Chinese music performance with a modern twist, where musicians performed amidst an elevated stage full of larger-than-life flowers, and dancers dressed in matching colored body suits were concealed within the installation and emerged to greet and interact with guests.

Tying in the themes of nature and dualities, guests were invited to enjoy a Five Flower Tea infused gin cocktail before traversing through the depths of nature within a large digital exhibition created by d’strict at ARTE M Hong Kong, which is the first ever overseas showcase of Korea’s largest immersive media art exhibition. In the future, ARTE M Hong Kong will move to 11 SKIES, Hong Kong’s largest retail and entertainment landmark, with more works added to the collection in a larger space with F&B facilities as a permanent exhibition. Guests were then offered various molecular sphere cocktails and guided into a lift with an eccentric dance performance to continue their journey. The lift opened into an unrefined yet mysterious speakeasy decorated with traditional Hong Kong and industrial elements where spectacular performances were unveiled sequentially.

The 2023 edition saw over 8 local and international acts which were flown in from Ukraine, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, France, Philippines, Taiwan and more. One of the highlights of the evening at The Amber Room was an enthralling set by Sly5thAve, a Grammy-award winning musician. A dramatic curtain reveal marked the beginning of a high energy dance performance at The Green Room, followed by a riveting solo performance by accordion player Mario Batkovic, and DJ and dance performances that continued throughout the night.

Hat’s off to the hosts, Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani, who have successfully created yet another captivating, fun-filled event and captured the spirit of reconnecting and restarting. “LACMA is a really unique institution that understands the power of networking, network and social connection. I really like the idea of transnationalism and multipolarity, where institutions have a governmental kind of partnership but yet are able to overcome this bureaucracy to really capture the heart of the international art world and be platforms for communities,” said Al-Senussi, who dedicates her career to fostering international connections to facilitate artists, especially from Saudi Arabia and vice versa. The party lived up to the hype from its previous editions and will certainly be remembered as a must go-to event in the calendar during Art month in Hong Kong. This event will no doubt continue the success in celebrating the collaboration among people passionate about art and culture, performance, gastronomy, music and entertainment.