ASIA’S PREMIER ART SHOW | Enjoy your Stay at THE PENINSULA for the HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR
Back for its fifth year, ART HK 12 – Hong Kong International Art Fair will take place 17–20 May 2012, preview 16 May, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). ART HK 12, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, is delighted to announce its outstanding exhibitor line-up, showcasing the very best in contemporary art from the world’s most important galleries in both Asia and the rest of the world. The total number of galleries at ART HK 12 is 264, representing 37 territories. The total number of new participating galleries this year is 77. In 2011 the Fair received a record number of visitors, with 63,511 attending, an increase of 38% from 2010. The Fair is internationally recognised for its encouragement of broad cross-cultural exchange, and remains unique as the only world class art fair to have a 50/50 balance of Asian and Western participation.
This year, ART HK’s Galleries Section will welcome 180 galleries from 30 different territories. Leading galleries returning from across Asia include Long March Space and The Pace Gallery from Beijing; Vitamin Creative Space from Guangzhou; Ben Brown Fine Arts and Hanart TZ Gallery from Hong Kong; Anna Schwartz Gallery from Melbourne; Nature Morte / Bose Pacia from New Delhi; Kukje Gallery and PKM Gallery from Seoul; Pearl Lam Galleries from Shanghai; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery from Sydney; Eslite Gallery from Taipei and SCAI THE BATHHOUSE from Tokyo.
HALF-DAY PROGRAMMEAn introduction to Hong Kong contemporary art is followed by the best of what’s on in Hong Kong to create a contextual gallery tour by area. Includes lunch.
An introduction to Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene begins with a ride in chauffeured MINI Clubman or a 6-seater van to visit artists in situ. Here you will be able to see working studios and interact with artists directly. Driving to Hong Kong island’s gallery districts, you will be taken on intriguing visits to the significant exhibits of the day, contextualised by area and theme. Includes coffee breaks and lunch. Room requests subject to availability. BookTravel@Hauteoc.com
New additions include de Sarthe Fine Art from Hong Kong, Koyanangi from Japan and three galleries from Mumbai: Gallery Chemould Prescott Road, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke and Volte.
The Fair will also host some of the most prestigious galleries from the West, with the return of galleries from across Europe and the USA including the following from London: Sadie Coles HQ, Stephen Friedman Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Simon Lee Gallery, Lisson Gallery, Sprüth Magers Berlin London, Timothy Taylor Gallery and White Cube. Other notable galleries include Acquavella Galleries Inc., Marianne Boesky Gallery, Galleria Massimo de Carlo, Leo Castelli Gallery, Cheim & Read, Gagosian Gallery, Gladstone Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery, Sean Kelly Gallery, L&M Arts, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and David Zwirner. Galleries new to the Fair include The Breeder from Athens; carlier | gebauer and Galerie Gebr. Lehmann Dresden from Germany; Galeria Filomena Soares from Lisbon; Annely Juda Fine Art, Maureen Paley and Stuart Shave/Modern Art from London; XL Gallery from Moscow; Marlborough Gallery Inc and Michael Werner from New York; Galerie Nathalie Obadia and Galerie Daniel Templon from Paris; Casa Triângulo from Sao Paulo; Stevenson from South Africa; Galerie Karsten Greve Ag from Switzerland, among many others.
ART HK 12 will also see the return of ASIA ONE, a section which debuted at the Fair in 2011. Forty- nine galleries from across Asia will exhibit a solo presentation by an artist of Asian origin. ASIA ONE offers an international platform to Asian artists and their galleries and provides a unique opportunity for visitors to experience a diverse view of the Asian art scene. In keeping with the Fair’s encouragement of cross-cultural exchange, ART HK recently announced the repositioning of ASIA ONE into the heart of the Fair. Divided between level one and level three, ASIA ONE will be integrated further into the Fair, set alongside other prestigious galleries from Asia and the West.
ART HK will further its role as a platform for cross-cultural exchange by introducing a new initiative, offering to pair up interested galleries from the East and West, to share practical knowledge on conducting business as a gallery in their respective territories.
ART HK 12 will also see the development of ART FUTURES with changes to ensure the inclusion of the highest calibre of work. The section will present 35 of the world’s most exciting young galleries, showcasing work by emerging artists from around the globe, and once again in 2012, the ART FUTURES prize will be awarded to one artist featured in the section. While previously ART HK has required that galleries exhibiting in ART FUTURES were no more than five years old, for the 2012 Fair, galleries of up to eight years old and artists under 35 at the time of application are invited to participate. A reduced number of spaces for ART FUTURES at ART HK 12, together with a broader age range of galleries, places a strengthened emphasis on quality. The ART FUTURES Prize 2011 was awarded to Gao Weigang, for his solo presentation at Magician Space, Beijing.
“We are delighted once again to welcome such a high calibre of art from around the world to ART HK 12,” explains Magnus Renfrew, Fair Director, ART HK. “It’s extremely exciting to see the Fair progress with the support of Deutsche Bank and it’s hugely promising that in its fifth year it continues to attract new participating galleries. ASIA ONE, which debuted at last year’s Fair, was very well- received, and we are pleased to be integrating this section further into the heart of the Fair in 2012. This section will showcase the exciting developments currently taking place in Asian art, alongside the most prestigious galleries from Asia and around the world. We hope to encourage as much collaboration and cross-cultural exchange as possible, making ART HK 12 a platform for developing the audience and market for contemporary art in Asia and providing a global audience an opportunity to discover and learn about contemporary art from the region.”
Michael West, Deutsche Bank’s Head of Communications for Asia Pacific commented, “We look forward to seeing the very best in both Eastern and Western contemporary art come together at this year’s ART HK”.
Since its inaugural year in 2008, ART HK has attracted a rich mix of international galleries, collectors, curators and museum directors, making it the major destination art fair in Asia. ART HK has been simultaneously praised for its commitment to emerging art-world talent and recognised for developing the regional art scene while also welcoming some of the most prestigious galleries from Asia and around the world.
ART HK has grown year upon year, and has become established as a premier event on the global art calendar. In 2011, 260 galleries from 38 countries came to Hong Kong to exhibit works by over 1,000 artists. Throughout the duration of the Fair, 63,511 visitors attended, an increase of 38% from 2010.
Recognised as the gateway between Asia and the West, Hong Kong is unparalleled in its suitability as an art fair destination, and its significance as a cultural hub continues to grow at a considerable rate. With more billionaires in Asia than in Europe, the art world recognises the significant market potential in the region, and the role ART HK plays in accessing that potential.
Hong Kong itself stands in the midst of all the excitement that a cultural emergence brings. With the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District and its contemporary museum component M+ (first phase scheduled to open in 2016), the renovation of the Central Police Station heritage site to a mid-size exhibition venue (scheduled to open in 2014) and the opening of the Asia Society’s new premises in Hong Kong in February 2012, the city will shortly be home to world class cultural and exhibition venues. This, added to the significant work already conducted by organisations such as Para/Site Art Space, Asia Art Archive and Fotan Open Studios, provides a breadth to the non- commercial aspect of the cultural scene in Hong Kong.
The city already plays host to an important art market; Hong Kong is the third largest auction market in the world after New York and London, and China (including Hong Kong) has recently overtaken the United Kingdom to become the second most important auction market for art and antiques. The arrival of major international galleries including Gagosian Gallery (2011), White Cube in March 2012, Pearl Lam Galleries in May 2012, and Emmanuel Perrotin, Simon Lee and Platform China in spring 2012 has strengthened an already vibrant gallery scene in Hong Kong, and is a reflection that the international art world recognizes the importance of Hong Kong as the location to launch their commercial activities in Asia.
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