Design Trust, an initiative of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, announces a landmark edition of its annual Design Trust Charity Benefit Auction and Party! 2026 to take place on Friday, 20th March 2026 from Central to the Peak. Under the theme “The Art of Movement” by Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator and Executive Director, Design Trust), the Charity Benefit event will launch the Design Trust Exhibition 2026 at St. John’s Building, located in Hong Kong’s Central business district and houses the lower terminus of the Peak Tram. Along with a series of curatorial programmes from Central Waterfront to the Peak Tram and the Peak Tower, celebrating Hong Kong’s architectural and natural landscape. As Art Basel Hong Kong 2026’s Cultural Partner with international community during the Hong Kong Art Week, experts, curators and scholars will host a walking, urban tour of Central district to the Peak.
“The Art of Movement explores design within the dynamics of city life, urbanism; promotes walking, exploring, and viewing the cityscape and natural topography of Hong Kong as a journey; from the 1980s architectural innovations of Central, the Peak Tram to the iconic Peak, as an outdoor architectural landscape of inspiration through time.” says Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator and Executive Director, Design Trust).
“Our vision is to sustain, transform and grow the non-profit organization Design Trust’s innovative platform and public place learning lab, where the city and nature of Hong Kong becomes an outdoor museum, that integrates Heritage, Sustainability initiatives and Design Innovation to benefit the larger community in diverse, inclusive and dynamic ways. With the powerful transformation of the Peak Tramway’s 6th edition innovation, as an anchoring point to link this year’s show, and on the special occasion of Lord Norman Foster’s 40th anniversary of his remarkable innovative, and timeless HSBC Main Building, we witness the many contributions of so many that craft the optimistic spirit that HK brings."
"HSBC Main Building designed by Foster + Partners, will be 40 years old this April 2026, that officially opened on 7th of April 1986, which is seminal to the journey, and architectural heritage narratives of Central district building’s innovation and placemaking. From City Hall, the Statute Square, to the Peak Tower – these architectural gems, are inspirational, moving and uplift unique narratives and oral histories, stemming from creative forces at play, hidden stories to architectural details. We hope this exhibition and cultural tour, restores our belief in how great architecture, creative public space making, and the natural topography of Hong Kong can be a shared public asset to further our inter-generational learning and educational platforms for the community to be inspired by.”
Through our supporting partners of The Peninsula Hotels and The Peak Tramways Company, with Gold Sponsors formalighting and Prada, Design Trust Charity Benefit Party! 2026 will bring together global creative leaders, arts patrons, and cultural stakeholders in support of Design Trust’s mission and vision as an initiative of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design. With a preview cocktail reception of Design Trust Exhibition 2026 at St. John’s Building, the evening will extend the exclusive experience through the Peak Tram to the Charity Benefit Party at an exclusive private restaurant at the Peak Tower, with Live Auction, special DJs music performance and exclusive premier of a special artist film collaboration with Wilson Shieh and JPS Gallery featuring Sam Hui’s classic song, alongside his son Ryan Hui’s special performance at the evening, in benefit of the non-profit organization with Hong Kong’s marvelous city skyline as the backdrop illuminating movement through the city.
The Charity Benefit event will culminate with the announcement of Design Trust Legacy Award 2026 recipient Foster + Partners, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to global design and our city of Hong Kong. On the occasion of 40th anniversary of HSBC Main Building designed by Foster + Partners, Design Trust is excited to announce Hong Kong Architectural Legacy Symposium, by Design Trust, supported by HSBC on April 9th 2026, followed by a curated conversation with seminal architects and designers who have shaped Hong Kong’s Central architecture through time, advancing Design Trust’s ongoing efforts to develop an architecture and grants archive for Hong Kong and the region. Marisa Yiu, Lead Curator adds, “Design Trust is also beyond thrilled to share Ms. Penelope Seidler and Ms. Nora Leung as Design Trust “the Art of Movement” special honourees, who will be the guests of honour at various programmes of Design Trust Exhibition 2026. Both architects, Ms. Penelope Seidler wife of late Mr. Harry Seidler, architect of the Hong Kong Club, and Ms. Nora Leung seminal in her work on the Lippo Centre (formerly known as Bond Centre) by architect Paul Rudolph who inspired Lord Norman Foster as his mentor and professor.”
As Art Basel Hong Kong 2026’s Cultural Partner with international community during the Hong Kong Art Week, Design Trust will host “The Art of Movement” Design Trust Architecture & Art Urban Tour from Central to the Peak with Design Trust Exhibition 2026 Preview on March 24th Tuesday afternoon. Led by Lead Curator Marisa Yiu with a group of expert architects, historians and curators including Aric Chen (Director of Zaha Hadid Foundation, Design Trust Greater Bay Area Design Council Advisor) , from the Central waterfront to the architecture on the Peak of Hong Kong, the tour and exhibition highlighting the rich urban culture and architectural excellence of Hong Kong exploring the city and its natural environment to share ongoing research on heritage, design innovation and sustainability with narratives of the city of Hong Kong.
Championed by a distinguished roster of visionary partners and supporters, Design Trust Exhibition 2026: “The Art of Movement” will open to the public from Friday 27th March to Sunday April 12th 2026 to welcome visitors from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and internationally. Curated, led and envisioned by Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator / Executive Director) with Zheng Zhou (Head of Programmes / Associate Curator), the exhibition delves into architecture, art and natural landscapes of the city through time from 1980s and present, featuring thematic artworks and exquisite design works donated from Henry Steiner, Wilson Shieh and JPS Gallery, Emily Allchurch and Karin Weber Gallery, Ma Yansong, William Lim, Xinjian Lu and De Sarthe Gallery, Dony Cheng and Exit Gallery, Agnese Guido and Song Hyeong-Noh, and designers OrangeTerry and Didi Ng originally from Hong Kong will produce unique site-specific works, alongside special architectural photography donations from Eason Tsang, Michael Wolf and Flowers Gallery; Design Trust with Austin Bell’s unique photos of the Peak, Ian Lambot’s HSBC photograph, and Walter Koditek supported by Blue Lotus Gallery; with Avant Garde Horn artist collaboration speakers with Frog King and Pongyu Wai as an extension of The Peninsula Hotels’ “Art in Resonance” programme. Award-winning Hong Kong photographers Kevin Mak and Gary Ng will produce unique pieces for the exhibition.
From the Central district to the Peak, a special Design Trust Architecture & Art Urban Tour programme will be launched with a special cultural map featuring commission illustration artwork from Hong Kong artist Carmen Ng, transforming the Central district into a living museum and archive of art, architecture and urban development through decades. “Design Trust Architectural Archive Research Prototype 2026” is presented as a focal point of “The Art of Movement” exhibition with the support from The Peak Tramway Company, Foster + Partners, HSBC Archive, Penelope Seidler and Harry Seidler & Associates, Henry Steiner & Margaret Steiner, Nora Leung, Rocco Yim, John Wu, Hongkong Land Corporate Archives and Zaha Hadid Foundation to loan and provide their archive materials to empower the research process. The exhibition and programme will also activate “Voices of Central Architecture” that Design Trust hopes to kick-off longer research and partnership with many stakeholders, with a Design Trust Sketchalogues 2026 programme on April 10th 2026.
All the fundraising proceeds, will go towards Design Trust’s ongoing efforts to enhance the development underway for a digital and architectural grants archive amplifying the educational impact and research excellence of our grants and fellowship schemes; Design Trust Impact Grant initiatives including Open House Hong Kong and Inter-island Festival exploring the rich local culture and heritage; DESIGN TRUST FUTURES STUDIO Greater Bay Area programme: “Nature is Nurture is Nature” crafting a visionary explorative creative atlas for the regional community; The newly launched Design Trust Fellowship at V&A East in London, fostering international exchange; alongside our ongoing grants, design research and fellowship projects.
More details on Design Trust Charity Auction 2026 here.
