M+ reopened with New Displays, retail pop-ups and restaurants on 21 April 2022
Indoor and outdoor displays
In addition to the South Roof Garden on Level 3 of the M+ building, which has been opened to the public since November 2021, the North Roof Garden will be opened to the public where M+ will display the M+ Playscape, a collaborative work with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York as a semi-permanent installation.
M+ Playscape was inspired by and features the work of Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988, United States), an iconic cross-cultural figure in the history of modern art, design, and architecture. Over Noguchi’s long career, he created a wide range of works that bring together multiple creative disciplines.
He dedicated his life to making sculpture ‘a vital force in our everyday life’ by exploring its functional potential in social settings. Noguchi encouraged audiences to interact with his landscapes and play sculptures, known as ‘playscapes’, in undirected, freeform ways.
With play and flexibility in mind, Noguchi designed structures inspired by forms in nature and human history.
The M+ Playscape includes benches and three play sculptures—several configurations of Octetra, a Play Pyramid excerpted from a playground Noguchi made in Japan (Kodomo no kuni, 1965–1966, Yokohama, Japan), and a Play Mound. These play structures are tools for stimulating our senses, inspiring experiential experimentation, and making connections between the body and the imagination.
M+ has featured the work of Noguchi in a number of ways in the past, including the exhibition Noguchi for Danh Vo: Counterpoint (2018, M+ Pavilion) and the inclusion of his sculpture from the M+ Collections, Strange Bird (1945/1971) in the current exhibition Individuals, Networks and Expressions in the museum’s South Galleries.
The M+ Playscape is the first fully realised playscape based on the work of Isamu Noguchi in the world since the opening of Moerenuma Park in Sapporo, Japan in 2005.
Another display, Nalini Malini: Vision in Motion, is available for public viewing in The Studio located on Level B2 of M+. Widely recognised as a pioneer of video art and experimental film, Nalini Malani is one of the most prolific cross-disciplinary artists working today.
Her fantastical and multi-layered creations, which are informed by her early experiences as a refugee following the partition of India in 1947, express a resolute commitment to investigating the effects of war, violence, and the repression of women. Malani’s animations and installations, as well as her paintings and performances, feature imagery that feels both personal and universal.
Vision in Motion brings together three major artworks—Utopia (1969–1976), Remembering Mad Meg (2007–2019), and Can You Hear Me? (2018–2020)—showcasing the evolution of her practice over the past fifty years as she embraced new technologies and ways of working. The exhibition highlights the artist’s distinctive methods of storytelling, which have the power to transcend the traumas of national divisions and address collective issues of social injustice.
M+ Shop pop-ups
From 21 April to 31 July 2022, M+ will host two pop-up shops: the Mei Lok Store pop-up within the M+ Shop on GF, and Thames & Hudson pop-ups in both The Other Shop on B1/F along the waterfront promenade and the M+ Shop.
Mei Lok Store is inspired by the Hong Kong of yesteryear, evoking happy childhood memories and a sense of nostalgia for the 1980s.
The pop-up at M+ will offer an assortment of favourite snacks and treasured knick-knacks sourced both in Hong Kong and from all over the world. To round out the experience, Mei Lok Store will incorporate clever design elements inspired by old Hong Kong throughout.
Founded in 1949, Thames & Hudson (T&H) is M+’s publishing partner and the world’s leading publisher of illustrated books.
The specially designed T&H book corner in the M+ Shop will showcase the recently redesigned World of Art, one of the publisher’s best-known series of accessible, pocket-sized books on art, architecture, design, and photography.
There will also be a selection of books in The Other Shop on subjects ranging from modern and contemporary art to artist biographies and books on living well, alongside M+ publications delving into the history of M+ and the museum’s collections, including The Making of M+, Hong Kong Visual Culture: The M+ Guide, M+ Collections: Highlights, Chinese Art Since 1970: The M+ Sigg Collection.
New restaurant openings
The sophisticated taste of Seoul comes to M+ with the arrival of Mosu Hong Kong, which is the first overseas branch of the internationally acclaimed, innovative Korean fine dining restaurant Mosu.
Located on Level 3 of the M+ building, Mosu Hong Kong is surrounded by the verdant Roof Garden. The tasting menu–only restaurant is led by Executive Chef Sung Anh and Head Chef Shim JungTaek, providing a unique, ingredients-driven fine dining experience. Designed by LAAB architects, the interior of Mosu Hong Kong connects seamlessly with the architecture of M+ while reflecting the values of Chef Sung’s cuisine.
Mosu Seoul currently has Two Michelin stars, was honoured as #27 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and #5 on Opinionated About Dining Top Asia Restaurants 2021, and received a score of 81% on La Liste 2022. This recognition is a testament to Mosu’s ongoing culinary excellence.
Located on Level B1 of the M+ building, ADD+, the brand-new all-day dining restaurant, offers a dining experience that caters to the cadences of visitors throughout the whole day. ADD+ is a convenient stop for a nourishing breakfast, a perfect setting for a business lunch, and a relaxed venue for an afternoon tea.
In the evening, guests can enjoy happy hour wine and snacks before settling down at a bountiful dinner destination. From Hong Kong classics to fresh takes on global cuisine, ADD+ adds a sophisticated touch to favourites that aims to welcome locals and international visitors alike.
With a total area of over 10,000 square feet, the restaurant is divided into an expansive casual dining zone, an inviting bar table, and a Grab & Go section catering to those eager to get back to the galleries or explore the nearby Art Park and the rest of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, said, ‘We are excited to invite people back to M+ when the museum reopens next week and share its incredible collection of visual culture, including the latest additions of outdoor playscape and excellent new retail and dining offers, with our communities.
Despite the pandemic, we continue to curate programmes and experiences that offer useful perspectives and address the well-being of our audiences. We hope visitors and audiences will enjoy these unique offerings when they visit M+ in the near future.’
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