On the final day of the ART HK 12, Art Radar journalists were canvassing galleries and asking dealers about their fair experience. Of the gallerists we spoke with on the day, nearly all reported two or more sold works. We have some of the details from these sales below.

A scene from inside ART HK 12.

All of the following sales figures were given on Sunday 20 May 2012.

Francesca Minini, a gallery based in Milan, sold two works by Giulo Frigo for USD4,000 each.

Argentinian gallery Ignacio Liprandi Contemporary Art sold two collages by Jorge Pedro Núñez for USD2,800 a piece.

London’s Green Cardamom brought installations from Pakistani artist Ali Kazim which were priced within the range of GBP10,000-25,000 (USD15,800-39,500). They sold one piece, with three more on hold.

Art Informal from the Philippines sold their entire installation from Jose Santos III as a whole for USD150,000.

Mumbai-based Volte Gallery sold three works that were not on display, including one work by Ranbir Kaleka for USD350,000.

Arario Gallery sold an undisclosed number of smaller pieces with prices ranging from USD10,000-50,000.

Australian gallery GBK sold twenty works for between AUD3,000-40,000 (USD3,000-39,500). These included a sculpture by Claire Healy and Sean Cordiero for AUD35,000 (USD34,600); an oil painting by Hitesh Natalwala for AUD6,000 (USD5,900); and a work by Grant Stevens for AUD10,000 (USD9,900).

Scotland’s Ingleby Gallery sold eight pieces with prices in the range of GBP1,200-50,000 (USD1,900-79,100).

Paul Kasmin Gallery of New York reported selling three works in the range of USD35,000-850,000.

Hong Kong and US based De Sarthe Gallery also sold three artworks with prices between USD2million-5 million.

Silverlens Gallery from the Philippines sold around 70 percent of what they brought to the fair, with pieces priced within the range of USD500-20,000.

You can read our sales figures from days one and two here.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art fairs, art in Hong Kong, market watch – galleries

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: Sales figures days 1 and 2 – May 2012 – more sales reports from the earlier days of the fair
• ART HK 12: Redefining the space we live in – Asia Art Archive Open Platform speakers - May 2012 – part of ART HK 12′s educational programming, these non-profit organisations take a different approach to contemporary art practice
• ART HK 12: First time Asian galleries talk art fair strategy - May 2012 – what newcomers to the fair where thinking in the week beforehand
• Chinese affordable art fair AAC to launch Hong Kong edition - May 2012 – in case the price points above are too steep, this new event has you covered
• What went for how much at Art Beijing 2012? Red dot round up - May 2012 – compare how the two greater China fairs match up in terms of sales

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on contemporary art sales in Hong Kong

The last of Asia Art Archive’s ART HK Backroom Conversations educational programming series was a lecture entitled “Artists Through the Lens”, a series of conversations between curators and artists. Art Radar watched via video stream and live-tweeted the talk.

Tam Wai Ping: Not an art photographer

First up was Janet Chan, Assistant Head of Research+ at AAA speaking with local artist Tam Wai Ping. Tam, a conceptual photographer, talked about his aim to use photography to document his memories. In addition to his blunt admission that he is not interested in making art photography, he also talked about how problematic it is to ascribe meaning to his work. He specifically talked about a photo he took back in his journalist days in which he is holding up his press pass in front of the official ceremony returning Hong Kong to Chinese rule 1997. While many have interpreted this work from a political standpoint, Tam insists he was merely having fun.

Video feed screenshot of Janet Chan and Tam Wai Ping at the AAA Backroom Coversations talk.

Tam Wai Ping is a conceptual artist from Hong Kong. Though he is well-known for his photography, he also works in a range of different media, including installation and environmental artwork. He is a Founder and Co-Chairman of Artmap, a Hong Kong art news blog, and he currently teaches studio art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Cao Fei: Social media and technology art

Second on the roster was Chinese photographer Cao Fei in conversation with Hu Fang, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Vitamin Creative Space in Guangzhou. Cao talked about her recent work which engages Chinese social media platforms, such as the Twitter-like Sina Weibo. She discussed how the proliferation of technology has changed our relationship to the medium of photography, and that her work now engages these changes. Cao also said that since having her two children, her perspective on the world around her has greatly shifted, moving her away from the sort of thematic abstraction many artists use when dealing with issues of ordinary life.

Screenshot of Hu Fang and Cao Fei at AAA's "Artists Through the Lens" talk.

Cao Fei is an influential young Chinese artist. She is most well-known for her works depicting youths dressed up in cos-play outfits and their interactions with the real world. She is also involved in video and Internet art, and has worked extensively with the online virtual world Second Life. Cao has exhibited in many gallery shows and biennials internationally, including the Venice Biennale in 2003 and 2007, and she was a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Boss Prize.

Chen Chieh-jen: Documenting fading industrial Taiwan

Last up was curator Amy Cheng sitting with Taiwanese photographer Chen Chieh-jen. Chen, who was older than the two previous artist speakers, talked about his photographs that were inspired by his time working in factories around his home country. The artist aimed to document the workers’ struggles as China and Southeast Asian nations began to weaken Taiwan’s manufacturing industry. He also discussed the famous Liverpool docker’s strike, where harbour workers in Kaohsiung unwittingly unloaded a cargo ship loaded by scabs (dock workers that do not belong to a labour union) that had been rejected by other stevedores around the world as a show of solidarity.

Screenshot of Chen Chieh-jen.

Chen Chieh-jen is a Taiwanese photographer and filmmaker who examines Taiwan’s contemporary history. He is interested in how the processes of modernisation and globalisation have shaped Taiwanese society today. He is also interested in Taiwan’s international situation and its position in the global community. He has participated in many international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 1999 and the Gwangju Biennale in 2000.

For their “Artists Through the Lens” talk, Asia Art Archive invited three multi-disciplinary artists to discuss the role of the camera lens in their artistic practices. It was the last of the AAA’s Backroom Conversations, the official educational programming for the Hong Kong International Art Fair for the last five years.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art fairs, lectures and talks, art in Hong Kong, photography

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: Redefining the space we live in – Asia Art Archive Open Platform speakers – May 2012 – another AAA forum covered and live-tweeted by Art Radar
• Undiscovered Chinese photographers profiled in 88books’ hand-bound zines – resource alert – May 2012 – a Vancouver-based printer creates hand-made artist books for emerging Chinese photographers
• Stripping ‘Ophelia’ and more: 3 young Taiwanese new media artists in Hong Kong – April 2012 – an exhibition of three Taiwanese artists engaged in film and video work
• Surreal Zhang Xiao photographs document changing Chinese coastline – picture feast – April 2012 – Art Radar covers Zhang’s arresting and unique photography style
• Leung Chi Wo’s identity art: words, buildings, bullet holes – February 2012 – the Hong Kong photographer and new media artist has his first exhibition in London

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For days one and two of ART HK 12, Art Radar had reporters on the ground interviewing galleries about their experience at the fair. Though it is too early to tell how galleries will ultimately fare, here are a few of the sales figures we have heard so far.

A photo from ART HK 12.

Gallery Quynh from Vietnam reported on Friday 18 May to selling art for between USD3,500 to USD30,000.

Swiss gallery Karma International flew in two artists from Zurich who made an installation out of boxes to look like the Hong Kong skyline. The piece was made specifically for the fair. Individual boxes cost CHF4,000 (USD4,255), while the whole installation costs CHF30,000 (USD 32,000).

Latitude 28 from India brought a single work to the fair, but one that contains several component pieces. As of Friday 18 May they had sold two of the pieces for HKD36,000 (USD4,600) each.

On Friday 18 May, London gallery Rossi & Rossi told us they had sold seven works with prices ranging from USD3,000 to USD36,000.

Taiwanese Chi-Wen Gallery had sold three to four pieces when our reporter spoke to them.

Sales reports from the fair seem positive, with many galleries selling at the vernissage and a select handful selling a large portion of their booths early on. Even among many of the galleries that had sold modestly, confidence was high for the remainder of the fair. Some have also noted that it is easier to sell Asian works at the fair than even blue-chip Western artists like Picasso. According to Chinese contemporary critic Barbara Pollack, Chinese collectors are especially conservative and patriotic. One of the main challenges for galleries at the fair is to make Western contemporary art more appealing to this new group of collectors.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art fairs, art in Hong Kong, market watch – galleries

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: Redefining the space we live in – Asia Art Archive Open Platform speakers – May 2012 – part of ART HK 12′s educational programming, these non-profit organisations take a different approach to contemporary art practice
• ART HK 12: First time Asian galleries talk art fair strategy – May 2012 – what newcomers to the fair where thinking in the week beforehand
• Chinese affordable art fair AAC to launch Hong Kong edition – May 2012 – in case the price points above are too steep, this new event has you covered
• What went for how much at Art Beijing 2012? Red dot round up – May 2012 – compare how the two greater China fairs match up in terms of sales
• Sotheby’s announces launch of new Hong Kong gallery space – March 2012 – capitalising on Hong Kong’s rise as a centre for art sales, Sotheby’s opens a permanent exhibition space to complement their auction programming.

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on contemporary art sales in Hong Kong

On Friday 18 May 2012, Asia Art Archive once again held their Open Platform programme, selecting four speakers to each deliver 28-minute talks to an ART HK 12 audience. Two of the groups discussed art and its role in negotiating public spaces, but with very different approaches.

DOXA – China and Hong Kong

The second speaker of the afternoon talk was from international research collective DOXA. First founded in London in 2010, the organisation brings together artists, architects, theorists and thinkers to broaden the dialogue on future cultural production and its role in society. In particular, DOXA is interested in exploring “models of collective working and open source” that provide alternatives to the current, capitalist-oriented contemporary culture market.

DOXA brought two cultural theorists from the greater China region, Wuhan-based musician and arts professional Mai Dian and Occupy Central initiator Nin Chan. While DOXA co-founder Ashley Wong acted as moderator and spoke briefly at the beginning of their 28 minutes, she ceded most of the time to the invited speakers.

Mai Dian of the Womenjia Youth Autonomy Lab.

Womenjia Youth Autonomy Lab – China

Mai Dian is the founder of Womenjia Youth Autonomy Lab, an anarchist space that promotes open dialogue free of self-censorship. He discussed the municipal government’s recent plan to transform the city into an entertainment and cultural powerhouse, which has resulted in a significant investment in arts infrastructure. With Wuhan’s weakening manufacturing industry, officials hope to use the cultural economy as a financial buffer for the downturn.

However, this development has come at a significant price. Part of the project has called for the reclaiming of a lot previously public lands. In response, artists and activists around Wuhan including Mai Dian participated in the East Lake Project, which stages artistic interventions in spaces around the lake to protest the construction of residential complexes and an amusement park. In response to their reactions against forced demolitions, many of the artist protestors were attacked and threatened.

Photo from the Occupy Central movement.

Occupy Central – Hong Kong

Another perspective on long-term protesting came from DOXA’s second guest, Occupy Central initiator Nin Chan. Chan discussed at length his involvement with the movement, which has reclaimed the basement of the HSBC building in downtown Hong Kong as their headquarters. The Occupy Central movement first started in October of 2011.

What surprised Chan the most, however, was the sheer amount of contempt the campaign inspired in some onlookers, including many of the workers at the HSBC building. He would commonly hear shouts of “Scum!” and “Get a job!”, and Chan speculated that it was not the movement’s message in itself that incites this ire, but rather the way in which the Occupy movement in general subverts people’s notions of acceptable political and cultural discourse.

He said that it is the campaign’s unique blend of art and activism, as well as its orientation as an enduring social phenomenon as opposed to episodic protests that really sets off some members of the public. By pushing the boundaries of social activities as well as the accepted uses of public space, Occupy Central has redefined behavioural norms in a way unlike any other movement.

Parallel Lab – Hong Kong

Both DOXA speakers were actively engaged with redefining the public space along the terms of a more collective, grassroots creative and artistic development. By contrast, Open Platform’s third speakers, the Hong Kong-based architectural research firm Parallel Lab, sought to explore existing grassroots interventions into public spaces.

Geraldine Borio and Caroline Wuthrich, founders of Parallel Lab.

Founded by Swiss architects Geraldine Borio and Caroline Wuthrich, Parallel Lab is a “Laboratory for Experimental Researches on Asian Cities”. For one of their most recent projects, Parallel Lab was inspired by the ways in which local residents would often extend their private space into the public areas. A notoriously land-poor city, the pair surmises that Hong Kong encourages this sort of retooling of the public-private dynamic, with its winding, narrow alleys often concealing nooks and hideaways for residents to exploit. The duo named these locations “edge public spaces”.

With this in mind, Parallel Lab decided to recreate the experience of the “edge public space” through an art-design crossover project that they named STAG project. Borrowing on the habit of sitting outside in alleyways on portable stools, the two developed a seat that you can carry around like a backpack. The chairs are made from recycled billboard cloth, a homage to the local custom of repurposing found materials where convenient, and are all handmade by Hong Kong craftsmen. Once made, the group took their stools to four events that they organised in public spaces around Hong Kong. Over one hundred people attended one “intervention”, and police closed down the gathering after four hours.

The portable stools produced by Parallel Lab as part of their STAG project.

Parallel Lab hopes that by staging projects that “invade the public space”, they can spread awareness of a different kind of engagement with the city, that their vision for a public space dedicated to the people can inspire others around Asia and the world at large to question their relationship with the urban landscape.

About Open Platform

Open Platform, now in its second year, selects four projects to receive funding and give a talk concurrent with the annual Hong Kong art fair, ART HK. This year’s selection committee included Alan Cruickshank, Editor of Broadsheet, Kao Tzu-chin from ARTCO magazine, Elaine Ng, Founder of ArtAsiaPacific and Mark Rappolt, Editor for Art Review. Apart from the two programmes discussed above, Open Platform also featured a video work from the Seoul-based Web art group Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries and Bangalore art historian Suresh Jayaram who discussed his involvement in the Colombo Art Biennale.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art fairs, funding, art and the community, lectures and talks, art in Hong Kong

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: Art Radar live-tweets daily – resource alert – May 2012 – we were also live blogging the talk on twitter, and will be tweeting throughout ART HK 12
• ART HK 12: What to do outside of the fair? Essential extra events list – May 2012 – includes other talks and forums like Open Platform
• HelpersUnite connects artists and entrepreneurs with charities for joint fundraising – December 2011 – another potential source of funding for Asian contemporary art non-profit projects
• Hong Kong Wan Chai Visual Archive: community art experimentation - August 2011 – how one Hong Kong non-profit engages the local arts community
• Taiwanese artist Wu Mali on role of art in communities – December 2010 – the installation artist talks on community collaborations and socially engaged practice

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on non-profit art groups in Asia

The 2012 ART FUTURES award was awarded to Hong Kong artist Lee Kit for his project Something in My Hands. The USD25,000 prize is given to an emerging artist represented by a young gallery to encourage new artists and art professionals in Asia.

Awarding the ART FUTURES prize. From left to right: Roberto Ceresia, AIKE-DELLARCO, Lars Nittve, Executive Director, M+, Lee Kit, Magnus Renfrew, Fair Director, ART HK, Elaine Ng, Editor and Publisher, ArtAsiaPacific Magazine, Okwui Enwezor, Curator. Image Courtesy ART HK.

Of the 35 international galleries vying for the award, it was Shanghai-based AIKE-DELLARCO representing Hong Kong artist Lee Kit that clinched the prize. According to the press release, Lee’s conceptual installation stood out for “intertwin[ing] the use of different art forms with the notions of daily life to build up an atmosphere and create a sense of feeling for his audience.”

To strengthen the quality of the work on display in the ART FUTURES section in 2012, ART HK Director Magnus Renfrew shrank the number of exhibitors while opening it to galleries with up to eight years of experience. The judging panel was equally distinguished; it included Lars Nittve, Executive Director of M+, Kowloon’s prospective contemporary art museum, Elaine Ng, Editor and Publisher of ArtAsiaPacific and Okwui Enwezor, a Nigerian-born American curator who served as Artistic Director of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, Documenta 11 and many other events.

Lee Kit is a multimedia artist from Hong Kong. Since graduating from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2003 he has had solo exhibitions around the world, including in Milan, Tokyo, New York, Sydney and Wellington. He was a finalist for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2009 to 10. Most recently, Art Statements Gallery in Hong Kong exhibited his installation, How to Set up an Apartment for Johnny, at Art Basel 42 in 2011. He was also part of the MoMA group exhibition “Print/Out“, a show of contemporary international print work that just ended on 14 May 2012.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: Hong Kong artists, art in Hong Kong, art prizes, art fairs

Related Posts:

• Ai Weiwei wins White Box award for “defending human rights against oppression” – May 2012 – another recent art prize awarded to the Chinese artist dissident
• ART HK 11 Hong Kong art fair: Chinese artist Gao Weigang wins 2011 ART FUTURES award – May 2011 – last year’s winner hailed from mainland China
• Xu Bing 30 years celebrated by Audi-sponsored Chinese art award – April 2011 – the conceptual Chinese artist wins a lifetime achievement award sponsored by the luxury car dealer
• Is Hong Kong a cultural desert? How can you become a better collector? Answers revealed at Asia Art Forum – June 2010 – a guest post by Bonnie E. Engel lists Lee Kit as emerging in the international art world
• Which Chinese artists are among the big names at Louis Vuitton Passion show in Hong Kong? NY Times review – June 2009 – Lee Kit participated in this Hong Kong exhibition

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on ART HK 12 and the wider Asian contemporary art world

Could not make it out to Hong Kong this weekend? Let Art Radar be your eyes and ears at the fair. Founder and executive editor Kate Cary Evans and others in our reporting team will be tweeting and retweeting the best in on-the-ground information as it emerges from the fair.

Do you subscribe to Art Radar‘s Twitter feed? If not, now is the time to start. Art Radar will be at the fair every day live-tweeting our experience. We have reporters on the ground and others monitoring coverage remotely, so we are well-poised to get the inside scoop on what’s happening at the fair in real time.

Art Radar will be attending some exclusive peripheral events as well as talking with some of Hong Kong’s most influential art professionals. Apart from chatting with artists, galleries and collectors about their impressions of the fair, we are reporting sales trends and figures as they emerge. Subscribe to our Twitter feed now and you can even submit questions you would like us to ask galleries. Prefer Facebook? We are posting there, too, so like our page.

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Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art world resources, art in Hong Kong, art media, art and the Internet

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• Web 2.0 for art: 3 apps and sites for art collectors – resource alert – May 2011 – three great resources for collectors or fans of contemporary art
• Takashi Murakami sells paintings for Japan after “pointless” Twitter campaign – March 2011 – this Japanese art superstar comes under fire for his Twitter activities
• Ou Ning on Get it Louder – new voice in China’s visual arts scene - December 2010 – an interview with curator Ou Ning on her exhibition meditation on “internet space”
• 140 not enough: Powerhouse favours Facebook over Twitter in social media experiment - November 2010 – for their annual “Ask a Curator Day”, curators from the Powerhouse Museum of Sydney discuss their social media preferences

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on ART HK 12

One of the most exciting benefits of Art Radar‘s Certificate in Art Journalism and Writing 101 is that students have the opportunity to connect with those who are at the top of the art world food chain. You will get the chance to report art news using first-hand information that you have ferreted out.

Sotheby's Hong Kong sale in spring of 2012 fetched over USD316 million.

As a 101 student, we will help you to refine your research skills and sometimes this means contacting leading people at the world’s top auction houses, galleries and art institutions with questions.

Find out more about the benefits of learning art writing with Art Radar: click here for information on course content, application requirements and costs.

Do not miss out! Our application period for our summer intake, one of only three yearly, will close on Monday 4 June 2012, so apply now.

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With a number of Asian art galleries showing for the first time at ART HK 12, Art Radar was curious to find out what their expectations for the fair were, and who they will be showing and why. Are they showing established or emerging artists? Seeking high sales or going for exposure?

All of the galleries we talked to stressed their excitement and pride in exhibiting at ART HK. Many noted that, with the lack of museums and customary exhibition platforms, art fairs, especially ART HK, play a crucial role in the Asian art market. While some of the interviewed gallerists are bringing big-name works, many others are using the fair to promote regionally emerging artists to an international audience.

Zao Wou Ki, 'Vent de Poussiere', 1955, oil on canvas. Image courtesy de Sarthe Gallery.

If you want to have a real presence in Asia, participating in ART HK is a must. It is widely considered to be one of the world’s top art fairs and attracts the most important collectors to Hong Kong.


…[ART HK] also has the highest attendance of art fairs in the region and appeals to all people interested in art as well as new collectors.


We will show a major painting by Zao Wou Ki from 1955, a large, important Chu Teh Chun painting from 1969 and a large, significant painting by Sam Francis from 1955. We will also show two paintings by Pablo Picasso and sculptures by Jaume Plensa and Bernar Venet, whose paintings we are showing at our gallery in Central and, in conjunction with The French May, seven of his large monumental sculptures at the HK Cultural Centre & Museum of Art Piazzas in Kowloon.

- Pascal de Sarthe, Director, de Sarthe Gallery

Xu Qu, 'Xisha – Factory of the World', installation view, 2011, mixed media. Image courtesy Hemuse Gallery.

ART HK is becoming one of the most important art fairs in the world.


We are bringing Xu Qu‘s ‘Xisha – Factory of The World’.


We have been cooperating with Xu for a while. Xu Qu had a solo show in Hemuse Gallery in December 2011. The Xisha-South China Sea Project was born of the artist’s fantasy of utopia and his attempts to apply this unstable geographical concept to explore different aesthetic boundaries.

- Apple Keng, Director, Hemuse Gallery

Jose Santos III, assemblage from the installation 'Skewed', 2012, oil on canvas, collage on canvas, metal, wood, plastic and resin. Image courtesy Art Informal.

I initially applied for the Galleries Section of ART HK because it would be a good way to introduce our home artists all at the same time and show a variety of very good works. Over a month later, I got word that I was to apply for Asia One. I was unprepared to ask any one of our artists to produce a solo show knowing that it would be difficult for an artist to prepare in just four months. Nevertheless, I asked Jose Santos III and after thinking about it for a week, he agreed. He came up with a concept for the show and prepared rough studies. With this, I was able to make the proposal and submit it on schedule. A month later, I got an email announcing our acceptance and I was ecstatic! This will be a milestone in the growth of the gallery and our artist.


I have been attending ART HK for the past two years and have seen how well put together and organised it is. I also saw the magnitude of the fair. I realised that the exposure it would bring my gallery and our artists would be great. …


I chose Santos III because he is one of the finest artists in the Philippines and this kind of exposure is the next best step for him after having such a steady local following and a growing regional interest in his works. He has consistently produced very strong exhibitions and has had some works auctioned at Christie’s. … Since then, our plan was to organise exhibitions for him abroad. Joining ART HK is one of the best ways to start this ball rolling.

- Tina Fernandez, Owner, Art Informal

ART HK is the leading art fair in Asia. I feel very proud to have been accepted only two-and-a-half years after opening my gallery.


It is a great opportunity to meet clients from all around Asia and also to have a good insight on what is happening in the art scene across the region.


I will be showing a selection of works [on paper] from a private collector.


I chose to showcase this collection because it features historical works and I believe there is a demand for them. Also, it is great to see a gallery entrusted by a collector [to sell works in their collection]. The auction houses do not have a monopoly on selling collections.

- Hadrien de Montferrand, Founder, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery

Richard Lin, 'Blue', 1958, oil on canvas. Image courtesy Jia Art Gallery.

We feel very very proud [of attending the fair] because there are very few galleries accepted from Taiwan, less than ten, and the requirements are quite strict for acceptance. So once we found out that we were accepted and are on the main floor, we felt happy and honoured for the work we will represent at ART HK. …


[We are bringing] Modern and post-war British art/British Chinese minimalist master, Richard Lin.


Jia Art Gallery has earned goodwill and recognition in the art industry due to Mr Wang’s [Raymond Wang, Founder of Jia Art Gallery] efforts in promoting young Taiwanese artists, as well as his good eye for discovering and promoting highly accomplished Chinese masters. … Lin first exhibited his minimalist experiments in London galleries five years before the term minimalism was even coined, and Spanish surrealist Joan Miró was an admirer of Lin’s studies in white. Lin is arguably one of the Taiwan’s most accomplished living artists. He was the first Taiwanese artist to be included in documenta in Kassel, an exhibition of Modern and contemporary art, in 1964, and was the first living artist whose contemporary art works are part of the Taiwan National Palace Museum’s permanent collection. Lin’s works show the beauty of Chinese aesthetics and Western ideology, as well as bringing about a sense of calmness, eastern philosophy and Taoism. … We also feel that Lin’s works represent the East and the West, and so does Art Hong Kong [ART HK].

- Brenda Wang, Director, Jia Art Gallery

Vertical Submarine, 'Qua Si Mi Lan (What the Fuck Are You Looking At!)', 2012, Mixed Media. © Vertical Submarine, Image courtesy Richard Koh Fine Art.

[ART HK] is an important art fair in Asia, and it is important for us to be here to meet our clients and to also develop new ones for our artists.


We are bringing a Singaporean contemporary arts collective, Vertical Submarine.


This is the second installment from their acclaimed “Incendiary Text II (Selected Anatomical Studies of Thirty- Six Eastern Vulgarities and One Incendiary Oath… in Roman Letters)” series. The first edition, which was featured in Singapore earlier this year, garnered lots of press coverage with its tongue-in-cheek pieces. The works are inherently Singaporean and are an excellent example of Singaporean artists of their generation.

- Richard Koh, Founder and Director, Richard Koh Fine Art

Parul Thacker, 'A Snowflake Dissolving in Pure Air', 2011, nylon monofilament fibre, acrylic tubes, crystal, fishing net and transparent and white pigments. Image courtesy Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke.

We are very enthusiastic about the future of contemporary art in the region, and ART HK provides an extraordinary platform. It’s the perfect venue to put forth original and compelling positions from the gallery’s programme because all eyes are on this art fair.


[We are bringing] Bhupen Khakhar and C.K. Rajan, both artists who have shown at previous documentas. Their work sets the tone and opens up a space for new contemporary positions which are the primary focus of the gallery. At ART HK these will be represented through the work of Manish Nai, Tanya Goel, Varunika Saraf, and Parul Thacker amongst others.


They are unique; global in their thinking, local in their choice of materials/modes/histories, be it the use of raw cloth or patterning, miniature or mythology, or the beauty they find in their ironic environments of construction and growth coupled with corruption and decay.

- Ranjana Steinruecke, Director Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke

Sheba Chhachhi, video still from 'Chimeric Enrapture', 2011, oil and acrylic on canvas with video projection and sound. Image courtesy Volte Gallery.

It is the first time we applied [to ART HK], and we were glad we were accepted straight into the main gallery section.


ART HK has become the most important fair in Asia and a very important event for galleries in this region. Asia is extremely important to us as a market, and hence we are here: you cannot be a serious player in Asia and not do ART HK.


We are showing Ranbir Kaleka and Sheba Chhachhi, two of India’s most celebrated artists, but two who have never shown in Hong Kong. Since the audience would be seeing their works for the first time, we felt it best to focus only on two artists. Ranbir recently did a major show for the Guangzhou Triennale at the Guangdong Museum, and Sheba won the Jury Award at the Signature Art Prize, Asia’s largest art prize.

- Tushar Jiwarajka, Director, Volte Gallery

We have high expectations for ART HK.


Hong Kong is one of the most international cities in Asia and is becoming the hub of the Asian art market. [It is exciting] to be able to meet important collectors and curators from around the world at ART HK. …


We are bringing Ozawa Tsuyoshi. … Ozawa deals with issues of modernisation by examining how Japan and Asia confronted modernisation and adopted it. His work suggests that issues in modernisation exist not only in Japan but any other country, and he presents possible solution using art with humour. He has been featured in various biennales, triennales and museums worldwide, but we would like collectors to have an opportunity to purchase and collect his works.

- Aiko Nakamura, Misa Shin Gallery:

Chong Siew Ying, 'Home', 2012, charcoal and acrylic medium on paper mounted canvas. Image courtesy Willie Valentine Fine Art.

We have actually been encouraged to apply to the fair for a few years now. However, at that time we were focusing on our extensive programmes across our galleries in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yogyakarta, and Manila. … After attending last year’s fair and observing the sophistication of the fair in terms of international clientèle, quality of galleries, artists and associative programming, we felt that it would be extremely beneficial to have a presence in ART HK. Hong Kong is rapidly becoming an important centre for regional and international art, and we always want to bring the best of what we do to new audiences and art lovers. We are of course delighted to be part of the fair, especially as we are bringing a Malaysian artist, Chong Siew Ying, who we we have represented for many years….


As I said above, it is important for us to promote and expose new audiences to the work of artists who we feel are the important voices coming out of the region. … ART HK brings a huge amount of possibility and potential for the artist we have selected in terms of visibility. Siew Ying has been practicing in France and Malaysia for twenty years now, and this type of exposure only strengthens her reputation as one of the most accomplished Malaysian painters of her generation.


The work she has produced is an interesting approach to traditional Chinese ink. Although having the appearance of landscapes found in Chinese ink painting, her works are actually a combination of charcoal drawing layered with clear emulsion giving the appearance of ink. After all, charcoal (or carbon) is indeed one of the main components of ink. So we are aiming to share how she dialogues with the tradition of Chinese ink painting to showcase how contemporary artists are re-imagining it and creating new possibilities for both the medium and subject matter involved in this ancient art.

- Eva McGovern, Curator, Willie Valentine Fine Art

Image courtesy Gajah Gallery.

ART HK is clearly one of the leading art fairs in the world. It is always good to be in an art fair that draws international collectors from around the world. Through ART HK, collectors are given the rare opportunity to view Nyoman Masriadi‘s works as a collective.


Increasingly, art fairs are becoming more relevant in the contemporary world. Good art fairs not only pull together serious collectors from around the world but curators and art historians as well. In response to this, artists themselves tend to put forward their best works where possible. This is especially important in Asia, where good museum shows and art fairs are hard to come by.


Nyoman Masriadi will be debuting at ART HK 2012 with his third solo showcase spanning a three-year period of the artists career. Nyoman Masriadi’s works are rarely seen at art fairs or otherwise. The gallery will be showcasing five works; three of which are from private collections and two of which were made especially for the fair….


[Masriadi] has showcased internationally in New York, Miami, India, China, France and Singapore. He has had well-received solo shows in Singapore (2008) and New York (2011). He has an increasing broad base of intrigued collectors who have yet to have the chance to experience these works in person. We also feel that his work has a lot to contribute to the international art scene with regards to his art making techniques.

- Rekha Roeshini, Gajah Gallery

PR/KN

Art journalism gets you behind the scenes for the world’s biggest contemporary art events. Click here to express your interest in our online art journalism certificate programme. Summer intake application deadline: 4 June 2012.

Click here to read our rolling media round-up of ART HK 12 articles

Click here to read our coverage of ART HK 12

Related Topics: art in Hong Kong, promoting art, art fairs

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: What to do outside of the fair? Essential extra events list – May 2012 – Art Radar‘s round-up of all of the events being run simultaneously with the fair
• ART HK sponsor Deutsche Bank backs Frieze in New York – May 2012 – The Euro banking giant’s sponsorship puts the Hong Kong fair on par with the London and New York fairs
• Pearl Lam: Another gallery for Hong Kong’s Pedder Building – May 2012 – the famed gallerist returns to her hometown to open a new gallery in time for the fair
• Tokyo-based Yuko Hasegawa first dedicated curator of ART HK Projects for 2012 – April 2012 – the Sharjah Biennial curator leaves her mark in Hong Kong
• ART HK repositions ASIA ONE section for 2012, now “heart” of fair – February 2012 – one major change for the 2012 edition of the fair

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on Art HK 12 and other art fairs in Asia

Chinese art company Affordable Art China Ltd (AAC) will launch an art fair in Hong Kong in 2013. As stated in a press release that was sent out to the media on 16 May 2012, the new fair will focus on emerging artists and sell contemporary art works at “accessible prices”.

'Tug of War' by Cao Xihui, one of the works on show at Affordable Art Beijing 2012.

From the release,

The company, led by Beijing‐based CEO Tom Pattinson, is in final stage talks with venues in Hong Kong and will be working with deluxewords, the publisher of Quintessentially Asia Magazine as its media partner for next year’s launch event. The title of the Hong Kong event will be announced shortly.


Affordable Art Beijing, a major annual art fair selling contemporary art, was launched by AAC in 2006. The first AAC Shanghai fair will be held later in 2012 and the Hong Kong event will premiere in the first half of 2013.


Tom Pattinson, CEO of Affordable Art China said: ‘The success of the events in mainland China has demonstrated the demand for accessible contemporary fine art in the region and Hong Kong is now a major focus for us as we launch our first event in this territory.’

The release goes on to say that AAC’s announcement has been ‘warmly received in Hong Kong’s art community, quoting local and international gallery representatives and artists.’

We do not participate in other art fairs in Hong Kong because they are too expensive and demand extremely high fees from exhibitors. It will be a very positive development to have an event that caters to emerging artists from all over Asia.

- Kyoko Fujita, Kumquat Gallery

Events that make art more accessible to new collectors and help emerging artists develop a following are crucial to the health and vigour of the artistic community. We welcome the launch of the Hong Kong event and hope that it helps to further develop the thriving Asian art market.

- Nikki Bell of British art-duo Langlands & Bell

I am extremely supportive of any initiative that brings artists and the public together. There are a huge number of people interested in the arts in Hong Kong and to offer more people a chance to be involved, to own and discover new work, is very positive for our culture here as a whole. Hong Kong’s apartment walls will rejoice.

- Hong Kong based photographer William Furniss

Numerous art fairs have been inaugurated in Hong Kong in the last few years. Examples include a new breed of hotel art fairs such as Hong Kong Contemporary, set to launch on 17 May 2012 at the The Park Lane Hotel, and Spoon Art Fair, which will run from 18 to 20 May 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.

KN/HH

Related Topics: art fairs, emerging artists, art in Hong Kong

Related Posts:

• ART HK 12: Rolling media round up [UPDATED 16 May 2012] – May 2012 - Art Radar is your go-to source for updates and information on ART HK 2012
• Sydney Contemporary 2013: ART HK founder Tim Etchells’ newest fair venture – May 2012 - Tim Etchells has launched Australia’s newest art fair, an international biennial event
• Mongolian Mugi’s first Hong Kong solo: Rediscovering past lost to communism – May 2012 – Mugi explores familiar themes in her first Hong Kong exhibition
• Pearl Lam: Another gallery for Hong Kong’s Pedder Building – May 2012 – Pearl Lam joins Ben Brown Fine Arts and Gagosian Gallery
• How Chinese performance artist Fang Lu uses food as artistic medium - Asia Art Archive interview – May 2012 – an emerging Chinese artist explores food and feminism

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on contemporary art in Hong Kong

The New York Times recently published an article on China’s rapid expansion in the arts and interaction with Western institutions. Despite this growth, China may still lack the professional talent and collection strength to support its new arts infrastructure.

Hunan Provincial Museum Director and Chinese Society of Museums Chairman Chen Jianming gives a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new construction project at the museum in 2011.

From the The New York Times,

Last year, 395 museums were built across China, according to Chen Jianming, a vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Museums and the director of the Hunan Provincial Museum. Many of these new museums were devoted to history, but in the years ahead, many more art museums are planned, he said.


But the new urgency for more and bigger museums may be coming too fast, Mr Chen added. There are not enough trained personnel to build collections and oversee educational programs, and some new museums will not have sufficiently high-standard collections, he said.

Is this an issue that will continue to dog Chinese art institutions, or will local museums and universities rise to the challenge? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment in the section below.

PR/KN/HH

Quality writing is essential for every art professional. Click here to express your interest in our online art journalism certificate programme. Summer intake application deadline: 4 June 2012.

Related Topics: Asia expands, art in China, museums, museum collections

Related Posts:

• 3 new Shanghai art spaces point at flourishing art scene – February 2011 – discusses two new Chinese private museums and how they hope to further the contemporary art discourse
• MoMA Asia Art Archive collaborate, launch Chinese art projects with public programmes – September 2010 – an early interaction between Western and Chinese institutions prescient for current trends
• Asia Art Forum 2010 meets growing demand for art collector education in China – Jing Daily - May 2010 – education support is becoming a key focus in China’s drive to cultural primacy
• China to use “soft power” of arts for international influence – January 2010 – China’s cultural expansion is not without a political edge
• Contemporary art market in Asia now bigger than US for first time says Artprice – November 2009 – Asia overtakes the United States in art auction revenue

Subscribe to Art Radar for more on Chinese art museums