“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 and was 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 and produced by COI Communications, 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 chosen to be held at K11 ATELIER King’s Road, a contemporary office space with a vertical creative city concept, while the set paid homage to the industrial heritage of the area.
Art Basel Hong Kong’s largest private event honoring movers and shakers of the art world returns
Alongside the hosts, this event was brought together by 5 distinguished Host Chairs: Adrian Cheng of K11 Group, Alan Lau of M+, 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 well as 18 esteemed Host Committee members from around the region.
Celebrating arts, culture, and creativity in all shapes and forms
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 then invited to enjoy a Five Flower Tea infused gin cocktail before traversing through the depths of nature at the digital exhibit 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 retailtainment new landmark, with more works added to the collection in a larger space with F&B facilities as a permanent exhibition.
Guests were then offered a molecular sphere cocktail 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.
An endless night of enthralling performances from award-winning virtuosos
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.
A range of canapés inspired by local flavors and the Hong Kong dim sum culture were offered to guests to pay homage to our vibrant city, and beverages were sponsored by Two Moons Distillery, Moët & Chandon, Don Julio 1942, and KHEE Soju. Within the speakeasy, there was also a dragon-i branded lounge area, which served as a forerunner to the after-party that continued at the club.
Other contributing artists at the event included Min Joon Lee, the international collective Hyper Futurism with a curation of digital artworks, and Magic Room with a selection of Hong Kong-styled neon signs.
The hosts, Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani, have successfully created yet another captivating, fun-filled event and captured the spirit of reconnecting and restarting. 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. It is hoped that the event will continue the success in celebrating the collaboration among people passionate about art and culture, performance, gastronomy, music and entertainment.
Sponsors: 11 SKIES, d’strict, Moët & Chandon, Don Julio, Cloudy Bay, KHEE Soju, Two Moons Distillery
Hosts: Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani
Host Chairs & Host Committee Members who attended: Adrian Cheng, Alan Lau, Eva Chow, Michael Govan, Philip Tinari, Alan Lo and Yenn Wong, Alison Chan, Claudine Ying, Edward Tang, Eugene Tang, Gilbert and Martina Yeung, Ivan Pun (Myanmar), James Neary, Jonathan Cheung, Katrina Razon (Philippines), Lester Lam, Loui Lim, Marc Spiegler (Switzerland), Pranitan (Pete) Phornprapha (Thailand) and Rishabh Tongya (India)
Some notable guests from the art world include: Sir David Adjaye, Cecile Debray, Marc Spiegler, Kyoko Hattori, Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, Marisa Chearavanont, Lim Se-Ryung, Beeple, Staffan Ahrenberg, Simon De Pury, Sean Lee, and Aaron Cezar
Some notable guests from the fashion and entertainment world include: Tina Leung, Lisa Haydon, Georgina Wilson, Kelly Cheung, Serrini, Fiona Xie, Sarah Song
Some of the local prominent guests include: Bruce Rockowitz, Sonia Cheng, Kevin Poon, Rigel Davis, Karim El Azar, Marisa Yiu, Sonia Cheng, Antonia Li, Feiping Chang, Emily Lam, Elly Lam & Victoria Tang