Art Critter: Art Basel Hong Kong, 2013

A Chantown Art Critique Critter: What did I think of Art Basel Hong Kong?

I liked it. And I thought the brand changes externally were minimal, but I can't say the same for those who worked on the fair. Or for the collectors. (That said, I found the old website much more informative...  why do Art Basel hide the Press section of their site?).

Between the first and the third floor, I preferred the third, but that might be because I started there, after CY Leung cut the ribbon to start the show. I might point out that I found his presence somewhat huomourous (he did not give a speech). But I also took it as a sign that the government can only be pleased they have secured Art Basel as a great business venture, since they do relatively little to promote the arts by way of education, support, funds or on a wider societal basis.

Art Fairs are a funny business for the average Joe. You might see famous pieces you'd otherwise need to travel to New York for. Or new works by artists just making the spotlight. But you are also confronted with hundreds of galleries and pieces – that aren't for you. You're not buying. Even at the Affordable Art Fair, the question of purchasing a piece needs careful, careful thought. Those are my savings.

So the enormity of an art fair is about as draining and overwhelming as seeing all of the Metropolitan in New York. You lose energy, will and interest. But fairs, the buzz that goes with them and your friends' Instagram streams make you  feel like you have to see it all.

I think that ArtHK greatly improved over the years, but the works were a bit repetitive. Art Basel Hong Kong seems less so. The breadth of work and galleries presented is better. I even saw a Wayne Thiebaud – one of my favourite painters. (He's 92 and you could eat his work). I've never seen that at the fair before. You can find him at Acquavella somewhere on the third floor – you've got a map.

Onto other things. The vernissage somehow lacked the ambience, crowds and excitement of last year, despite that Kate Moss allegedly attended as did Shwan Yue (I didn't see him!) and Edison Chen. Actually I didn't see that many people that I know either, and usually, everyone is there.

That said, I know a number of artists and galleries that couldn't get enough vernissage tickets, something that I've never heard before. In Hong Kong, we all know someone... so it's not always that hard to get in (for free). Could it be that Art Basel tightened the reigns? It's hard not to feel, from inside chit chat, that this is a money machine. Of course it is – the art world is fickle, money makes it. But this is gossip so I should stop.

Out of about 245 galleries present at Art Basel, about 26 are Hong Kong galleries. While that includes White Cube and Ben Brown (etc), it's still a good percentage, as Fair Director, Magnus Renfrew pointed out. Well done Hong Kong.

Maybe it's just me, but while I enjoyed the fair (especially Thiebaud) I don't feel the lure to go back again over the weekend, I don't feel an attachment and I can't even point you to any pieces that you really must see except for Thiebaud and Shieh (that was at an HK gallery, I forgot which. Sorry, I was tired). I saw at least four pieces clearly based around guns.Yawn.

Instead, if you feel adventurous, go to the old cold storage beneath the Fringe Club and see Wun Dun. Artist Adrian Wong was selected by the Absolut Art Bureau to create an immersive installation for the launch of Art Basel HK – and it's hosted in the coolest spot (sorry: pun). Various performers will appear every night, and the cocktails were created by Wong (which if you know him, is a little concerning). I couldn't take Duck cocktail (with duck fat wash), but maybe you can.

Asia Hotel Art Fair 2013, Mandarin Oriental

An invitation to the Asia Hotel Art Fair (AHAF) press opening is hard to resist – a look at some interesting art and a snoop around the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, checking out various room types? Two of my favourite things in one, couldn't get better.

That said, I didn't expect much from this event, not having been before. Over the years I have come to love ARTHK and seen it improve and become more dynamic in terms of what's shown.

But I was wrong, the AHAF was not boring at all. Showcasing a range of galleries including some smaller independent Hong Kong galleries like Above Second and Voxfire, as well as an awesome range of contemporary Korean art and jewellery. I've interviewed quite a few Korean artists now, and they really are a creative bunch.

The AHAF has been held since 2008, in various hotels across Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul. While it's supposed to help visitors imagine their work at home, I saw property developers walking around trying to fill their new buildings for Tokyo and a number of VIPs.

But one thing that's undeniable is the price range. Not everything is too expensive for the average person. I nearly fell into buying a piece by Korean artists Park Tea-who. So it's worth visiting if you want to adorn your home – more affordable than ARTHK by far.

Korean artists 

Ahn Jun is a highly popular Korean artist, who takes photos of herself on the edge of buildings, including the one where she lives. Here, you can see the Shun Tak center in Sheung Wan.

Bae Chan-hyo is another popular Korean artist. His self-portraits remind me of Yinka Shonibare's self portraits like Dairy of a Victorian Dandy.

I was pleased to find a bit of Korean whimsy by way of illustration, care of Kim So-hee.

But this is the artist who stole my heart, through our shared love of birds. Park Tea-who represented by Nine Gallery on the 4th floor (room 423).

Korean jewellery was a real treat – inspiring, attractive and well-made. Check out room 612 and look here.

I want a dog too. But the ring by Shin Moonyoung will do and I presume it's less maintenance...

They have ceramics too...

And some interesting things to boot.

Hong Kong artists 

One of the reasons I wanted to go to the fair was to visit Hong Kong galleries like Above Second, who were representing Federico Fiorentini, who I love...

and Voxfire, who recently had an exhibition featuring my friends Danny Kostianos and Shann Larrson, who is featured in the photo below:

To see my tweets from this event, look here.

Otherwise Engaged: Hitotzuki, Suitman, Sticky Monster Lab

Sometimes, it's who you meet that makes writing such an interesting job. Especially if you're an artist, meeting a fellow artist – as a writer. Does that even make sense? I've noticed how great Korean design is and how quietly passionate the Japanese artists are. Here are a few that I interviewed for an exhibition hosted by K11 art mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Mobile M+: Yau Ma Tei (西九龍文娛藝術區)

In building interest, excitement and support of the West Kowloon Cultural District, Mobile M+: Yau Ma Tei (西九龍文娛藝術區) is the first in a series of nomadic exhibitions, curated by M+, the new museum proposed for visual culture.

The series of exhibitions include seven Hong Kong-based artists: Leung Mee-ping, Erkka Nissinen, Pak Shueng-chuen, Tsang Kin-wah, Yu Lik-wai, and collaborators Kwan Sheung-chi and Wong Wai-yin. Works can be viewed from May 15th to June 10th, 2012 and there are various artist talks throughout.

It's no surprise that the proposed district needs to build interest, excitement and support because the project has been sprinkled throughout the news for years, with various issues from proposals to planning. The first proposal in 2006 was overturned due to lack of planning and bad financing models. Luckily, it seems like art, cultural activities and visiting galleries could yet become a natural part of Hong Kong culture.

I was pleased that the venture produced an exhibition app with interactive map but it sadly appears that some issues invaded the first Mobile M+ project. And it wasn't mobile. The art was static, the viewers were mobile. So while some theme seemed to fit the displays, it's not that the pieces are moved around the city, reaching a wider audience (i.e. the more lazy or heat-fearing).

Finding addresses anywhere in Hong Kong is difficult enough, especially in areas like Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei. There's less signage on street corners, numbers don't always run in apparent succession and it's hot and crowded, which can make the most intent want to give up. Unfortunately, so will using the Mobile M+ app.

Starting in Mongkok, I couldn't find the Hong Kong Reader Book Store or 68 Sai Yeung Choi St South (site 10). I can read enough Chinese to match the book store sign in either language, but still no luck. I found No. 66 – and with seven flights to walk on a hot day, I gave up.

Moving on to G/F, 16–24a Waterloo Rd *enter on Portland St (site 2) to see Kwan Sheung-chi and Wong Wai-yin's collaboration, I doggedly followed the app map.

Exit B2, Yau Ma Tei. I stared at shops and numbers, I tried to spot some art, but nothing. I may have found 16 Portland St but not 16-24 Waterloo Rd. Near ready to leave, I double checked the address with my iPhone map and the site was on the other side of Waterloo Rd (X marks the spot), which you can only cross at the intersection because it's a main carriageway with cement dividers.

Kwan Sheung-chi and Wong Wai-yin's To Get a Gold Coin is a simple but great idea. Vote for your core values for Hong Kong and then choose whether to keep the real gold coin, or symbolically toss it into the harbour. Just the ratio of those two choices interest me, regardless of the best 'value' that's offered. It's such the Hong Kong conundrum. Preserve, love or get rich fast.

Luckily the info hub (site 1) and Yu Lik-wai's work (site 12) were opposite, in the same building as each other, on the same street.

I particularly liked the use of space and Yu's dramatic use of imagery, overlapping old and new, referencing Hong Kong living spaces and people.

Also nearby on Portland St, sites 3 and 4 showed interesting nostalgia work by Leung Mee-ping. The recycling shop was perhaps my favourite, for so many reasons. The subtlety of the art work in situ, the explanations of those posters – it just fit seamlessly into normal Yau Ma Tei.

The thought of seeing his installation in the public sitting area lit at night was really exciting, but Mobile M+ finishes at 7pm, so I can only presume, those antiques aren't workable.

Uncle Po Bible Calligraphy (site 8) was a near miss – the TV screen was barely noticeable, perhaps because it wasn't showing Pak Sheung-chuen's work – it was blank. Wandering along to site 9 to see Pak Sheung-chuen's other work, all I could see was a white tent with fencing and chained gates, along with some Mobile M+ signage – but no art. Continuing to Kansu St to see Tsang Kin-wah's piece, I gave up. I couldn't find that one either.

While the app was frustrating to use, it's good to see digital developments and I think Mobile M+ could encourage more galleries and Hong Kong Art Fair (or Art Basel, Hong Kong) to develop apps themselves. I also wondered why the map numbered pieces all over the geographical place. Were we supposed to view them in order? Technical writers are titled as such, for a reason. Good dissemination of information.

The art that I did see from this exhibition was interesting and it's always a pleasure to see more Hong Kong artists being talked about (at #ARTHK12, I heard lots of comments about the opening night of Mobile M+). It would be nice to see a wider range of artists in the field and as time passes, hopefully we will.

For more information about the exhibition, visit the Mobile M+ site. Use maps at own risk.

I Call You Nancy – Tang Kwok Hin @ Mandarin Oriental

The Mandarin Oriental is the official hotel sponsor of the Hong Kong Art Fair this year. As such, not only is there a range of interesting food menus throughout the hotel, but in partnership with Contemporary by Amelia Johnson, the Clipper Lounge is also host to a specially commissioned exhibition, I Call You Nancy, by upcoming Hong Kong artist, Tang Kwok Hin.

Tang’s work is inspired by Hong Kong, creating an unmistakably nostalgic flavour, which locates the audience exactly where Tang needs them to be in order to feel what he feels. I Call You Nancy is based around Tang's made-up stories about a real sister that his mother never gave birth to, due to China's One Child Policy. While the subject matter appears to be sad, Tang masters an uplifting feeling of sensitivity, wonder and hope.

Liking the idea that by searching on Google, he could find the same images from any IP address in the world, Tang found images online to create fake memories and keepsakes about Nancy. "I liked the idea of taking public images and making a private album," he explains.

The first step in the journey is a frame full of images of 'Nancy' – but in all the images, the face is hidden or blurred. Who is Nancy? Walking through the exhibition, the audience begins to feel who she is. "I imagined she loves music, so I created these albums for her," he says. Framed in card, four sheets of glass represent a vinyl record. Images are layered in-between different layers, creating different depths and a range of blurs and illusions. Giraffes reach for the trees, leaves branch down and spacemen on ladders stretch for fruit they can't reach. The 'album' is called Grapple-vity – a combination of gravity and apple. "I wanted it to be about reaching for the sky," he explains. Which, if anything, is surely about hopeful dreaming.

Other pieces in the exhibition include a video of Tang's mother leafing through a photograph album of Nancy. He originally wanted to present the album, but the location made it impractical. In many ways, the video is more poignant, creating the real experience of Nancy. His mother cried during the filming, he says.

A stamp collection showcases images that Nancy might like, including child-like fairy tale characters like Snow White. Later, a map of the world – the one that Nancy inhabits – sandwiches unrecognisable lands between glass. Strange place names are printed on multiple levels so it's not just unclear, it's dizzying.

In other pieces, find different kinds of houses found around the world. Or her journeys to work and school, her different jobs. As well as being a music-lover, Tang says he imagines Nancy left to study overseas but hasn't returned, that she is a little eccentric, so he can forgive her for not contacting them. In the pieces, Nancy is always there, hidden. Another piece shows a cabinet of keepsakes and ornaments that Nancy might own – including a photo of Tang as a boy. At the end, 24 nancies collide in one piece, showing her different characteristics in one complete piece, with the backdrop of a tree and placed between wood and glass. Nature and the family tree is so strong in this piece that it's organic.

Thanks to Tang, Nancy has a life and a world all of her own. Each piece ties together different recurring elements, giving continuity in this imaginary life. "Mum tells me she would have named you Hung-jin (紅嫣). Dad still talks of the daughter he never knew. Doing this work I thought about her a lot and I feel her."

Tang was raised – and still lives – in one of Hong Kong’s last remaining walled villages, Kam Tin. Aged 28, Tang was acclaimed as Young Artist of the Year by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2010 and won first prize at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennale in 2009. He was also selected as a finalist for the Asian Sovereign Art Prize in both 2010 and 2011 and for the international Arte Laguna Art Prize in Venice during 2011.

After looking at Tang's work, visitors can enjoy an ART afternoon tea (3pm–6pm, Monday–Saturday; 3:30pm–6pm, Sunday – until May 26th). Michelin Star chef, Uwe Opocensky, created special cakes, inspired by Tang's collaged work (and the chocolate matchbox ganache is wonderful).

Other Hong Kong Art Fair related posts:

• ARTHK 12
• Top ten tips for surviving the fair

Hong Kong Art Fair #ARTHK 2012

In it's fifth year, the Hong Kong Art Fair is as successful as ever. During 2011, Art Basel (or, the company behind it) bought a 60% stake in the fair, which according to Fair Director, Magnus Renfrew, "secures us as an advanced art fair. It's exciting. We worked hard to make this big and Art Basel guarantees that."

Here's a list of posts about ARTHK:

• Ten top tips for surviving the fair (no matter how much we love it)
• Afternoon tea with Tang Kwok Hin @ the Clipper Lounge, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong (a special menu and exhibition for ARTHK12)

Hong Kong International Art Fair 2008

At last month’s first ever International Art Fair in the city, there were plenty of galleries and even more attendees. But amidst all the Asian art being sold by foreign galleries, Vickie Chan started to wonder what it all means…

Last month over a hundred leading galleries gathered for the Hong Kong International Art Fair 2008. A record attendance of over 19,000 made it a seminal event signaling the city’s arrival on the global art scene. Most of all, it raised awareness in Hong Kong on where to find art, which artists to check out, what is “in” and the biggest question of all: where is the local scene headed?

While culturally this should have been an important event for Hong Kong it soon became evident that its prime purpose was to sell and trade art. Educating and exposing the general public about modern art was a lower priority. While several “Hong Kong Conversations” and free, guided tours made the event more accessible than a trade fair, the fee-based entry might have discouraged some members of the public.

The attendees were an even mixture of local Chinese and westerners, some obviously there to buy and others just to look. You would expect the international galleries to surprise everyone, but instead you couldn’t help but notice more than one of the “Big Faces” paintings by Yue Minjun amongst several Warhol pieces. Many other galleries brought paintings by Mainland Chinese and other Asian artists. One gallery from New York even had a giant grey portrait of Bruce Lee. It begged the question: why was there so much Asian art on offer?

Wading through the diverse Asian collections at the Fair, Pékin Fine Arts of Beijing represented some newer styles of Chinese and Asian art. The piece by Huang Zhiyang showcased his incredible talent in the traditional Chinese method of painting with ink on silk. Rather than bamboo or lilies, Huang surprised everyone with wonderful organic patterns that were similar to a Rorschach print. It was modern without being blatant or obviously political. Star Gallery, also from Beijing, displayed intriguing photos of period western style furniture covered in colourful drips of paint — so delightful in part because they were not obviously drenched in political quandary.

Union of London brought more art by Asian artists, but with a kitsch feel that was better suited for a shop display in Mongkok, or even Harajuku. Zoo Inkyung’s bizarre and entertaining pink painting of naked Matt Groening style characters brought humour to the occasion while Yu Jingyoung’s Japanese-looking and ghostly Perspex figures attracted the most photographers. Finally, painted entirely in symbolic red, Sea Hyun Lee’s landscape reinterpreted the traditional Asian style landscape.

Even American galleries like the Frey Norris Gallery of San Francisco seemed to cater to what they perceived to be Asian tastes. Kate Eric’s Crossing Parallel Line was made entirely of embroidered Chinese fabrics that could easily have been an antique from the Mainland. “These are simply our best emerging artists,” explained a representative from the gallery. “They probably wouldn’t know an Asian artist if one hit them in the face — but they are all coincidentally influenced by Asian themes.”

GBK of Sydney brought mesmerising pieces by Hitesh Natalwala. Born in Africa to Indian parents, he lived in the UK before settling in Australia. His work evoked the emotional shifts in place and identity. He recreated his archaeology by cutting, re-positioning, and pasting different papers before drawing on them. Even here, there were statements of ‘福’, ‘樂’, ‘友’, and ‘囍’ amongst his pieces that were only finished a few weeks ago.

By way of contrast, M+B of Los Angeles stood out with a fantastic collection of photography-based work that didn’t have a single Asian theme! Massimo Vitali’s giant overexposed photos received a lot of interest from the public. Photographing people relaxing and interacting in public spaces (such as ski slopes or beaches), he manages to overexpose the photos while retaining saturated colours that form a strange perspective. The large format of the pieces accentuated a sense of voyeurism. It was reminiscent of a ‘Where’s Waldo’ illustration, or a modern ‘Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ by Seurat. Opposite those were photos by Mona Kühn who created an interesting interplay between nature and man-made environments. Her nudes were magically dressed by warm light, dark shade and reflections of nature.

Most of the galleries reported that they expected to take few pieces home with them. But what does this mean for the artists of Hong Kong? Commerce and economy have always been paramount to Hong Kong’s existence. Ironically, there may be no better way to bring attention to the local art scene than to invite international galleries to an art fair where they sell… Asian art. Perhaps Asian style art sells better in Hong Kong because its themes and references are easily understood. But let’s hope that with more media coverage, emerging contemporary Hong Kong artists will be better represented at the Fair next year.

Most of the galleries reported that they expected to take few pieces home with them. Perhaps Asian style art sells better in Hong Kong because its themes and references are easily understood. But what does this mean for the artists of Hong Kong? Commerce and economy have always been paramount to Hong Kong’s existence. Ironically, there may be no better way to bring attention to the local art scene than to invite international galleries that represent Asian artists to an art fair in Asia. Let’s hope that with more media coverage, emerging contemporary Hong Kong artists will be better represented at the Fair next year.

© 2008 Vickie Chan