SUHANYA RAFFEL: Welcome to M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. M+ is more than an art museum. We present the most captivating art, design, architecture, and moving image works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I am so excited to show you the museum and give you a glimpse of our extraordinary building and collections.

We’re now standing in front of our iconic building on the waterfront of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. M+ was designed by the world-renowned architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. This architectural marvel encompasses 65,000 square metres, including dozens of galleries, event spaces, theatres, and so much more. Just behind the museum is our Conservation and Storage Facility which is dedicated to archiving and preserving the M+ Collections for the future. Now let’s go inside.

We are now in the Main Hall on the museum’s ground floor. It is an open, public gathering place that welcomes our visitors. The design features a combination of concrete, terracotta, and bamboo. Lightwells on each side of the tower bring natural light into the space, creating a striking interplay of light and shadow throughout the day. The skylights carve large cutaways into the floor plates seamlessly connecting the podium level to the Lightwell Hall on B1, which is an open space from which you can see a multi-layered view of the museum’s interior. The Main Hall features a rotating selection of commissioned artworks and installations. On this floor, you can also visit the Main Hall Gallery. Here, you will see one of our many Special Exhibitions temporary presentations that rotate every three to six months.

Welcome to the Learning Hub. The Learning Hub is an open space for students, families, and visitors of all ages to experiment and play. The Learning Hub also has workshops, seminar rooms, and event spaces. On the other side of the Main Hall, you’ll find The M+ Shop, which features a curated selection of the best design objects, art books, and creative goods in Hong Kong. Like the museum, the shop reflects our love for visual culture across Asia.

DORYUN CHONG: Here we are on the lowest level of the museum, a vast atrium space that we call the Found Space. You might have noticed this unusual concrete ledge next to me. Inside, it is the tunnel of the Airport Express, the train line that runs underneath our building. When the architects Herzog & de Meuron were designing the building, they saw the space as a unique gallery that opens up to the entire museum above with a capacious but irregular layout to feature ambitious, large-scale projects. Since then, the Found Space has become one of M+’s most interesting architectural features. Take this project by Vietnamese-Danish artist Danh Vo. Known for using found materials with personal and historical significance. Vo will spend the next few years transforming this heart of the museum building into a communal space that will accommodate a wide range of displays and events. Also located here on B2 is The Studio, which we use to present interactive projects, immersive artworks, and more. And the best part—everything on this floor is free and open to the public.

Most of our galleries are located on Level 2. We’re now standing in the centre of the Atrium. From here, our galleries branch out in four directions. The West Gallery is an expansive space reserved for Special Exhibitions which we rotate regularly. The other galleries on this floor house our permanent collections. One highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Chinese contemporary art in the world. Of course, as a visual culture museum we have much more than just art. In other galleries, you’ll find our design and architecture collection, which features compelling stories of creative innovation over the past century.

I’m now in the Grand Stair, the centerpiece of our Moving Image Centre. This open auditorium can seat up to 400 people. We use it for talks, film screenings, performances, and other events. Beneath the Grand Stair, we have three theatres where we screen everything from family-friendly movies to cutting-edge art films. Nearby, you’ll find the Mediatheque, a free gallery, library, and lounge for our collection of moving image artworks. We also have an Interactive Media Room where you can experience immersive and interactive digital artworks.

SUHANYA RAFFEL: If you want to grab a bite while enjoying a breathtaking view, stop by the M+ Lounge on the 11th floor. The Lounge is the perfect spot for coffee with friends or a quiet moment of reflection. The design of the Lounge is inspired by classic Hong Kong teahouse eateries and it features artworks from our collection in a more intimate setting. The Lounge is a special space that we have created for our supporters. If you want to drop in, you’ll need to become an M+ Member first. But trust me, it’s worth it!

Let’s get a breath of fresh air in our rooftop garden. Of course, M+ aims to bring art and culture to all our spaces—even the roof. In the North Roof Garden, you’ll find works by Isamu Noguchi that are part art, part playground. You and your little ones are free to climb, explore, and play freely. Towering above me is one of the museum’s most unique features: the M+ Façade. At night, the Facade becomes a 65-by-110-metre LED screen. It is one of the largest screens in the world. We use it to show a rotating selection of moving image and digital artworks connecting the museum to the vibrant Hong Kong skyline.

DORYUN CHONG: This brings us to the end of our tour, but it’s just the beginning of your museum journey. Please stop by and discover M+ for yourself. We look forward to welcoming you soon.