Why you should visit M+ Museum

Because of a clerical error in my birth certificate, renewing my passport became a task of Herculean proportions. It involved procuring documents from different institutions, including a visit to the parish where I was baptized, the chaplain of which was a distant relative. But when finally my passport was delivered, I forgot I now had it until a Japanese-American musical artist’s Asian tour got this Gen X’s heart pumping! Honestly, I wish I was a Swiftie so I could get all excited for her Eras tour. Unfortunately, I just haven’t gotten around to her music, or I’ll find out I was humming a song that was hers but would not remember it. But I digress.

Planning this trip to Hong Kong proved to be easy-peasy as I took the Gen Z route, with some Gen X verification on the side. I went to TikTok to do my initial research on destinations, confirmed everything via mainstream websites, asked ChatGPT to make an itinerary based on location, and then booked everything via Klook.

One of the non-negotiables in our itinerary was a trip to M+ Museum.

… Because its use of space is mindful and beautiful. It is one of the largest museums of contemporary visual culture, and takes full advantage of the reclaimed land it was built on by giving artworks room to breathe!

… Because it features Suan Yuan and Peng Yu’s Old People’s Home. Though this installation of hyper-realistic animatronics was made in 2007, it is as relevant then as it is today. It’s a parody of sorts of world leaders, advancing in age, slouched on wheelchairs, deciding the fate of the young when they themselves have no control over their agency.

… Because I can’t get enough of Yayoi Kusama’s Dots Obsession—Aspiring to Heaven’s Love. I don’t know why we were so giddy happy prancing about in this wonderland of a place filled with balls and mirrors. It was the coolest!

… Because of the interactive installations, a break from all the art, which I confess could be intense at times. There’s Lee Mingwei’s The Letter Writing Project, asking you to write letters to whomever you please, a release of thoughts and emotions you’ve all but bottled inside. Another asks you to record your thoughts on change and how you’ve managed it. Another invites you to hear the sounds from different districts by hovering your hand over it.