Last summer we noted that fashion designer Alexander Wang and his mother, Ying Wang, purchased the landmark-protected former Citizens Savings Bank at 58 Bowery in Chinatown for $9.5 million. In the past few days, you may have seen the banners fluttering in the wind for, “Wang Contemporary,” a new cultural institution. According to the new organization’s website, Wang Contemporary was founded, “to support and present Asian and Asian-American creativity across generations and disciplines.”
The first exhibition is taking place this coming weekend (February 20-23). “20,000 Variations On A Paper Plane In Flight” is being staged by MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based “conceptual collective developing elaborate interventions that expose and leverage the absurdity of our cultural, political, and monetary systems.” According to the event page, “Once per hour, a flock of red and gold paper planes descends from the central oculus of the space, accompanied by an evolving piano score by composer and pianist Yeonjoon Yoon.” If you’re interested in tickets (they’re free), click here.
The Wangs say the institution will, “support and present Asian and Asian-American creativity across generations and disciplines.” They note that the building, a gateway to Chinatown across from the Manhattan Bridge, is for the first time in its history owned by Chinese Americans. They talked more about their vision in a recent interview for Artnet.
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to protect the exterior of 58 Bowery back in 2011. You can read the LPC’s designation report here. The previous owner was HSBC Bank, which purchased the property in 1999.
