Ying Wang, Alexander Wang
“Launching The Wang Contemporary feels different from launching a collection. This is more personal–it’s tied to family and long-term vision,” designer Alexander Wang told Vogue on Thursday evening at the ribbon-cutting of the grand new arts and culture institute at 58 Bowery in lower Manhattan. “Tonight feels less like a debut, and more like the start of something that will grow.”
Located at the gateway of Chinatown and opposite the Manhattan Bridge, The Wang Contemporary is housed in a historic Beaux-Arts building, formerly the Citizens Savings Bank. On opening night, a lengthy queue of guests wrapped around the side of the local landmark and crowded onto Canal Street, eagerly awaiting entrance.
Thanks to Wang and his mother and co-founder Ying Wang, 58 Bowery is proudly under Chinese-American ownership for the first time in over a century. “My mother and I had long talked about creating something lasting in Chinatown–something rooted in culture, rather than commerce,” Wang said. “It wasn’t about just a single exhibition; it was about defining a purpose.”
Their vision for the newly-restored space centers around art, music, performance, and visual culture. And needless to say, the preview night did not disappoint. Clad in matching black hoodies, sweatpants, and Alexander Wang baseball caps, the Korean American Youth Choir of New York thrilled the crowd with renditions of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and Alphaville’s Forever Young; two songs personally selected by Wang.
In between performances, guests traveled with lychee martinis in hand underneath the scarlet red luminaire, past cherry blossom trees, and to a hors d’oeuvres table laden with jiaozi, bánh cam, and mochi. Nearby, Wang warmly welcomed his friends Ice Spice—who notably modeled for his Spring 2024 campaign—and Ming Lee Simmons.
The evening continued with a special excerpt sung by Kaka, a contemporary Peking Opera performer, and an address given by Karen Wong, chief brand officer of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. The Wangs also gave opening remarks, and just before the mother and son left the stage, the designer revealed it was Ying’s 83rd birthday, prompting the room to sing to her.
The night of celebration also spotlighted 20,000 Variations on a Paper Plane in Flight; the art collective MSCHF’s three-day Lunar New Year installation. Just as it began, the lights flickered to an onyx shade, and a single spotlight hit the center of the domed ceiling. The exhibition turned into an enchanting torrent of paper planes made from Chinese red envelopes—commonly gifted during Lunar New Year—which fell in unison seven stories down to the sound of gasps of awe.
The Wang Contemporary is open now.