Hong Kong Art Gallery Week Elevates the City as an International Art Hub
The inaugural edition of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Week, sponsored by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Private Banking and organised by the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association, closed on a positive note and further cemented the city as an international art centre.
Officiated with a speech by Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Government Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, 100 events orchestrated by 49 member galleries of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association took place city-wide across the week. Attended by over 6,000 people, Hong Kong Art Gallery Week successfully brought art professionals, collectors, university students and the general public together to enjoy the art and build the gallery-hopping scene in Hong Kong.
“It has been a week for the public to appreciate the art that the city has to offer,” says Henrietta Tsui, founder and co-president of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association. “We had families with children visiting galleries for the first time, collectors and art lovers who had a unique experience at Fang Lijun's studio in Hong Kong, and many interesting exhibition openings, art seminars and live performances that captivated the audience's attention. Hong Kong Art Gallery Week will be a yearly event and we aim to reach further audiences as it grows.”
Art Talks
Breakfast talk by art market specialists on 21 November at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, where Alexandre Errera (artshare.com), Martin Bremond (Artprice) and Ingrid Dudek (Christie’s) shared views on collecting contemporary Chinese art, was attended by a full house of audience. Also receiving great reception was a talk given by Tan Guobin on 23 November at Contemporary by Angela Li, where the Chinese collector and founder of Art Changsha shared his personal experience in collecting art.
Art Night/ Art Day with Art Buses
“Art After Hours” on 22 November created a vibrant gallery-hopping atmosphere in many neighbourhoods across Hong Kong. The dynamism was particular vivid around the staircase of Shin Hing Street where the public gathered for New Common Theatre’s performance presented by Amelia Johnson Contemporary. Art Gallery Day on 23 November attracted members of the public to explore the art gallery scene both in and outside of their neighbourhoods, some visiting art galleries for the first time. Many visitors took advantage of the hop-on & hop-off art buses to explore the art scene in other districts in the city.
Studios visit
In the Island’s Southern District, Plum Blossoms Gallery celebrated its recent relocation to Wang Chuk Hang with a barbeque on its new rooftop with old friends and new visitors. In Central, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery welcomed in children and adults to explore their creativity through Chalk Art Painting with cash prizes for winners. In Sheung Wan, Puerta Roja set up a colourful and distinctive altar to celebrate the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’ with fresh flowers, sugar skulls and tequila on offer. A group of 30 caught a rare glimpse of Fang Lijun’s studio in Kwai Chung on 25 November, followed by a tour by Director of Hanart TZ Gallery, Mr. Johnson Chang Tsong-zung, of Hanart Square. The studio visit ended with a tour of the personal collection of Director of Gallery Ora-Ora, Henrietta Tsui, at Ora-Ora studio. It was especially heart-warming to see local and international artists such as Atul Dobiya, Xu Hongfei, Arturo Muela, Anders Ruhwald and Wing Chan supporting and contributing towards events throughout the week.
Highly positive experience shared by galleries
Katie de Tilly, Director of 10 Chancery Lane Gallery
“10 Chancery Lane Gallery had a vibrant week of events during Hong Kong Art Gallery Week. We saw a stream of new people coming through the gallery for our talks, Art Gallery Night and Chalk Art on Chancery Lane. There was much positive response from all and so many events all over Hong Kong. We hope this is the beginning of many more to come.”
Karin Weber, Director of Karin Weber Gallery
"It brought the Galleries together like never before, and next year will be better and bigger."
Angela Li, Director of Contemporary by Angela Li
"I think it is a great start for the young association to have organised this Hong Kong Art Gallery Week. It will be an annual event to attend for the local public as well as for the international art and general travellers."
Johnson Chang Tsong-zung, Director of Hanart TZ Gallery
“A very active week with visitors non-stop and positive responses to the ink painting show we are holding at the moment; many thanks to Art Gallery Week for your input.”
Althea Viafora-Kress, International Director of Pearl Lam Galleries
"Hong Kong Art Gallery Week brought further light to the galleries and gallery districts for the established and new community of contemporary art collectors which has been developing both on a grass roots level as well an international one. We look forward to continued talks, tours and events in the future."
Adriana Alvarez-Nichol, Director of Puerta Roja
“We loved being a part of Hong Kong Art Gallery Week. It was amazing to see a number of new faces coming through our doors and joining a number of events across the city. We met new collectors from Australia, China and Singapore and tempted Hong Kong-ers that had not previously gone to galleries to join us. I think we have definitely established a new event in the art calendar for Hong Kong and can’t wait for even more ambitious programmes next year!”
Hong Kong Art Gallery Week closed with a strong note on 28 November at its closing party at the Shore, where gallerists and friends of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association gathered to toast for the success of the week.
About Hong Kong Art Gallery Association
Founded in 2012, the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association is a member based non-profit organisation of established art galleries in Hong Kong. Working on behalf of members, its mission is to advance the Hong Kong art gallery community by providing one voice to its members, reaching out to the local and international art community, and helping deepen market knowledge and best practices amongst its members. www.hk-aga.org
About Bank of China (Hong Kong) Private Banking
Leveraging on its strong foundation as a leading commercial banking group in Hong Kong, Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”) launched its Private Banking Service in 2012. Backed by its Corporate Banking and Personal Banking divisions, BOCHK Private Banking offers an integrated platform with its “1+1+1” service model to provide a total solution to cater for the personal, family and business needs of clients. It also offers a one-stop wealth management solution that covers investment advisory, fiduciary consultancy, trust, estate planning, transactional and corporate banking services. By capitalising on its unique competitive edge in RMB business and strong support from its parent company, Bank of China, BOCHK has developed a comprehensive range of cross-border products and services to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of clients. For more information, please visit www.bochk.com