Pui's Art Whisper

Economic Relationship between Artist and Dealer

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:08:22 +0000

> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 -->> --> > /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} --> By far the most common economic arrangement between artists and dealers are consignments: the artists consign his artworks to a dealer, who exhibits them either in a solo or a group show, and meanwhile tries to sell them. If a work is sold, the proceeds are divided according to a predetermined ratio; if works remain unsold, the dealer can keep them in his/her inventory, without transfer of property rights or the artist can take the work back. From an economic perspective, these consignment relationships are in the interest of dealer because risks are shared with the artist, which is crucial, given the uncertain economic value of contemporary art. A second advantage of consignments is that the capital intensity of the dealer’s enterprise remains low: since he/she does not buy works from the artists, he/she does not need to tie up capital in the inventory. A major disadvantage of consignment relationship is, however, that the dealer has to make investments that are specific to the artists, First of all, he/she incurs cost when searching for assessing, and selecting the artists; subsequently, to promote the artist’s work he/she need to invest in marketing, including publishing catalogues and organizing exhibition. In case the artist decides to terminate the relationship, the dealer’s investments lose their value and need to be considered as we so-called sunk cost. On top of these risky investments, the dealer has no guarantees about the quality and quantity of the future supply of work by the artists he/she represents. Also, it is difficult to insure that the artist will not sell art to collectors directly from his studio, without giving the dealer a commission. Conversely, an artist faces similar uncertainties and information problems with respect to his dealer. For instance, he does not know if the dealer is selling his work for the price they agreed upon, and if he/she invests sufficient time and money in promoting his career. Also, the artist has to entrust hid precious artworks at least temporarily with the dealer.

Art Sunday

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:11:20 +0000

Gallery Opening Invitations: Tang Contemporary Art

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:38:00 +0000

Gallery Opening Invitations: Tang Contemporary Art HK ILLEGAL STRUCTURE - A site-specific architectural installation exhibition By William Lim, Curator: Samantha Wong Exhibition period: 6 Feb – 14 Mar 2009 Tang Gallery invites you all to the official exhibition opening reception on Thursday, 19 Feb 2009 6pm onwards William Lim’s installation deals with the uncertainties and intervention of life, how the environment relates to the habitants and its psychological effect, which searches for some kind of communication with the public. His works often starts with local construction materials such as large quantity and repeated use of bamboo, wood, fluorescent light and mirror, or found objects, which becomes transmuted into a perceptual, philosophical roots in social reality. Basically it’s in order to raise question concerning the efficacy of the work of art. He sees art and architecture as important to our society and often combines both elements, which form the main concept of his architectural installations, and he called them, the “Civil Sculpture”. Most of his installation works are inspirited by architecture and based on the architectural theory - a re-make of space in aesthetically consequential forms. LIM graduated from Cornell University in USA with a Bachelor in Architecture, Master in Architecture minoring in Photography. He is a Hong Kong based awards winning architect. After graduation, he worked in Boston for 5 years before returning to HK in 1987. In 1993, he assumed the position of managing director at CL3 Architects Ltd. Lim has participated in numerous significant art projects and exhibitions in Hong Kong and overseas, including Art Container: Beautiful Journey. Beautiful World; Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture: Refabricating City; Art. Architecture 97.07 – Works Transcending Art and Architecture; Venice Biennale International Architectural Exhibition 2007; Venice Biennale International Architectural Exhibition 2006; Public Space - Found Item no.1 & 2: The Dream & the Search (at Hong Kong Arts Centre) and Lantern Wonderland, etc.

HK Ongoing Art Exhibitions

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:22:05 +0000

Andy Wauman, Art Statements Gallery, 5 Mee Lun Street, Central Hong Kong ,January 08, 2009-February 19, 2009 Wauman’s works speak about the possibility of freedom. They are messages with a romantic sense for anarchy and love. In his statements, he often uses images that have been violated, multiplied and copied by commercial media. He recuperates common metaphors and symbols and gives them back their original romantic touch or even ideological meaning. The poetic quality is striking. Wauman’s work combines subdued social criticism with a slumbering mythical desire for eternal freedom. Stephanie Sin: Damon Tong Sin Sin Fine Art, No.1 Prince's Terrace Ground floor Mid-Levels, Hong Kong January 08, 2009-February 21, 2009 Stephanie Sin (Sin Long Yee), a graduate of HK Art School, just like the ordinary people of Hong Kong, lives in a tiny place but she develops an abstract pattern as inspired by the window lattice and its surrounding space, an essence of forms and colours extracted from reality for the pursuit of pure aesthetics in painting. The development of such abstract paintings evolving from their daily personal situation amidst the urban crowdedness manifests their concerns about the social issues as well as their heed to personal living space, details and scenes with a view to the personal pursuit of aesthetics.

Tête à tête at Sevva

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:08:24 +0000

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Wang Guangyi: Cold War Aesthetics

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:39:47 +0000

> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 -->> -->> st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --> > /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} -->> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 -->> -->> st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --> > /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} --> If any of you are traveling to London from17 October - 1 March 09 this is definitely one show you should not miss The Louise Blouin Institute features the first major solo exhibition in the United Kingdom of the renowned contemporary Chinese artist Wang Guangyi. The exhibition will take place from 17 October to 1 March 2009 and is a part of the Louise Blouin Institute’s ‘Culture Beyond Borders’ series, aimed at encouraging cultural dialogue. This ambitious show by one of China’s most celebrated living artists, is both a reflection on the imagery of Cold War era China, and a warning to contemporary audiences about the horrors of war. The exhibition, referencing illustrated manuals created by the Chinese government depicting how to react to a nuclear or biological attack, represents the potential catastrophic past of the Cold War that has been avoided while simultaneously pointing to future threats lurking on the horizon. For Wang and for the viewer, the metaphor is clear; avoid a return to a Cold War mentality at all costs. The exhibition will include an installation of some fifty life-size sculptures that depict Cold War preparedness, a large-scale twelve-panel mural and a series of watercolours that serve as the sketches for the sculptural works on display. The exhibition will be complemented by a bi-weekly lecture series, three Saturday afternoon panel discussions on aspects of contemporary Chinese art and culture, as well as a set of educational workshops and music recitals. Louise Blouin MacBain on Cold War Aesthetics: “The art work of Wang Guangyi was chosen as part of the cultural diplomacy efforts of the Louise Blouin Foundation. Our foundation believes that in an area of globalization where no one nation is a super-power, trust, sharing and the respect of cultural difference is essential to confronting global challenges and to avoid global conflict. Wang’s work not only reminds us of the past danger of the cold war, but also warns us of future threats, on of which is the return to a cold war mentality. This message is all the more pressing given the antagonistic relationship between the West and China, and now the West and Russia. We must encourage patience and recognize incremental change with each region, or else we risk retrenchment and a new conflict to be passed on to the next generation.” – Louise Blouin Macbain. Wang Guangyi is one of the foremost Chinese artists of the New Art Movement generation that came of age as the Cultural Revolution was dissipating and the universities of China reopened. This cathartic era in China’s history resonates strongly in the work of Wang Guangyi, who studied at the prestigious Zhejiang Academy in Hangzhou. Wang Guangyi rose to prominence by making art that appropriated the imagery and iconography of the Cultural Revolution with Western icons. The kitsch, post-Pop imagery of Wang’s Great Criticism series that began in the 1990s gave way to a new aesthetic in recent years: an aesthetic that is less about juxtapositions of capitalist and socialist visual icons, but rather is a bold and straightforward confrontation of socialist and Cold War imagery.

Most valuable art club

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:38:49 +0000

Serious collectors and investors are the “financially interested parties” who create and maintain the art market. This group of serious collectors and investors sets the standards for what is “valuable art” by virtue of the art they covet and collect. Consequently, they also determine which artists get into the most valuable art club. Every artist who produces quality artwork during a prolific career becomes a target for collectors and connoisseurs. Thus a market is created for these artworks, ipso facto. It’s like an invitation for a hostile corporate takeover: when an acquiring company (the art buyer) sees undervalued quality (unknown artist) that hasn’t yet been discovered in the marketplace (unlisted artist), it tries to buy up and control all the available stock (artworks). Because an artist’s work is finite and limited, the financially interested parties will compete for the artist’s best works (the scarce few). Therefore the price for that artwork will increase, sometimes dramatically, especially as supplies reduce. Ultimately there well may be a “waiting list” for an artist’s work – a queue, so to speak, which happens when collectors ask becomes available. Then you have the makings of a bidding war. Whenever two or more collectors want the next available painting by the same artist, the price for that artist’s work suddenly goes up. Every time an artist’s work is sold the sale price is recorded if the sale was transacted at a large public auction. In this manner, an artist becomes “listed.” So buy paintings only by listed artists who are sought after by collectors and investors, thereby quaranteeing you a buyer when you decide to sell. For this to happen, both the artist and his artworks must be available for discovery.

Buying at auction

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:29:21 +0000

If you missed it primary and you can’t find it secondary, you’ve got to get it at auction. There’s no real choice in the matter: great works will come up at auction and they sell to the highest bidder. Here there will be no more ten-percent discounts from galleries. At auction you’ll pay Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Phillips a 20% premium on the first $ 200 000, 12% thereafter. No matter, if the works are five years old or more, it could be your last chance to get a good early piece by the artist. The catalogues are published usually a few weeks prior to the sale; be sure to subscribe or set up an account with the auction houses so that you can do your homework and get background information on the works that interest you. It’s also good to talk to colleagues (other collectors, dealers, consultants, etc.) and find out who else is interested in bidding on the piece (s) that you’re interested in. Often, dealer will bid on their own artist’s work for “inventory” and many times, collectors and dealers will try to control the bidding of certain works. Make sure you get a condition report on the works you’re looking at. A condition report provides essential information on the work’s by famous artists.

The Art Dealer

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:56:55 +0000

Art dealer are fascinating people – their egos are often bigger than those of their artists – but they have to be. It takes courage to open an expensive retail store that sells stuff that nobody actually needs and that nobody may want to buy. You may find the price high, but if it’s what you want, make an offer. You may not like the fact that you are now on a waiting list for a painting that you’ll probably never get, but that’s how an artist’s market is formed. The dealer is trying to manage his or her portfolio of artists for profit, and they’ve got bills to pay: 50 percent to the artist (or more for superstars), overheads, dinner parties, opening, catalogues, magazine ads, museum patronage, etc. Sometimes it’s beneficial to explore the gallery’s other artists. If you can’t get a piece by the artist that you’re fixating on, you can build a relationship and trust with a dealer by supporting his or her entire programme. You want to take a risk and buy one work; the dealer’s risk is that an entire show doesn’t sell. So relax, find what you want go for it. You’re persevered, you’re committed, now it’s time to buy. Just keep in mind a few things. Most dealers will offer a ten-percent discount on any primary work, so if you like to negotiate, remember, 15 percent is the maximum you can realistically expect. On secondary material, prices should be much more negotiable; the dealer is fishing, so make an offer and wait. If you have agreed on a price, demand an invoice immediately; if not, the work could “mistakenly” fall into some other client’s quicker hands. And pay as fast as you can; dealers love this, and a little good will can go a long way. One last hint: Don’t look for bargains; great works sell for a premium, and they are worth it.

The Basics Art Guide

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:34:03 +0000

Buying on the primary marketContrary to what you may be thinking, your best buy will NOT be at the auction. In the Contemporary art world, we want to buy on the primary market, which means buying directly from the artist’s primary dealer(s) - usually the gallerist. (A subtle but important distinction many dealers who represent artists exclusively or partially prefer the title “gallerist” to the more bluntly commercial “dealer”, with the implication that they’re not in the business just for money.) Why? First of all we want the fresh stuff, the new art, the work someone is not already looking to flip, and more important, it’s cheaper. The dealer must keep primary prices lower than auction prices because he’s got to sell 365 days a year, therefore the primary sale price is generally the lowest. Simple, right? Well, not really. Every hot artist will have the dreaded waiting list, which means that you’ll get one piece a year, or two, of your desired artist, if no one better comes around- a bigger collector, a major institution, or a better client the gallery. Now let’s say you get that call, the one telling you that the insane Matthew Barney vitrine, or the sexy Lisa Yuskavage painting, can now be yours as long as you sign a simple resale agreement. You can have the work, but only if you promise to offer the work first back to the gallery if you decide to sell it (i.e. you can’t just “flog” it at the auction). A dealer generally asks collector to sign resale contracts to protect his artist from becoming a casualty at auction, but also to retain control over the artist’s market and to make sure that all secondary sales go back through the gallery. If you’re buying a piece with in no intention of selling it, go ahead and sign it. But if you are more of a speculator, the contract should be more carefully inspected (some of these agreements might not have any legal weight). Or if you are buying the work with the intention of eventually donating it to a museum, the dealer won’t require that you sign the agreement. Plus, any dealer loves to hear that one of their artists’ works is going to end up at a prominent museum, even if half the time that doesn’t happen.

The Auction House

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:45:21 +0000

Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips sound and look glamorous, but the reality is that they are struggling and competing with each other and with all the dealers. Why don’t they make more money? Well, it’s the glamour factor; all those catalogues and cocktail parties in lavish office all over the world, as well as the cost of insurance and installation, add up, not to mention the fact that the business has become fiercely competitive. The auction houses obtain many of their prize works for sale by giving the consignors a “guarantee”. Often, important or super- hot artworks (valued at over $ 1 million) will be guaranteed by the auction house for the low end of the estimate. This means that when the work is estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million, the consignor (the seller) has already received a cheque from the auction house of an amount in the vicinity of the low estimate, and probably will receive only a portion of the gain over the guaranteed figure. What happens if the piece is “bought in”, meaning it doesn’t reach the guaranteed or “reserve” price? Theoretically, the auction house gets stuck with it, but not really: they’ve been shopping for months to find a “third party” who will take the piece at the guaranteed price. This third-party guarantor is usually a mega-dealer or mega-collector, who wants to make sure that the de kooning , the Warhol, or the koons in question sells and doesn’t get “bought in”. So now you see that auction prices can be deceiving. True collectors do their own homework and understand a work’s value before the bidding starts.

Why Collect Contemporary Art?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:15:59 +0000

What lies behind the current urge to collect contemporary art rather than, say, Victoria paintings or vintage cars? What is it about new art that attracts such a broad spectrum of collectors? The answers can be found both in the basic nature of the art itself and in the seductive demand of the art world.Contemporary art usually confronts you with what you don’t know, what you didn’t know, or what you know in a way that you didn’t expect, is the art of its time: it engages with the immediate there and now. It also points to the future. At the best contemporary art engages the mind and the eye. It can force the viewer to grapple with unfamiliar concepts, or to look anew at the everyday. Being produced by living artists means that contemporary art is constantly unpredictable. Artists change their style, new ones appear and original ideas can emerge with extraordinary results. Interested collectors can meet and engage with artists. In this way collectors can gain privileged insight into their work and practice. Contemporary art collecting is almost inseparable from an international social scene. For better or worse, the endless whirl of exhibition openings, gallery dinners and after-show parties can become a way of life in itself.

HK Up Coming Art Events

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:00:02 +0000

HK up coming art events For all of you culture & art lovers, here are some updates of what’s on in HK.Art statements gallery (17 July 08) Pre- cocktail opening 6.30pm Zhou Yilun, first solo exhibition in HK. Born 1983 in Hangzhou China, he is also one of the hot new emerging artists today. For anyone who is interested in investing on young emerging artists, should not miss out this opportunity. Although, I am not a big fan of paintings but he is definitely someone you need to watch out…Navin Rawanchaikul ( 16 July 08) This upcoming Wednesday 16 July, 6.30–8.00 pm artist Navin Rawanchaikul will be giving a talk at Kee club hosted by the Asia Art Archive.Rawanchaikul will introduce his diverse and vast body of work, and talk about what inspires and helps to shape it. The screening will present a recent video-work that borrows from the universally recognisable Bollywood aesthetic. Known for his collaborative community projects and multifaceted exhibitions, Navin develops projects involving community participation and connectivity. His works, often taking the form of comic books, interactive board games and other sitespecific merchandising, borrow from commonly used mass communication and pop culture to bridge the divide between high and mass art and to facilitate the communication of life and art by means of reality. Tang Contemporary Art (17 July 08) Pre- cocktail Opening 6.30pm NAVINSCOPE: Dim Sum Rider By Navin Rawanchaikul Following after Rawanchaikul’s talk at Kee club his work will be exhibit at the Tang Contemporary Gallery curated by Josef Ng at Basement, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road

The truth of all art galleries business (Part 2)

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:24:41 +0000

Previously I have mentioned a little bit of the gallery business. So today let’s talk a bit more of the art business. One of our lifestyle.hk crew Sebastian, point out buying art in HK and reselling it back to Europe… True or not true? So, for of all you who want to make some pocket money, here are some hot tips for yours next bet. First of all find out what type of Chinese art you want to buy and sell. For Chinese art we have all different kind of work of art. For examples; we have Chinese antiques include – Chinese ceramics, bronze works, dynasties furniture, costumes, Tang horses and so on… then we have the Chinese contemporary art also belongs to Chinese art. I will not recommend you to invest your money on antique art unless you are a real expert who had study and investigated into Chinese art history for a long long time… Now, here we come to our hottest topic Chinese Contemporary Art. Back to 10-15 years ago, if you have bought a piece of Chinese Contemporary Artwork in HK, you are most properly had become a multi-millionaire by now. Moreover, it also depends on where you have bought your artwork from. If you have bought a piece from Manfred Schoeni or Johnson Chan from Hanart gallery, you are definitely a millionaire. I am sure that all of you want to know how it is possible and what about now? The answer is very simple also it’s a common sense, back in 15 years ago the Art scene in China generally wasn’t open to the public, or we better to say it did not capture as much as audience today. Apart from our two super art money business makers, Manfred and Johnson whose travel to China constantly searching for the treasures to sell it back to HK. Those treasures include; Yue Min Jun, Shuai Mei, Zhang Xiao Gang, Zeng Fan Zhi…etc… These artists’ works cost you less then USD10, 000 in 10 years ago and today they have fetched millions of dollars at the auction houses… What about now? Buying Chinese Contemporary Art in HK is not a big secret anymore. In fact, we have much more junk arts then ever before. Many new galleries today try to use the same concept like Manfred and Johnson, but the down sides of these galleries are not having exclusive contract with any contemporary artists. Therefore, they are actually competing with the mainland Chinese’s galleries since their art scene have become much more into an international level…to be continue

The truth of all art galleries business (Part 1)

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:32:03 +0000

The truth of all art galleries business (Part 1) Hong Kong art galleries business is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. For the last 2 years it has been at least 20 new art galleries on the marketplace. So today let’s talk a bit of the art galleries business. As an art consultant I want to advise you all art lovers and art buyers: Rule no.1: Don’t ever believe any gallerists or art dealers if they are telling you that this painting or this work of art is worth so and so much… and this artist has been around here and there… Here we go, this is all their standard sales talk, ladies and Gentlemen. Gallerists or Art Dealers are all sales people at the end of the day. Their aim is to sale their products (Art). The truth is in the art world, there is no measurement whatsoever how to set up a price for emergent artists to established artists works? Although it’s true, depending on the artist career and recognization through public art institutions; such as museums, art foundations, non-profit art organizations. This is a one of the most important channel for artist to gain the validation without any of these back-ups, Artist’s works are consider as alternative work of art or we better to say the decorative art. Decorative art has no worth at all and no resale value. Rule no.2: Be careful buying art in HK. The reason why you have to be careful, the art galleries business in HK are 80% secondary market, and most all them are getting the artworks from mainland China. That means they buy it from the lowest prices and sell it to the highest prices. You better to go straight to Beijing 798 art district, it costs you only $2000 HK dollars plane ticket and 40% off from the same artists and similar of the artwork. Or better deal is, finding an appropriated art consultant who can advise you where and what to buy, to safe your money out of the window. Part2 to be continuo………..

HK Art Exhibitions

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:36:29 +0000

Although with this typhoon season over a week, instead of sitting at home comfortably watching DVDs, there are still lots of ongoing good quality of art exhibitions out there in town. I and my creative director Kaman , were running around with the rain and thunders, still checking out all the shows during last week. Yes, it sounds crazy, but this is part of our fun job.Ongoing exhibition 1Go and check out the Atting House, where is allocated in North Point no. 633 Kings Rd. It’s one of the largest art gallery in HK, as well as an online auction gallery 2 times in a year. When you enter this gallery, you have this sense of feeling of being in NY Soho’s chic and hip industrial space.Current exhibition is called “Unveiled” curated by Eric Leung, it’s all about HK emergent to established artists. I would not say this exhibition has a potential level to an international museum standard, but it’s interesting to see for an art educational purpose, to review of what HK artists can do. Ongoing exhibition 2The MA Fine Art Grad show at the Pao Gallery, art centre in Wan Chai. For the HK’s art Uni Grad show, Kaman and I both of us came from London’s art school, we both had changed our opinion after reviewing this exhibition. We were unexpectedly surprised of their works. Hong Kong artists can be very conceptual, this exhibition has showed us as well that they are also good at using the new technology, found objects combining with their concepts and thoughts together.Overall, these 2 exhibitions should not be missed. It’s important to see what our upcoming art generation has to offer for the next trend movement. Don’t forget one of the most legendary contemporary artists Franz Ackermann exhibition will be hosted at the Para/site on 5th July.

PARA/SITE-FRANZ ACKERMANN: My secondary coming

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:44:39 +0000

This is something really rare in HK! I’ve been in love with Frank Ackerman works since I was in art school. Finally he is coming back to HK. So here is the info:Franz Ackermann (1963, Neumarkt St. Veit in West Germany) is one of the most regarded contemporary artists. After big survey exhibitions in major museums around the world he will return to the city where his career took the crucial turnaround: Hong Kong. From 1990 to 1992, Franz Ackermann lived here and developed his idea of the Mental Maps that would later make him into one of the most regarded artist of his generation. Mental Maps are small drawings that are inspired from the cityscapes as well as brain structures and spiritual centers. These Mental Maps are concerned with the City and the Space as much as with the individual notion of moving and traveling. Originally born out of the necessity to draw in a small 2 by 1 meter room on Lantau Island, these small drawings developed into an important tool not only to remember his journeys but also function as foundations for Franz Ackermann's bigger paintings and spectacular room-size installations. For his first exhibition in Hong Kong, Ackermann will revisit his early Mental Maps, which are complied from various collections, presented on view for the first time ever in Hong Kong. The artist will stay in Hong Kong to develop a completely new wall- installation that draws reference to his early Mental Maps but will also create a series of wall-paintings acting as juxtaposition to the smaller paintings in the exhibition. Co-presented by Goethe Institut Hongkong and Para/Site Art Space, the artist talk is held in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts School. Opening: Saturday 5 July, 6:30 pmExhibition: 6 July 2008 to 3 August 2008Artist's Talk: Wednesday 2 July, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Room 1907AB at the Hong Kong Art School, Learning Centre, Hopewell Centre, Wan Chai; RSVP essential to info@para-site.org.hk

Richard Hutten and Michael Young @100% Design SHG

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:31:26 +0000

Two great designers, Richard Hutten and Michael Young, will be giving a joint talk on Saturday, June 28th, at 2pm, during 100% Design Shanghai. They are two legendary design forces, and also two very good friends, so I think this will make for a very interesting discussion. It will be followed by a Q&A session by some notable designers in Shanghai. Please help spread the word. Keep in mind that 100% Design Shanghai is open June 26-28, and the fair is open to all members of the trade--so as long as you are a designer, architect, developer, client, media etc--all you need is a business card to get in, free of charge.100% DESIGN SHANGHAIKEYNOTE TALK, 2PM JUNE 28THRichard Hutten graduated from the Academy Industrial Design Eindhoven in 1991. That same year he started his own design studio, working on a variety of projects such as: furniture, product, interior and exhibition design. He developed his 'No sign of design' and 'Table upon table' concepts. He is one of the most internationally successful Dutch designers and a key exponent of Droog Design, in which he has been involved since it’s inception in 1993. Current projects include objects and furniture for MUJI Japan, Lensvelt office furniture, Offi, Christophle Paris, a house for Ytong, the interior of a building of MVRDV architects in Amsterdam and the interior of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.Michael Young has been amongst the most successful and influential designers of his generation from the outset of his career. In 1995 he created MY- 022 Ltd design office in London where he focused on a series of projects for Cappellini, Sawaya & Moroni and Magis and was given his own monthly page in Japanese publication Casa Brutus. His clients since have included Galley Kreo, Danese, Artemide, Rosenthal and Swedese and Astro bar, a nighclub design in Iceland. Michael currently serves as the creative director of 100% Design Tokyo.

Is HK Art development Council frugal?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:55:16 +0000

Is HK Art development Council frugal or is it just internal marketing management issue? Hong Kong is one of the most well known international financial centre and shopping heaven. Hong Kong has been rated for one of the best skyline city in the world. Apart from all these well known features, Hong Kong has far more other things to offer than what the government had demonstrated for ballet shows, canton pops, wine and dine experience, shopping and of course the horse racing etc... However, what about the art world in Hong Kong; The Art and Culture Industry? Does the culture industry have only the Buddha temples to offer for the tourism? Of course we do have So-Called art and culture museums. Although the Leisure and culture services department (LCSD) manage 15 performance venues and 16 museums through out Hong Kong and the Art development council (ADC) is responsible for the developing of the art, make recommendations to the government on culture policy and development and provides funding for the culture organization and that’s their purpose. The Hong Kong government allocates around US $300 million per year for culture and arts, which accounts for about 1 percent of total government spending. From another point of view the government has enough funding to support the arts and culture industry and is one of the highest in the world. Unfortunately the government had granted most of the funding into the government arts and museum administration sector. The Hong Kong museum of art had been funded for over $52mil (not including salary) have around 9 exhibitions per year comparing to Para/site art space, which has only $800,000 per year are doing so much more for the Hong Kong arts community. The museums are not suffering or lack of support from the government. I think is the internal organizations are mismanage and are not focusing on the right marketing strategy to curate the appropriate exhibitions to attract the audiences. In 2007 the Hong Kong art museum only had 615,571 visitors and there were 28 million of visitors to Hong Kong. Comparing these numbers alone it show how unattractive and lack of promotion of the Hong Kong art museum…to be continue

One Hand Washed the Other

Thu, 29 May 2008 15:21:45 +0000

This morning I woke up I finally received an email from Fabien Fryns the owner of the F2 gallery, which I have been waiting for a week about this artist Xu Hualing consignment.The story started at the closing hours at the fair of Art HK 08, where I needed to collect all the artists’ information from some of the gallery at the fair. Out of the blue during my last hectic collection I received a text from Patrick Andrist saying “I am at the F2. And you?” I was so surprised that he is at the art fair at this time which every single gallery is busy with packing for the closing ... Anyhow an hour later, I finally sat at the F2 gallery booth with Patrick who is a good friend of Fabien. Fabien is one of the charming, smart, extremely pleasant art gallerist who I have met. Being in the art world, I have heard a lot about Fabien’s galleries in L.A and Beijing…by looking at his booth during the vernissage, there wasn’t much art works attracted to me except the ping –pong table painting… Throughout the conversation with Fabien, I asked him again if he has something else except the ping pong table that I can show to my potential clients one day. Then he suggested Sheng Qi, the artist who is famously cutting his finger off for his conceptual art works. However, I wanted something more cutting edge by some young upcoming artists. So Fabien started to looking through his desk and grabbed a book is called “Eternal Beauty” by Xu Hualing. When I saw Hualing works in the book, I felt her work is completely different from all the others avant-garde Chinese contemporary artists today. Something is really enthused on her own initial idea. I clearly saw that she is inspired by the 80s feminist Chinese popular culture from the Southern China. Imagining as her position as a young girl who was living in the Chinese revolution at that time. Her paintings are appeared such as a phenomenal perception to me. She uses a traditional Chinese painting technique of the floating brushstroke and spreading colors into the form of her portrays. These portray, dreamy girls can be depicted as her knights from the Chinese novel. They are represented as a new female power today ……. After all, I was very overwhelmed by her paintings and Fabien suggested me if I would like to consigned Xu Hualing’s work. For one hand to wash the other, Fabien also could have consigned my artists’ work too……..

The Success of Art HK 08

Mon, 26 May 2008 22:04:10 +0000

Most of people assume that Art HK 08 is the first HK contemporary Art Fair, in fact it’s not. The first HK contemporary Art Fair was held in 1996. At that time I was still a little girl, so I wouldn’t have known any of those gossips of the art world. But from what I’ve heard the art fair in 96 it was much smaller and less sophisticated compare to the one today. Anyhow let’s get back to the Art HK 08. Most of the galleries anticipated at the fair were cover significant sales during this successful event. Numbers of the galleries are completely sold out such as The Drawing Room from Philippines, Gandhara Art from Pakistan, Grotto Fine Art from Hong Kong, Chemould Prescott Road from Mumbai and some others. You almost see all the happy faces of the galleries owner in the room, who had seen all the cash flowing into their account. …Me myself, I have been to a numbers of art fairs from London Frieze Art to Miami Basel, from Art Dubai to Art Basel. I had seen some good ones and bad ones, overall I would say for an art trade fair, Art HK has done pretty well. If I have to compare this event to the Dubai art fair last year, it wasn’t as successful as the Art HK 08. Mostly, it’s because of lacking of right audiences and collectors in the Dubai art fair, most of the artworks in the Dubai art fair weren’t selective enough from western galleries. Those Middle Eastern and Indian galleries, which were involved in the Dubai art fair, were far much cleverer and much more selective collection for their target audiences. Sabrina Fung’s Mirage Photo Contributed by Kaman YipIn culture and intellectually point of view to represent HK art and artists it was an absolute awful experience. I could not believe that Art HK had appointed Sabina Fung as a curator to represent Hong Kong artists at this fair, who doesn’t understand the concept of curating and selecting the right artists or theme for an exhibition Mirage. Shouldn’t Sabrina present the local art talented rather than Sabrina’s barbie show?? Again the question is what does she want to achieve her Mirage to show the Hong Kong art or just a show for the beginner? Although we have a numbers of good artistes and curators in Hong Kong, who can bring up a much better concept and quality of works to represent Hong Kong. I would rather to see Norman Ford or Tobias Burger curate this show than Sabrina Fung. From my point of view, Norman and Tobias have a better understanding of the local art and the dialogue of the culture and decolonization. Photo Contributed by Kaman Yip General speaking, this art fair has been very successful and opening up a new commercial channel for contemporary art market. HK is already the no. 1 city for the Chinese art trade centre because of the major auction houses such as Christie and Sotheby’s are also located in HK. Now with the aim annual art fair this can proves that HK has the best potential to be the next NY and London. One of the best advantages of HK is there no sale tax on art works and has the best opportunity to trading in art because of the laissez-faire capitalist system. For HK to be the next NY or London it needs to be intergraded with the art cultural perspective and there is a long way to catch up…