Adrian Cheng, the founder of K11 and the founder and honorary chairman of the K11 Art Foundation, has announced that he is planning to expand K11 by opening Art Malls in nine Chinese cities by 2023. With locations in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, the Art Malls were first launched by Cheng in 2008 to help increase dialogue and engagement between art and the public.

Cheng has recently been awarded France’s Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters for his efforts in improving cultural exchange between France and China. Cheng is the youngest person from Hong Kong to receive this honor since its establishment in 1957. Nan Goldin, Anish Kapoor, and Iwona Blazwick are among past recipients of the order.

“The cultural collaborations formed by the K11 Art Foundation with leading institutions such as Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, and Claude Monet Foundation have allowed French audiences to deepen their understanding of contemporary Chinese art and to expand international opportunities for outstanding Chinese contemporary artists and curators,” Cheng said in a statement.

The nonprofit K11 Art Foundation has also partnered with a number of other major international art institutions. Most recently, MoMA PS1 worked with the organization to present the exhibition “.com/.cn” (2017), which explored the online ecosystems of the two top-level domains and their effects on contemporary art. Cheng hopes K11’s expansion will facilitate more arts-education initiatives and inspire future generations.

“I am proud to have been nominated for this Officier, officially recognized by the French state, which encourages me to continue pursuing and strengthening the cross cultural dialogues between our two countries,” Cheng said.

Established in 2010, the K11 Art Foundation helps emerging artists and curators in greater China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan by connecting them with the global art community.