HONG KONG --- As an artist and photographer, it was a great opportunity for me to attend the recently concluded International Art Fair (Art HK12) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The atmosphere at the venue was convivial, as artists, collectors and dealers shared the awe inspiring experience of viewing some of the most beautiful art pieces in this part of the world.
Bringing together the highest caliber of artists, Art HK 12 was decidedly a success, under the stewardship of Fair Director Magnus Renfrew, who gathered the best galleries to participate in the annual event. In more ways than one, Art HK 12 has validated the relevance of the Asian art market, which has increasingly become a showcase of a masterful collection of art pieces.
Viewing paintings by great masters like Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tapies, Damien Hirst, Robert Motherwell, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Joan Mitchell, David Hockney, Fernando Botero, Edgar Degas, Gerhard Richter and other arts stalwarts felt like meeting the creators themselves. One can feel their fast and loose brushstrokes, and shadow their minds in the paintings that they created. One is easily engulfed in the beauty of these creations. The art making process of the artists can make one contemplate and be amazed -- from expansive canvases to small works of art that command scrutiny and attention – a confirmation that art has no boundaries. From emerging artists to the great masters, from traditional sculpture and painting to the more avant garde installation works and videos, Art HK 12 was an entirely fulfilling and memorable experience.
Celebrating its fifth year, Art HK 12 proves to have achieved global prominence in the international art scene. The exhibition was participated in by 266 galleries from 38 countries. It has attracted a mixed audience from the East and West, and it has catapulted itself to be a major event in the Asia Pacific region. It boasts of being a firm key player on the global art market. Hong Kong is now a major art fair destination in the region. It has cemented a reputation for itself, as a showcase for exceptionally quality art pieces from well known galleries from Asia and around the world.
Art HK12 has provided an unparalleled opportunity for art enthusiasts to experience something new, fresh and exciting. It has become the leading podium for buying and selling western and Asian art, as well as an important networking opportunity for the international arts community.
On the same occasion, the heavyweight and premier auction house, Sotheby’s, launched its new Hong Kong Gallery space. Occupying the whole 5th floor of One Pacific Place, the facility will allow Sotheby’s to significantly expand its business in Asia. The expansion is undoubtedly a response to the booming growth of the Asian Art market over the past few years and is a testament to Sotheby’s commitment to Asia. The launch of the new gallery demonstrates that Sothebys is the foremost international auction house in Asia, thus, giving its clients a higher level of service and sophisticated experience equal to other major art centres in London and New York.
To celebrate the opening of their new gallery, Sotheby’s showcases two important selling exhibitions to Asia, namely the YAYOI KUSAMA- HongKong Blooms in My Mind and Modern Masters: Corot to Monet-French Landscape Paintings in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.
Kusama’s works in the exhibition cover a wide range of media including works on canvas, sculptures of different sizes and unique works on paper, and many periods of the artist’s growth from the 1950s to present. The artist’s dynamic body of work is a celebration of his importance in Hong Kong and the global contemporary art market. Kusama is a Japanese female artist who had a successful career in New York and captivated both Asian and western audiences for over six decades.
The Corot and Monet exhibition is a collection of important landscape paintings-a popular subject matter in the mid-19th century by a major artist in this genre. Sotheby’s has identified the increased demand for Impressionist paintings which hold a particular appeal with the Asian audience.
Christie’s, in conjunction with Art HK event also unveiled their wide collections of the best contemporary art from China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The variety of works show exquisite and distinct work of art from Asian modernist masters through to avant-garde and cutting–edge contemporary talents, and uncover the unique cultural values and aesthetics from across the region.
Celebrated names spotted during the press tour within the Christies headquarters in Hongkong were Chinese Zhang Xiaogang’s painting “Bloodline: Big Family”, Philippines’ Ronald Ventura’s “The Duo”, Wang Guangyi’s “Format of Christ” and French-Chinese Zao Wou-Ki’s “5.7.62”.
Exceptional works by contemporary Chinese masters such as Liu Ye, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Tang Zhigang, Ai Xuan and Yang Shaobin are also being offered by a known European collector. Works from the collection encapsulate the creative visions and distinct styles of this important generation of artists, as well as highlights the conceptual origins of the historic movement. Through their unique modes of representation and attention to self-portraiture and portraiture, they embody the changes and experiences within themselves and society, representing the underlying mentality of China’s generation.
As a Filipino artist and photographer, I share the country’s pride in the participation of three Manila-based art galleries namely-Silverlens Gallery, Art Informal and The Drawing Room in the prestigious art fair. The creative outputs of our present artists have equaled their counterparts in Asia and patronized by the western collectors. Ronald Ventura, who has elevated himself to be a great master of his art, produced the painting entitled, “Grayground” which sold for HK$ 8,420,000 or R46,995,832.65 at the Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction which was held in Hong Kong on April 04, 2011. The artist’s audience has expanded to include the delicate tastes of collectors from the West. The 38-year-old Ronald Ventura is a University of Santo Tomas Fine Arts graduate and is currently the Philippines’ top-selling artist. He has been selling for five to six dollar digits in auction houses abroad.
Art HK12 has not only provided an opportunity for students, museum-goers, gallery owners, curators and collectors to work together, but has also opened doors for networking across the world.
source: mb.com.ph