Suhanya Raffel

Museum Director M+, Hong Kong

Suhanya Raffel is a prominent museum director known for her leadership at M+, a museum for visual culture located in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District. She has been instrumental in overseeing the museum's activities, including collections building, exhibitions, research, programming, and institutional collaborations since she joined as Executive Director in November 2016 and later became Museum Director in January 2019.1 2 3

Career Background

Before her tenure at M+, Raffel served as the Deputy Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney from 2013 to 2016. During this time, she was involved in significant projects, including the AGNSW expansion with the architecture firm SANAA.2 4 Earlier in her career, she held various curatorial roles at the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane from 1994 to 2013, where she played a key role in developing its contemporary Asia-Pacific collection and led the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art from 2002 to 2012.1 5

Achievements and Contributions

Raffel has significantly contributed to the art community through her leadership at M+, which opened to the public in November 2021 and quickly became a vital cultural institution, attracting over two million visitors within its first year.4 5 She has also been recognized for her work with honors such as being named Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2020 and receiving the Sydney University Alumni Achievement Award for Cultural Contribution in 2022.3 6

Current Roles

In addition to her role at M+, Raffel is an active member of several prestigious boards and trusts. She is currently the President of CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art) for the term 2022-2025 and is a trustee of both the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and the Lunuganga Trust in Sri Lanka.1 3 Her leadership continues to focus on expanding M+'s international reach while fostering connections with local communities through various outreach programs.4 5