Toasting Twenty
Asia Art Archive celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Hong Kong Country Club
What better way to celebrate Asia Art Archive’s (AAA) 20th anniversary than throwing a party amid the green environs of the Hong Kong Country Club? As the organisation officially left its teenage years behind, more than 30 works donated by artists, collectors and galleries went under the hammer at a highly anticipated invite-only dinner and live auction.
Pieces by Yayoi Kusama, Stanley Wong and Irene Chou were among those up for grabs, with all proceeds going to support AAA’S mission to fund education and research into contemporary art in Asia.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be celebrating 20 years. This is an important milestone for us. We’re equally excited about the continued growth and dynamism of contemporary art in this part of the world and feel privileged to be part of this story,” said Benjamin Cha, co-chair of AAA.
All of the pieces featured in the auction were showcased in a preview exhibition at Christie’s in October. On the day that show opened, art lovers could begin bidding for the works on AAA’S online platform. Art aficionados, including Federico Tan, William Lim, Emily Lam-ho and her mother Lynn Hsieh, were spotted in the crowd at the dinner,
where a video reel was played showcasing major moments and milestones from AAA’S history.
A nostalgic Claire Hsu, AAA’S co-founder and executive director, compared the organisation’s journey to the growth of a tree. “Over the years, my colleagues and I have spent many a lunch break underneath the shade of an old neighbourhood banyan tree in Hollywood Road Park, marvelling at all it must have witnessed in Hong Kong’s history,” she said, before thanking the patrons who have supported her and her team on their journey so far.
Hsu marked the anniversary surrounded by family, including her mother Johanna Arculli, sister Jeanine Hsu, brother Maximilian Arculli and stepfather Ronald Arculli. The live auction, which was hosted by Christie's Elaine Kwok, was a highlight as usual—the top-selling lots came from artists Luis Chan, Lalan and Wilson Shieh.