Global cultural leaders to converge at WestK arts summit | Cultural Exchange | Bernard Charnwut Chan

Hong Kong’s arts calendar will shift up a gear later this month when the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit returns to WestK on March 22 and 23. This event is hosted by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and serves as the curtain-raiser to Art Week. Now in its second edition, the summit is rapidly establishing itself as a key event for museum leaders, curators and collectors from across Asia and beyond.

This year’s theme is “A New Era: Reimagining Community through the Arts.” It addresses questions that have grown more urgent since the inaugural summit in 2024, attended by over 2,000 cultural practitioners and delegates. Panels at the Xiqu Centre, M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum will consider how multi-disciplinary arts districts can stay nimble. They will also explore how museums understand and grow their audiences, and how institutions can balance their public mission with an entrepreneurial mindset.

The speaker lineup underlines Hong Kong’s role as an international cultural hub. Close to 30 speakers from 15 countries and regions are expected, including heads of major cultural districts and leading museums who will share how they are reshaping institutions for a digital, post-pandemic world. Among those due to take the stage are Southbank Centre chief executive Elaine Bedell, Global Cultural Districts Network chair Adrian Ellis, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Arts Complex chief executive Douglas Gautier, and Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and Foundation director Mariet Westermann.

Directors and senior curators from M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum will lead discussions on community‑centered practice, museum learning and new models of collaboration with artists, collectors and technologists, underscoring how questions about audiences, education, and financial sustainability are playing out not only in Europe and North America, but also across the region and particularly in Hong Kong’s fast-evolving cultural landscape.

Running in parallel with Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Central and a packed roster of gallery and museum shows, the summit is designed as both a working forum and a gateway into the city’s broader arts and cultural landscape. It reinforces WestK’s role as a cultural district where the international art community intersects.

Bernard Charnwut Chan is the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District