Vol. 21 Hong Kong Art Scene and Building A Community
Hong Kong Art Week, 2021
With Hong Kong Art Week coming to an end, we would like to take this opportunity to look back on some of the special highlights of this season. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year, most aspects of the art market have proven to remain resilient. Hong Kong is renowned as Asia’s central art hub and over the years, it has truly blossomed into a vibrant and culturally diverse city. Consequently, Boundless Artists Collective is incredibly excited to witness how far the arts community has come.
It is with great honour and pleasure that we are dedicating this month’s newsletter to sharing our latest artistic discoveries.
Art Fairs
1. Art Central
This year at Art Central, one segment that particularly piqued our interest and thought was especially fitting to reflect this year’s sentiments was the newly introduced commercial exhibition, “Here/There”. Curated by Andre Chan, the exhibition expands on the hybrid nature of Art Central’s special edition for 2021 – recalling themes of separation and interconnectedness united by the staging of the fair itself.
Featuring 50 works by emerging and established international artists, several highlights include works by Evgen Copi Gorisek, Fan Dongwang, Paloma Castillo, and Zeng Xi.
2. Art Basel
Of course, art week would not be complete without Art Basel Hong Kong. Besides featuring booths by the world’s leading Modern and contemporary art galleries in the fair’s main sector, this year brought about further insights to present works by artists from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Must-See Exhibitions
1. Myonghi Kang: Origins (Villepin Gallery) | 17 May – 17 November 2021
Hovering between abstraction and figuration, the Korean artist’s paintings from this exhibition reflect her ideas of perception, embodiment, and understanding – altogether exploring notions of time, space, and colour. Throughout the colours and shapes in Myonghi Kang’s cosmic landscapes, these elements are amalgamated to convey a sense of exuberance, peace and joy to the viewer.
2. Extended Figure: The Art and Inspiration of Lalan (Asia Society) | 27 April – 19 September 2021
Lalan (Xie Jinglan) was an inspirational figure in modern Chinese art whose legacy lies in the art form known as integrated art, which comprised of painting, music, and dance. Showcasing over 30 masterpieces of the artist’s cross-disciplinary attempts, the exhibition traces Lalan’s transformative moments as well as her experimentation and introspection through her bodily focused art-making techniques.
3. Honouring Tradition and Heritage: Min Chiu Society at Sixty (HKMoA) | Until 6 June 2021
The Min Chiu Society has been regarded as one of the most prestigious associations in Hong Kong for connoisseurs and collectors of Chinese works of art to converse and foster intellectual exchange.
Commemorating its 60th anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has curated a show to present the very best of Chinese art from the collections of Society members. Featuring over 300 works, the exhibition exudes the artistic and cultural taste of Chinese imperial courts and literati across generations.
Auctions
Christie’s Hong Kong Spring Auctions 2021 are taking place from 20-28 May, bringing an enthralling representation of global masterpieces to the market. Among a diverse range of art categories, Christie’s collaborated with HomeArt this season to present an exceptional and historical group of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Radiance: The Basquiat Show” curated in the form of a private sale, serves as an outstanding opportunity to reveal Basquiat’s oeuvre to the Asian public.
Additionally, among the auction house’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales, three paintings by one of BAC’s artists Pang Jiun, made an appearance to the public eye.
“A Passerby Hears a Fair Maiden’s Laughter in the Garden Ring”
Estimate: HK$300,000 – 500,000, Price Realise: HK$1,500,000
“Sunflower”
Estimate: HK$380,000 – 580,000, Price Realise: HK$625,000
“Waterfalls”
Estimate: HK$900,000 – 1,500,000, Price Realised: HK$2,000,000
Genesis (赤子心) Exhibition, Beijing | 29 May – 29 August, 2021
This month, we are delighted to announce that as an extension to Ren Zhe’s large-scale solo exhibition Genesis that took place at the Ping An Finance Centre (Shenzhen) in January, Genesis will be making its debut in Yizhuangzhen, Beijing. Also known as the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), this zone provides the perfect exhibition space, creative inspirations and unlimited possibilities for the arts.
Drawing on the concept of art and technology, Ren Zhe hopes to bridge together the novel elements of his immersive light installation alongside sculptures such as The Homecoming Warrior and his 12 Zodiacs series. In conjunction with the Tech-Art Festival, this exhibition will be on view from 29 May until 29 August.
Inspiring HK Sports Foundation x WELLDUNK!
In the early morning of 8 May, all staff, families and friends of BAC arrived at the newly restored Kai Yip Estate communal court to show acts of encouragement to their fellow Meilam Titans. The day started off with watching them compete against the Samurais followed by a team debrief and an integrated friendly match amongst BAC spectators and several youthful talents from Meilam Titans. Lastly, the day concluded with a fruitful team lunch at one of the local dai pai dongs where we had the opportunity to converse with the players on a more personal level. Many thought-provoking discussions were instigated, and it was interesting to hear stories from different perspectives.
Leading up to 15 May, IHK invited all their corporate donors to take part in multiple 5v5 basketball matches at the Southorn Stadium in Wanchai. With an exciting line up and varied mix between adults and youths, both events as mentioned above were truly humbling and eye-opening experiences to say the least – being able to come together to build a sense of community and to show our support to the local youths in Hong Kong.