Why Does Hong Kong Not Love Its Artists?
A constant struggle between “selling out” and creativity, between theory and experience, between the markets and the artists.
An art story of the world’s glitziest art hubs: the city of Hong Kong
From extradition law protests to being one of the firsts victims of Covid19 to oppressive democracy crack downs from the new National Security Law, Hong Kong has grabbed many alarming headlines in the last two short years. While speculations of Hong Kong’s status of being a global financial powerhouse seem dire for the future, she is emerging as a darling for saving the art market in 2020 turning Asian buyers into super stars for auction houses and galleries.
But which artists are benefiting from these sales? Are Hong Kong artists part of the beneficiaries of the robust purchasing? If the action is happening locally, surely the local artists would get some attention by osmosis? Is Hong Kong a good place for young artists to invest themselves in with the abundance of galleries and collectors in this market? How do the art graduates fare after graduation from well respected schools such as Chinese University and Hong Kong Baptist University?
Galleries Gal is a local blogger who meticulously covers gallery exhibitions, artist studio visits, auction previews and art fairs. Scrolling through the last six months of 2020 of her feed on Instagram, it is apparent that overwhelmingly local, independent galleries are the ones that are “All In” with Hong Kong educated or “locally grown” artists. (I recommend Karin Weber, ParaSite, Alisan Fine Arts, Cheer Bell, 10 Chancery Lane and Blindspot amongst many independent galleries in HK who are very invested in local artists.) None of the blue chip galleries mentioned in her posts featured local emerging artists. For a pandemic year, it is understandable given the industry gave dire forecasts post cancelation of Art Basel and other major art fairs in Hong Kong.
But do galleries have a systematic plan to recruit new emerging artists from local sources? At a recent 2020 Hong Kong Art Gallery Association Workshop for young graduates looking for more guidance on art industry opportunities, Catherine Kwai, local socialite and director of the institutional grade Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, answers that she does actively visit local artists’ studios scouring for new blood to nurture while emphasising her effort in also preserving and giving back to the now very established Chinese artists that helped build up her gallery. However, Ms Kwai laments that the local artists are usually unprepared with portfolio or pitch packages upon her arrival; compared to the artists overseas, she sees a stark difference in being market ready. She urges local art university programs to create classes to help artists learn more about the business side of the art market. Another curator of a French gallery with a branch in Hong Kong noted that they actually lack the bandwidth to recruit very new artists locally and look for more established ones at major art fairs. One curator I interviewed is an alumni of Chinese University and has made considered efforts in recruiting other alumni to exhibit at an independent gallery that is still quite new to the scene. This gallery has planned for a long runway to grow financially and thus can afford to invest in untested artists at the moment. A local art dealer positioned the market in a very clear way to me: Blue Chip Galleries will not be expected to feature local Hong Kong emerging artists because they simply are not compatible with their branding. So it is after all about branding and classes of clientele despite constant headlines of the art industry promoting voices for minorities. One cannot help but think Hong Kong is a little bit taken advantage of for its accessibility to market by big institutions.
Mark* having just graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University explains the feeling of disappointment with the local art market in a similar tone: Hong Kong was colonised and is still colonised and even the art market displays the behaviours of opportunistic market movers. Having working experience in galleries, Mark does not expect a lot of conscious effort in featuring fresh local artists. It is not just the galleries but also collectors. The well-known or high net worth collectors in Asia tend to favour investment in artists with international recognition with confidence in the secondary market; collectors particularly from China prefer asset based investment.
This investment trend even led to criticisms from established artists. Double Fly Art Center artist group from China had a brave criticism of the art market’s state of price consciousness with their “double love & filed currency” exhibition at de Sarthe Hong Kong. The paintings featured faces, symbols and texts of cultural references in standard lighting, but another layer of painting emerges under black lights and the painting transforms into mock bank notes with the high prices of the paintings written in calligraphy. The actual price is positioned as a “discount” thus mocking the way investors have been treating art as a commodity.
This soured attitude permeates in the young artists moods as another young graduate tells me that she plans to always have a day job and will scramble to find time to work on her art pieces part time. I wondered if there is a lack of confidence and inquired on the program. Yanice* explained that her institution does not have any artist-based business classes available nor any extracurricular workshops or resources for guidance on managing a business profile post graduation. The program focused on art techniques solely as do other well established art programs in Hong Kong. Some artists believe that if their works are really good enough, they would be discovered eventually. There is a bit of an anti “sell-out” mentality in the artist circles.
Of course not all artists take this strategy. Mak Ying Tung 2 was already making headlines in the art market world while still a student at City University. Still a young artist in her 30’s, she is well accomplished in a number of group and solo exhibitions without a moment’s rest since graduation. She has done international residences and was included in 2020 Artsy Vanguard Emerging Artists. When asked how she is able to achieve this success, especially compared to her peers, she explained that “Stars are born and not made, but stars still need to power through.” For her, it is not just talent that contributed but hard work and effort in the business side of her career as well. An artist well versed in the ecosystem of the art market is only a benefit to her partners and stakeholders and herself. Willingness to share spotlights and working in teams only help one and another in this opaque line of business. Her advice to Hong Kong-made artists is to not be passive on self-promotion and take risks.
There are a growing number of new organisations or organisations that are focusing on preserving and nurturing local talents. Art Power Hong Kong is a nonprofit organisation (with 150 partners) sprung up during Covid to give a lifeline to the local arts scene. Art Power HK promotes gallery exhibits and hosts virtual round tables with the art community keeping the audience engaged. Their artist spotlights educate the public about local artists and can be a powerful platform for emerging artists. ParaSite, in contrast to Art Power, is a legacy institution which first started as an artist-run community in 1996. It is now a contemporary art centre that frequently collaborates with other institutions and hosts an International Art Residency Programme and annual conference.It’s publications amplify artists’ voices in a rare brave manner under the recent political changes in the city. HART is another non profit arts organisation that wants to champion arts awareness with the public and provide meaningful support to local artists. They have a studio space HART HAUS which serves as an “incubator for creative talent.” With their impressive real estate portfolio, their Central exhibition location is excellent for catching the eyes of passersby and their curator team stationed there are incredibly versed in showing the audience what the artists’ journeys were during the creation process.
Hong Kongers are resilient and stoic. The artists who invested their time in local institutions know the road to success is not going to rely on Hong Kong’s glitzy stage for big auctions and big galleries or collectors. It is going to be a roll up your sleeve, community-based effort grit that carries these artists throughout their careers. It is a commitment to the spirit of Hong Kong to be an artist here.
*names have been changed to protect privacy
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Text: Angela Chong
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Evgeny is an art director and a global citizen based in Hong Kong and working between Asia and Europe.
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