ARTouchconsulting

BBC’s L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes sees Sir Ian McKellen lip-syncing with remarkable precision as the artist bares his soul. His connection with Lowry, in fact, goes back many years. As a devoted admirer of Lowry, Sir Ian previously brought the artist vividly to life in the 2011 documentary Looking for Lowry, written and directed by Margy Kinmonth. @margy_kinmonth In that film, he was committed to demonstrating why Lowry deserves recognition as one of the greatest painters of the 20th century. Very proud that Andrew and his gallery contributed significantly to that earlier project. That genuine and thoughtful documentary later became an important reference point in developing our Lowry exhibition in China. It also inspired the teaser film we created for the exhibition, which was shot in both Manchester and China. @artouchconsulting

🐴My great pleasure to have hosted another Chinese New Year party at Leighton House Museum last week, which is also celebrating the 100th anniversary of opening to the public. I truly adore this place, it feels like the perfect setting to remind us how to appreciate difference, and how richness comes from diversity. Being half-Manchurian, I grew up in northeast China. Sixteen years ago, I came to London without knowing a single person. Along the way, I found family, friends, collaborators, and so many of you were there that evening. That meant more than I can say. For the first time, we also held a one-lot charity auction, conducted by my dear friend Sally He. The work was specially commissioned from the artist @yuyang_studio , inspired directly by Leighton House. This first attempt raised over £5,000 (including donations) in support of Animals Asia Foundation. It’s only a small step for me in doing something like this, but I learned a lot and felt deeply grateful for the trust and generosity of friends. Animals Asia is very close to my heart. I first volunteered with them while I was at university in China, and have followed their work ever since. Last year, we brought Aya and Maya to visit their conservation centre in Vietnam! And of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without the talented performers, from face-changing, to the sword dance from the Peking Opera Farewell My Concubine, and the lion dance (the very same lion that attended my wedding 10 years ago!). Still feeling grateful. 🐎✨ @artouchconsulting 📷 @hubertcecil @nonghedi @yuyang_studio @sallycpho @animalsasia @leightonsambournemuseums @leightonhousevenuehire

BBC Two’s Arena documentary L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes, lip-synced by Sir Ian McKellen, premiered last night. I was honoured to be invited to contribute to the film, sharing reflections on Lowry’s impact beyond the UK — particularly as Andrew and I organised the first-ever solo museum exhibition of L.S. Lowry in China twelve years ago, also in a Year of the Horse. Although the documentary was ultimately shortened and the section on Lowry’s global impact was not included in the final edit, what was created and experienced cannot be cut. It remains a deeply meaningful personal memory for us. I grew up in Northeast China, often described as the “cradle of China’s industrialisation.” During the mid-20th century, the region was a major hub for steel, coal, petrochemicals, machinery and defence manufacturing. The visual landscape of Northeast China in the 1970s — captured so powerfully by Japanese photographer Hiroji Kubota — bears a striking resemblance to the industrial scenes depicted by Lowry. Without having known anything about Lowry at the time, when I first encountered his paintings at Tate in 2013, I felt an immediate connection. I was deeply moved by his humanistic gaze — the genuine, humble attention to ordinary lives set against the backdrop of industrialisation. That resonance sparked the idea of bringing Lowry’s work to China. Andrew and I built the project from the ground up, and in 2014 we successfully realised the exhibition in collaboration with AMNUA (Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts). The exhibition was titled L.S. Lowry: The Artist of the People. Looking back, the journey itself remains something we are profoundly proud of. 🎬Clip from BBC News AT TEN , featuring our exhibition in China! @artouchconsulting @yaminwang

First Look! Doors are now open for Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts at @royal_sculptors as part of @londoncraftweek — and we’re so glad to be contributing to this meaningful project with @craftsonpeel . Presented by Crafts on Peel, the Hong Kong charitable foundation dedicated to reviving, reinterpreting and perpetuating Chinese heritage crafts, the exhibition brings together specially commissioned works born from months-long collaborations between master artisans and a new generation of contemporary creatives across Greater China. Spanning gold gilding, filigree, bamboo craft, galvanised ironwork and Guangzhou embroidery, each work reflects an ongoing dialogue between tradition and contemporary practice — where ancestral craftsmanship is not simply preserved, but continuously reimagined through new materials, ideas and perspectives. Featuring works by: Wang Xinyuan × Elaine Yan Ling Ng (@thefabricklab ) Cheung Lee Wood Carving & Gold Gilding × Anson Lai (@aurum24kgoldleaf ) Michael Yu × Naam Yu (@yu_kwok_keung_michael , @louud_galvanized_crafts ) Inkgo Lam (@inkgolam ) Huimin Zhang (@im.huimin ) Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts 11–17 May 2026 @royal_sculptors Dora House, London SW7 3RA Free admission. No booking required. Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. @langylangypoo

May belongs to photography. From the recently concluded to @photofairs_shanghai @photolondonfair , opening this week in its new home at Olympia, the spotlight this month is firmly on the image. In the May issue of Collection/Auction, editor Miao @doublemiaoo speaks with Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography at the V&A @vamuseum , in a conversation exploring the boundaries of the image, the desire to collect, and the evolving role of photography today. The feature also sheds light on the V&A’s remarkable photography collection and its Photography Centre at South Kensington, now the largest space in the UK dedicated to a permanent photography collection. Grab your copy now. PR: ARTouch Consulting @langylangypoo

🇮🇹At @smac_venice , witnessing @awitalondon AWITA Honours Leaders in Culture 2026. Honoured to be part of the international nominating committee, but even more meaningful to see these recognitions come to life in person. I had the privilege of nominating @marisalogue_ social entrepreneur and philanthropist, and Founder of @khaoyai_art_forest , whose work continues to champion art, sustainability, and cultural development across Southeast Asia. The honourees were selected by an international nominating committee of leading connectors and mobilisers, working alongside AWITA’s Executive Committee. Big applause to @sigridakirk the mastermind who made it all happen. The committee: @sarahgharrelson — Founder & Editor-in-Chief, @cultured_mag @justkimberly — writer, curator, lecturer, cultural critic @nadiasamdani — Co-Founder & President, @samdaniartfoundation ; Director, @dhakaartsummit @mkgronlund — writer on art and cultural heritage @jessicasilvermangallery — Founder, Jessica Silverman Gallery Lang Xiao — Founder & Director, @artouchconsulting valerianapoleone — Patron & Collector @camille_morineau — Founder, @awarewomenart @sametheone1 — Senior Specialist, Curator & Manager, Standard Bank Gallery & Art Lab, Johannesburg Thank you @louise__hayward @therealflame_bisous for thinking of me.

🦍🧢NIGO IS IN TOWN! 🕶️👟 @nigo The #NIGO Exhibition at the @designmuseum offers a rare deep dive into the mind of one of street culture’s most influential figures. From founding A Bathing Ape to shaping Human Made and redefining heritage at Kenzo, NIGO’s journey unfolds through fashion, music, and archival pieces drawn from his personal universe. Last year, I had the pleasure of being involved in a project centred on Jean Prouvé’s 1944 6×6 Demountable House, where we supported Chinese communications for its Hong Kong presentation. This striking post-war structure now serves both as the centrepiece of the company’s headquarters in Tokyo and as part of a private lounge for Not A Hotel owners, known as The NIGO House. @notahotel_official NIGO: From Japan with Love 1 May – 4 October 2026

Glad to share my views on Chinamaxxing with Jing Daily. @jingdaily @bargeroni It’s not entirely new, echoes of Chinoiserie are there, but this time it’s bottom-up, driven by Gen Z and social media. More performance than practice, more algorithm than reality. At the same time, it reflects something real, especially among young people in the US, a mix of curiosity, escapism, and subtle cultural expression. What’s more interesting is where it becomes tangible. From Samuel Gui Yang @samuelguiyang to Susan Fang @susanfangofficial , we’re already seeing Chinese aesthetics translate into real commercial demand. Personally, I don’t think the “lifestyle” side of chinamaxxing will last. The real shift may come from something else: as travel to China becomes easier again, and people experience it firsthand, AI, logistics, everyday tech, and the high-efficiency, that’s where perception truly changes. @langylangypoo

If you know you know!! Aha Lolo at the V&A’s blockbuster Schiaparelli exhibition! Stay tuned to their channels! Something COOL is coming SOON @ahalolomay

We’re delighted to see the lucky winner of “1 Picasso for 100 euros” has been announced 🎉 A remarkable initiative that not only offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win “Tête de Femme” by Pablo Picasso—valued at €1 million—but also raised meaningful support for Fondation Recherche Alzheimer. We’re proud to have made a small contribution in supporting the project’s visibility across China, through platforms including Artnet China and Tatler China, helping it reach a wider audience. This project stands as a powerful model at the intersection of art and philanthropy—demonstrating how cultural value can create real-world impact. @1picasso100euros

We are pleased to announce Lang Xiao @langylangypoo as one of our Fair Ambassadors for Treasure House Fair 2026. Lang Xiao is a cross-cultural communication strategist and Founder of ARTouch Consulting @artouchconsulting , specialising in cultural programming and strategic partnerships between Asia and the West. She says, “Fairs create a unique environment where beauty, knowledge, and discovery converge. They encourage cross-collecting, meaningful encounters, and fresh perspectives, offering us the chance to step beyond the everyday and experience carefully curated excellence all at once. They are spaces where disciplines meet, and new connections quietly take shape.” Our Media Ambassadors are a source of inspiration to us, a voice of advice, and above all, friends of the fair. We look forward to sharing more soon! #THFAmbassadors #treasurehousefair #asianart #artouchconsulting

📱We captured a short greeting from Gus Casely-Hayford, Director of V&A East, for the V&A’s official RedNote account, connecting V&A East with Chinese audiences through a dedicated social-first format. Located within East London’s growing creative campus, alongside UCL East, London College of Fashion and Queen Mary University of London, the area is home to a significant number of Chinese students, many of whom are deeply engaged in creative disciplines. This has naturally translated into a strong and curious Chinese audience for V&A East. Following the release, the video gained strong traction on RedNote. Over the weekend, we also saw a noticeable increase in Chinese visitors on-site, and many sharing their visits and experiences across the platform. Gus Casely-Hayford, “It’s a space dedicated to creatives and creativity across the whole world… If you come to East London, come to V&A East. I think you’d love it.” A meaningful moment where digital storytelling meets real-world engagement. Follow V&A‘s official Chinese social media on RedNote 🔎英国V&A博物馆 @vam_east #artouchconsulting @langylangypoo