Last week, as Art Basel Hong Kong sent the city into its annual art-fuelled frenzy, The Peninsula Hong Kong transformed into an unexpected cultural hub. Its Art in Resonance program - presented in partnership with the Victoria & Albert Museum - turned the city’s most iconic hotel into an open-to-all gallery, proving that high-end hospitality and contemporary art aren’t just a match - they’re the future.
MOJEH was invited to the exclusive launch party, where artists, collectors and cultural insiders gathered to celebrate the unveiling of this year’s installations. A powerhouse trio - Phoebe Hui, Chris Cheung (h0nh1m), and Lin Fanglu - brought their A-game, transforming the hotel’s most unexpected corners into immersive experiences. Think: the entrance, the lobby, even tucked-away alcoves - places where even non-paying guests could soak in the spectacle. Because if there’s one thing The Peninsula seems to understand, it’s that luxury isn’t just about exclusivity - it’s about experience.
A Hotel or an Art Museum? Why Not Both.
Luxury hotels and art partnerships aren’t new, but The Peninsula is doing it differently. While most five-stars commission artists to dress up their lobbies like glorified furniture, Art in Resonance is giving creatives the space (and respect) to create something bigger. This isn’t decoration - it’s dialogue. And in a city where the intersection of culture and commerce is constantly evolving, The Peninsula Hong Kong is making sure it stays ahead of the curve.
Benjamin Vuchot, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, Limited - the owner and operator of The Peninsula Hotels - shared his perspective with MOJEH, stating, "Luxury hotels and the art world go hand in hand, each elevating the other to create truly immersive and meaningful experiences." He emphasised that the taste of luxury these hotels offer isn’t just reserved for paying guests. Through initiatives like Art in Resonance, even non-paying visitors can celebrate and engage with world-class creativity, making luxury more inclusive and culturally enriching for all.
The Highlights
Phoebe Hui’s Lunar Rainbow - A Celestial Love Letter to the Moon
Lunar Rainbow is a 56-square-metre ode to the moon, where laser-etched lunar fragments turned the hotel’s façade into something straight out of a sci-fi fever dream. It was poetic. It was futuristic. And it made every passerby pause for just a second longer.
Hui, who views the moon as a unifying symbol across cultures, was inspired by the walk across the street to The Peninsula and the environment around her. “The moon is so big in culture - in Asian, Middle Eastern, and even Western traditions. As a public art project, I wanted to create something that could resonate with anyone, no matter where they’re from,” she tells MOJEH.
But her inspiration wasn’t just conceptual - it was observational.
“When I was developing the idea, I thought about the journey of walking across the street to The Peninsula. How could I make that moment feel different? Later, when I visited the rooftop, I saw rainbows, and the manager told me, ‘We always see them here.’ That got me thinking - if we can see rainbows during the day, why not make one at night?”
Hui discovered that moonbows - rainbows formed by moonlight - are rare but possible. Lunar Rainbow became her way of bringing that phenomenon to life, a fusion of science and art that blurred the line between natural wonder and human ingenuity.
For those who walked past the hotel, her work was an invitation to pause. But for guests staying in rooms facing the façade, the experience was even more immersive - an ever-shifting dreamscape that turned their windows into portals to another world.
Lin Fanglu’s She’s Bestowed Love — A Textile Masterpiece That Redefines Art
A riot of red textiles cascaded through The Lobby, pulling from ancient Yunnan Bai traditions to tell a story about resilience, femininity, and connection. But She’s Bestowed Love wasn’t just about beauty - it was about challenging perceptions of what art can be.
“I wanted to make something fun, almost interactive. Art should resonate with people - it should make them feel something,” Fanglu says.
And it does. The fabric, rich in texture and movement, engulfs the space, creating an environment that is both comforting and powerful.
But beneath its aesthetic appeal lies a deeper conversation - one about how craft is often dismissed in the art world, particularly when it’s associated with “women’s work.”
“My work is going to the V&A for a major exhibition that asks the question: Is craft art? In contemporary art, fibre art is gaining recognition, but historically, techniques like weaving and needlework were undervalued. This is about recalibrating that conversation - about giving craft the place it deserves in fine art.”
More than just a visual spectacle, She’s Bestowed Love is a quiet act of defiance. It pushes against the boundaries of traditional art hierarchies, reminding us that craftsmanship, heritage, and contemporary vision can coexist - and that “women’s work” has always been revolutionary.
Chris Cheung (h0nh1m)’s The Flow Pavilion - A Digital Zen Sanctuary
A meditation space-meets-digital art piece that fused ancient Zen philosophy with brainwave-powered kinetic art. A mirrored pavilion, a floating sphere, and a silk carpet that shifted like ripples in water. This was mindfulness, Peninsula-style.
Cheung wanted to create a space that encouraged focus and deep immersion - one where guests could step out of the chaos of the city and into a moment of pure presence.
“I wanted to make a space where you can focus on one thing - really focus. It’s as if you’re floating, like moving through water,” he explains.
Inspired by Kyoto’s Zen gardens, The Flow Pavilion invites guests into a world of kinetic emotions. But the experience isn’t just passive - it’s interactive in ways most people don’t even realise.
“The carpet is 100% silk, and every mark left by the robotic sphere is printed permanently. That means each visitor’s experience leaves a trace - every moment becomes part of the artwork itself.”
In a world obsessed with speed and spectacle, The Flow Pavilion offers something rare: slowness, stillness, and the quiet beauty of watching something unfold in real time.
Beyond the Art: A Full-Sensory Experience
But The Peninsula wasn’t just about looking at art. They made sure you could taste it, too. At The Lobby, an art-inspired Afternoon Tea mirrored the installations in delicate pastry form. Over at Felix, cocktails took cues from the artists’ concepts, blending mixology with the visual arts. And in the rooms? Guests were greeted with art-infused chocolate bonbons and exclusive artist-designed postcards - because why not?
For those wanting to take things even further, the hotel’s The Art of Luxury package offered a fully immersive experience - private art tours, exclusive dining, and a taste of Hong Kong’s creative pulse, all wrapped in Peninsula perfection.
Luxury, But Make It Accessible
What set this apart wasn’t just the art, but how it was shared. In a world where high-end hotels and art fairs often operate behind velvet ropes, The Peninsula threw open its doors and let art take centre stage. Anyone could walk in and experience it - no invitation needed, no VIP pass required.
And in doing so, they might just be setting a new standard for how luxury brands engage with culture.
Because here’s the thing: Art isn’t just for the collectors, and luxury isn’t just for the elite. Sometimes, the most impactful moments happen in the spaces in between - where creativity meets community, and where a five-star hotel can become the city’s most unexpected cultural hub.
